[TowerTalk] Tower Bird Strikes "Proven"

[Michael Keane, K1MK]

That study, it's a literature survey BTW no new research,
can be read at: http://www.abcbirds.org/download/towerkillweb.PDF

One interesting fact found in browsing around the
American Bird Conservacy's (ABC) website is there's a similar
set of studies on the impact of domestic cats on the migratory
songbird population....

Bottom lines of the two studies:

Towers        take 4 to 5 million birds annually
               perhaps as many as 40 million (USFWS estimates).

Domestic cats take an estimated 217 million birds in the
               state of Wisconsin alone.

So if the issue  of mitigating towers impacts on birds is raised one
tactic is to ask what should be  done about protecting the bird
population from the much more serious threat posed by "fluffy"
and "kitty". And oh, by the way, you don't happen to have a cat do you?

Also, the ABC's recommendations for minimize the avian hazard at
communications towers include heights < 200 ft. and unlit structure,
i.e. the vast majority of ham towers.

Rather than letting the question even be raised, consider co-opting the
environmental issue by stating that any proposed amateur installation
is voluntarily adopting the recommendations of a major conservation
group in order to help protect birds....
(unless of course the plan is to put up a >200 ft tower )

73,
Mike K1MK

At 12:06 07/10/00, Dick Flanagan wrote:

>Possible ammunition that could be used against tower installations.
>
>See http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/07/07/birddeaths.ap/
>
>73, Dick
>--
>Dick Flanagan W6OLD CFII Minden, Nevada (South of Reno)
>Visit http://www.cvrc.net/

Michael Keane, K1MK
k1mk@arrl.net


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