Project Safe Passage

Safe Passage on the Radio

Rob Duchene from the DAS Safe Passage committee was recently interviewed regarding the Safe Passage Program on the Craig Fahle show on WDET (101.9) Wednesday August 31.

A link to the segment can be found here

The Craig Fahle Show

Bird strike videos from Wisconsin Public Television

Video 1

Video 2

Link to Google Map of U.S. cities with lighs out programs

New Safe Passage Brochure

View the New FLAP Video Here

ABC Bird Collision Solutions

For Home windows

Safe Passage Great Lakes Update

By Fred Charbonneau

Rob Duchene and I took a late night tour of downtown and midtown Detroit on May 26 to see how many buildings were turning off lights above the 5th floor. We observed 28 tall buildings and were pleasantly surprised to see that 23 were in compliance or substantially so. Most of the buildings we observed are not on our Safe Passage Honor Roll, which is not only encouraging, but an opportunity to reach out and see if they are interested in being added to the list. It matters not if their motive for turning off the lights is bottom line or safe passage, the birds are the beneficiaries in either case.

Much of the credit for this success is due to the Building Owners and Managers Association for encouraging their members to observe the program as well as the governments of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties, the Michigan House of Representatives and the cities of Southfield and Mount Clemens for their resolutions in support
of the program. Governor Jennifer Granholm issued a proclamation designating (March 15 through May) and (August 15 through October) as Safe Passage Great Lakes days in 2006 and renewed the proclamation every year through 2010. We will be asking Governor Snyder to continue in this tradition and hopefully some day, the
legislature will make that designation permanent.

In addition to our efforts, Michigan Audubon Chapters in Ann Arbor and Jackson have also started programs. Eleven buildings in Jackson are participating in the lights out campaign. The Grand Rapids Bird Club has taken the program under consideration, but so far to our knowledge, no active campaign is under way.

We are well aware that getting the lights out is only the beginning of what must be a continuing effort to build support on many fronts. In addition to lighted buildings, other man-made structures also kill migrating birds in enormous numbers: communications towers, poorly sited windmills, clear glass and outdoor cats (both feral and domestic) wreak havoc on bird populations. Loss of habitat is the greatest threat of all and one that is maybe the furthest from our public consciousness.

The latest issue of the American Bird Conservancy’s Newsletter Birdcalls has an editorial: “Cumulative Mortality: How Many Dead Birds Is Too Many?” I hope we can get permission to reprint it in our next issue. It will still be relevant to the problems we will have to face in the foreseeable future and beyond. Your Detroit Audubon Society will continue to work on these issues with your support.

You can help prevent these collisions with your windows. Solutions are available for a range of prices, from bird-safe films to simple but effective do it yourself measures. The ABC has produced an excellent leaflet you can see. You can download a copy for reproduction and distribution HERE

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Governor Granholm’s proclamation, designating March 15 to May 31 and August 15 to October 31 as Safe Passage Great Lakes days, was reissued for 2008.

The City of Southfield issued a resolution of support for Project Safe Passage, encouraging business owners, building owners and property owners to cooperate with the program.

State Rep. Lisa Wojno of Warren introduced House Res. 89, a resolution in support of the program. HR89 is in the Great Lakes and Environment Committee, chaired by Rep. Rebekah Warren. We are hoping for Senate sponsorship, but have not yet received confirmation from Sen. Olshove.

During a night drive through downtown Detroit in early June, I was encouraged by the number of buildings that were dark above the lower stories, but display lights on some of the roofs are still a problem that needs to be addressed.

By the time you receive this, the spring migration will be in progress. While we have achieved a measure of success in our efforts, much remains to be done. According to Winging It (the newsletter of the American Birding Association), Jonathan White Jr. of the American Museum of Natural History, after studying specimens brought to the museum over several years, has concluded that many more dead birds were found during autumn than during spring migration. We need to keep this in mind as we move forward to educate and motivate our membership and the public to get involved in making the changes needed to stop the needless loss of so many migrating species.

