2 forest cliffs closed during peregrine falcon nesting

RUTLAND, Vt. – Two cliffs in the Green Mountain National Forest will be closed temporarily again this spring to protect nesting peregrine falcons.

Forest officials say Rattlesnake Cliff area in Salisbury, Vermont, and the Mountain Horrid/Great Cliff Area in Rochester, Vermont, will be closed from March 15-Aug. 1.

The Forest Service says the peregrine falcon population declined in the 1940s due to the use of the insecticide DDT. The population has rebounded since its reintroduction in the 1980s and is now considered a recovered species.

Officials say it’s critical to minimize human disturbance to nest sites so that the species continues to recover.