[TN-Bird] Recent Bird Kills Only Tip of the Iceberg
- From: "Scott Somershoe" <Scott.Somershoe@xxxxxx>
- To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:26:08 -0600
I've included a press release from the American Bird Conservancy that
discusses the recent widespread publicity of bird kills.
-Scott Somershoe
MEDIA RELEASE
Contact: Robert Johns, 202-234-7181 ext.210, bjohns@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Recent Bird Kills Only Tip of the Iceberg
(Washington, D.C., January 6, 2011) Recent reports of thousands of dead
birds falling from the sky in Arkansas, while getting much attention in
the press, only represent a tiny fraction of birds killed each year due
to human causes, according to American Bird Conservancy, the nation’s
leading bird conservation organization.
“There are many human-related causes of bird mortality including
buildings, outdoor cats, pesticides, communication towers, automobiles,
wind farms, and lead poisoning from spent ammunition and lost fishing
tackle. But because most of the deaths from those sources often occur in
ones or twos, they often go unnoticed or unreported,” said ABC Vice
President Mike Parr.
According to Parr, estimates from various studies show that up to one
billion birds may be killed each year in collisions with buildings;
another billion may die due to predation by outdoor cats; up to 50
million may die in collisions with communication towers; perhaps 15
million die annually due to pesticide poisoning and there is growing
concern about bird mortality caused by the burgeoning wind industry.
“When you look at the totality of human-caused threats to birds, it has
got to give cause for serious concern about our cumulative effects on
their populations,” Parr said.
Several threats have been dramatically reduced, but much still needs to
be done. For example, thanks to advocacy efforts by ABC and other
members of the National Pesticide Reform Coalition, the cancellation or
restriction of some of the most toxic pesticides to birds, such as
carbofuran, fenthion and ethyl parathion, has reduced bird mortality by
as much as 75%, yet millions still die as a result of pesticide
poisoning each year.
Collisions with buildings could be drastically reduced if technology
continues to advance in the development of bird-friendly or bird-safe
glass for buildings. Several products have already been developed to
reduce the incidence of bird impacts, but architects and city planners
still need a greater understanding of the problem and the importance of
making buildings bird safe.
“Bird-safe building glass is no longer a pie-in-the-sky dream. Its
reality is on the horizon – we are close. The manufacturers are working
with the scientists; they’re working with us. And local communities are
getting into the act as well, with more and more cities – such as San
Francisco – looking at policies that implement bird-friendly
construction,” Parr added.
Last Spring, an agreement was reached between ABC and its partners and
the telecommunications industry, that would dramatically reduce the
number of birds killed at communication towers. If that agreement is
accepted by the Federal Communications Commission, new tall towers that
pose the highest threat to birds would be subject to a greater level of
environmental review – including independent assessment. A preferred
standard of lighting styles would also be implemented. Groundbreaking as
this agreement is, it does not address the thousands of towers already
permitted and built across the American landscape that continue to kill
birds.
Efforts continue to reduce the number of birds killed by wind turbines.
A key action that will likely be decided in the next few months will
involve a decision by the Department of the Interior to implement wind
turbine siting and operational guidelines. ABC believes these
guidelines should be made mandatory .
“Voluntary guidelines don’t work. We wouldn’t expect people to abide by
voluntary drinking and driving limits. We can’t expect the wind industry
to follow voluntary environmental guidelines either,” Parr said.
Wind farms such as the one shown above at Altamont Pass inare already killing
hundreds of thousands of birds each year.
American Bird Conservancy (www.abcbirds.org) conserves native birds and
their habitats throughout the Americas by safeguarding the rarest
species, conserving and restoring habitats, and reducing threats while
building capacity of the bird conservation movement. ABC is a 501(c)(3)
not-for-profit membership organization that is consistently awarded a
top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.
State Ornithologist
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
P.O. Box 40747
Nashville, TN 37204
615-781-6653 (o)
615-781-6654 (fax)
www.tnwatchablewildlife.org
www.pbase.com/shoeman
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