Dear Bird Advocates,
Aside from being a remarkable group of animals, birds are an integral and
essential part of a healthy ecosystem. Sadly, over 25% of United States
bird species are currently listed as being of conservation concern. Many of
these birds use habitat adjacent to the Mississippi River as their home
year-round, for breeding, or during migration. In addition to predation by
outdoor cats, loss of suitable habitat, and competition by invasives, one
major problem driving bird population declines is unique to the urban
environment. Birds don’t recognize transparent glass as a solid object so
instead of avoiding it, they attempt to fly directly towards reflected
habitat, or through the invisible surface. Although accurate quantification
is difficult, it’s estimated that over ½ billion birds are killed per year
by window collisions in North America alone.
The Minnesota Vikings stadium that is currently under
construction is a $1.024 billion dollar project, nearly half of which is
public money. Featured in the building design is 200,000 ft2 of glass,
equivalent to over three football fields. Immediately this was identified
as a major hazard to birds as more than 50% of North American migratory
birds use the Mississippi River Flyway during migration. For less than 0.1%
of the cost of the stadium, MFSA could have opted for a bird safe
alternative glass which features a small pattern, barely noticeable to the
human viewer except at close proximity, but allows birds to recognize the
surface and avoid flying into it. Despite 76,000 public signatures, a
unanimous resolution by the Minneapolis City Council, and the efforts of
multiple scientists and conservation experts requesting the use of bird
safe glass in the stadium, MFSA decided to place the order for the
reflective glass, their reason being that the bird safe alternative would
interfere with the completely transparent view.
We are fortunate to reside in a city that lies next to one of the most
important migration routes in North America. Many of us can step outside
our front doors and see a concentration of bird species that would be hard
to find anywhere else. The National Audubon Society recently released a
comprehensive Climate Report summarizing 30 years of data including
citizen-scientist observations from the North American Breeding Bird
Survey, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, and eBird. Included in the list
of 312 birds predicted to go extinct by the end of the century if we don’t
prioritize conservation in future industry regulations and land/water
management decisions, are dozens of bird species recently sighted just a
quarter of a mile from the new stadium. A few of these include the
Baltimore Oriole, Peregrine Falcon, Golden-winged Warbler, Blackburnian
Warbler, and Scarlet Tanager. The Ovenbird and White-throated Sparrow are
included in this list as well; two birds that we know are common victims of
window collisions.
There was a time when we lived in a world without understanding the
magnitude of impact that our decisions have on the environment. We no
longer live in that time. We are now blessed with a wealth of knowledge
about the ways that we can better protect our planet and its wildlife. Some
challenges are incredibly difficult to overcome as we try to balance
efforts of conservation with maintaining a functioning society with
comfortable standards of living. Providing enough food and energy for the
entire human population while minimizing habitat destruction and pollution
is a huge problem where compromises to conservation are unavoidable.
Building a new stadium with completely transparent glass is not one of
those problems. We know that windows pose a major threat to birds. We also
know of an affordable and viable alternative that would significantly
reduce threats without compromising the overall design of the structure. We
should not reject that knowledge. Let’s protect our future so that our
children and our children’s children will also have the opportunity to see
and hear some of the wonderful birds of this region.
It’s not too late! Join us on Saturday, September 27th at 1:00
pm at the Downtown East Light Rail Station Platform in protest for using
bird safe glass in the new Vikings Stadium. Let’s tell MFSA that we want to
focus Adrian Peterson’s runs, not birds hitting the glass. We will meet
rain or shine. Come show your support for the birds and the Vikings!
We hope to see you there! Please spread the word and don't hesitate to
contact me with questions.
All the best,
Elise
--
Elise Morton, PhD
Conservation Chair, Minneapolis Chapter Audubon
Postdoctoral Associate, Blekhman Lab
Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
University of Minnesota
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