The U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Service today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Michigans Department of Information Technology and the Michigan State Police to study bird strikes at communication towers.
The study is intended to assess the effects of lighting, height, and guy wires on avian collisions at selected towers in the 350-500 foot height range in the State Police System. The variety of types and heights of towers within the system provides conditions that are conducive to measuring the effects of these variables on migratory birds. The study is designed to help identify reasonable and cost-effective measures that might be available to minimize impacts of the towers on migratory birds.
Construction of communications towers (including radio, television, cellular, and microwave) in the United States has been growing at an estimated 6 percent to 8 percent annually. According to the Federal Communication Commissions 2000 Antenna Structure Registry, the number of lighted towers greater than 199 feet above ground level is currently over 45,000, and the total number of towers exceeds 74,000.
The construction of new towers creates a potentially significant impact on migratory birds, especially some 350 species of night-migrating birds. Migratory birds may be confused in low visibility and fly into towers and guy wires. This study will focus on how tower height, construction, and lighting can be altered to minimize collisions. Communications towers are estimated to kill at least 4 million per year.
A Communication Tower Working Group composed of government agencies, industry, academic researchers and non-governmental organizations was formed in 1999 to develop and implement a research protocol to determine the best ways to construct and operate towers to prevent bird strikes. The working group is chaired by the Service. The study will be used by this group.
