Press Releases

March 20, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact:  Angela Speed
Phone:  (414) 431-6104
E-mail:  aspeed@wihumane.org

Urban Ecology Center Helps WHS Save Birds

MILWAUKEE — We’ve all heard it before: that heartbreaking “thud” of a bird hitting our window. Did you know it is estimated that this happens somewhere between 100 million and one billion times annually in North America? In an attempt to help save birds, the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Wildlife Center has a special program, Wisconsin Night Guardians for Songbirds (WIngs), that works to save birds in our community. As a part of the program, building owners, tenants and managers can register to be a “WIngs BirdSafeSM Building” to actively take part in minimizing risks to migrating birds.

The Urban Ecology Center registered as the first WIngs BirdSafeSM Building last week and the Humane Society hopes to recruit other building owners to follow suit. As the first registrant, the Urban Ecology Center is implementing several of the following strategies to prevent bird collisions, especially during the heavy migration period from now until June:

• Minimize or preferably extinguish night lighting (lighting visible through exterior windows and exterior vanity lighting) between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. during migration periods; mid-August through October and mid-March through May.
• When lighting is necessary, utilize motion-detectors to control lights.
• Re-schedule night cleaning to reduce the amount of time lights are needed.
• Re-program timers to fit hours of operation and cleaning.
• Reduce perimeter lighting.
• Install CollidEscape or Bird Screens on lower-level windows, or use solar reflective blinds or curtains to reduce daytime collisions.
• Install lower-intensity lighting.
• At night, move activities requiring light to interior rooms and use low-intensity task lighting like desk lamps.

To find out how you can register your building as a BirdSafeSM Building, check out the WHS Wings’ Web site at http://www.wihumane.org/wildlife/wings/birdsafebuildings.aspx. Other cities have already committed to collision prevention, reducing the number of bird deaths by 80%!

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For more information about WIngs or to schedule an interview with a Wildlife representative, call Angela Speed at 414.431.6104.