[TN-Bird] Window kills
- From: "David Aborn" <David-Aborn@xxxxxxx>
- To: "TN-Bird" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 13:52:31 -0500
This is from today's CNN website. I have heard Dan talk about this issue
before, and he is definitely passionate about it.
David Aborn
Chattanooga, TN
-------------------------------------------------------
Glass windows an 'indiscriminate' bird killer
Tuesday, February 3, 2004 Posted: 11:25 AM EST (1625 GMT)
ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Daniel Klem Jr. cradles a small, dead =
bird
with chestnut-mottled wings, another victim of what he says is a largely
unrecognized environmental hazard that kills birds in flight.=20
The culprit is the plate glass used in windows, skyscrapers and other
structures, which the birds strike because they cannot see it.=20
"Glass is ubiquitous and it's indiscriminate, killing the fit and the
unfit," said Klem, a Muhlenberg College ornithologist who estimates that
collisions with glass kill up to 1 billion birds a year in the United =
States
alone.=20
"Buildings that we have created to be aesthetically pleasing are
slaughtering birds."=20
Although cell phone towers, oil spills and power lines raise the ire of
conservation groups, those hazards pale in comparison to glass, Klem =
said.
He estimates that only habitat destruction kills more birds.=20
When glass is clear, birds see only what's on the other side; when it is
reflective, birds see only reflected sky and trees. Either way, they =
have
little chance of survival.=20
Despite three decades of work and research, Klem has had a hard time =
getting
people in the conservation community and the building industry to hear =
his
call.=20
Klem has monitored houses and commercial buildings and counted the =
number of
dead birds, then compared the collision rates of plain glass to glass
altered with visible patterns so it's not strictly clear or reflective.=20
He has monitored glass-skinned skyscrapers that he says kill 200 birds =
every
day and suburban dwellings that he said are just as lethal when taken in
total. And he says that glass-walled structures abound even in places =
that
rejoice in wildlife -- from Central and South American ecotourism sites =
to
Pennsylvania wildlife refuges.=20
"If what I've found out over the last 30 years is true, then it's not =
going
to get better, it's going to increase," he said. "Whether people ignore =
me
or not, it doesn't change that."=20
His work is starting to get some recognition.=20
"This is a largely unseen but seriously unappreciated phenomenon and =
we're
starting to take a serious look at it," said Frank Gill, chief scientist =
for
the National Audubon Society.=20
=20
Engineer Carr Everbach believes new design and scientific advancement =
can
stem the problem. =20
Carr Everbach, a Swarthmore College engineer heading a "green team" =
working
on a new science center at the school, likens plate glass to other
scientific advancements later found to harm the environment, such as
ozone-depleting CFCs and leaded gasoline.=20
"Anytime someone tells you there's something really big that you haven't
heard of, you think they're crazy," he said.=20
The new science center will have glass etched with dots and other =
patterns,
which the green team hopes birds will see and avoid. The building also =
will
have clear glass and "thump sensors" to see if -- and where -- birds =
strike
the structure.=20
A new observation tower at Niagara Falls State Park also was designed =
with
birds in mind. Original plans called for reflective glass but after
architects and park officials were told of Klem's work, glass with a =
stripe
pattern was used, said Thomas B. Lyons, New York State Office of Parks'
director of environmental management.=20
It's not clear whether these efforts will save birds. But Klem said he's
heartened about the new interest in bird-friendly buildings.=20
"The heart of this is to get a piece of glass that will solve this =
problem.
We can't say that we have that yet," he said. "But I'm more encouraged =
than
ever that we can come up with a solution that will stop this senseless
slaughter of wildlife."
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