Photo courtesy of Kenneth Herdy

These birds were picked up by FLAP volunteers during Spring & Fall 2009 migration through Toronto at only a handful of buildings.

Although the success of the ‘lights out’ aspect of Safe Passage will mark a significant milestone on the road to the larger task before us, major hazards such as communication towers, windmills and clear glass in our homes and office buildings will need to be addressed, as Dr. Klem and Dr. Gehring have demonstrated with their pioneering research efforts.

The loss of habitat will continue to be a leading cause of the alarming decline in avian populations. Feral and domestic ‘outdoor’ cats account for as many avian fatalities as the other threats. We need the support of our membership to help monitor compliance and motivate their friends and colleagues to participate in making our environment safe for future generations of our fellow creatures as well as our own species. Please consider volunteering in this effort.

Safe Passage By Joe Bartell

New Safe Passage Brochure

Appeal to building owners

Project Safe Passage Flyer--What You Can Do

Sierra Club Endorsement

DAS Receives Safe Passage award

From Michigan Audubon

Proclamation of support from Governor Grandholm

Switching Tower Lights Could Save Birds

Emily Sohn, Discovery News

Habitat-A Reflection

By Fred Charonneau

Jackson Citizen Patriot 4-28-2008

Birmingham Eccentric 3-18-07

Window Alert static cling decals.

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PROJECT SAFE PASSAGE

Project Safe Passage Great Lakes is off to a good start. Our goal for the project is to persuade the operators of tall buildings to turn off the lights between 11:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. during the spring and fall migration periods. To this end, we have approached individual building managers, city and county elected officials, corporate officers and associations. In the brief period since we started, a number of successes have encouraged us.

Governor Granholm has issued a proclamation designating the periods of March 15 through May 31 and August 15 through October 31 as Safe Passage Great Lakes Days.

Safe Passage Great Lakes Honor Roll

The following buildings have agreed to implement Project Safe Passage Great Lakes by turning out their lights between the hours of 11:00 P.M. and Dawn during the fall and spring migration periods. It should be noted that certain lights may not be turned off due to circumstances beyond the control of the operators, such as code requirements or tenant rights.

SAFE PASSAGE WELCOMES
GENERAL MOTORS

General Motors has joined the Safe Passage Great Lakes program. We would like to recognize them on the Honor Roll at this time. The lights in the GM world headquarters in the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit are turned off at night to help reduce the significant and dramatic continent-wide death toll of night-migrating birds that crash into tall lighted buildings. GM has also asked other tenants of the Renaissance Center to turn out their lights or at least to close their blinds at night.

That’s not all. Since 1991, GM personnel have been guided by a list of “General Motors Environmental Principles” directing the corporation to use sound environmental practices in their business decisions. These principles commit GM personnel to actions that “restore and preserve the environment” through reducing waste, conserving resources and recycling materials. They further pledge to “continuously assess the impact of our plants and products on the environment and communities in which we live….”

DAS representatives recently met with Susan Kelsey, Environmental Group Manager of the GM Environmental Compliance Group in Southeast Michigan. At that meeting, Ms. Kelsey stated how pleased GM was to be on the SPGL Honor Roll. She explained how GM puts forth a strong effort to make the grounds of their properties friendly to wildlife and the environment. Also, she is working to get a
Safe Passage type of bird-friendly understanding spread throughout the global GM community.

What good news that is!

DAS is very pleased to know that General Motors is
determined to be environmentally responsible and we
welcome the corporation to our Safe Passage family.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan

Brewery Park

Buhl Building

Building Owners and Managers Association of Metropolitan Detroit (BOMA)

City of Mt. Clemens

City of Southfield

Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center

Coleman A. Young Municipal Building
Detroit Opera Company

DTE Energy
Ford Motor Company

General Motors LLC

Kelly Services, Troy MI

Macomb County Board of Commissioners

National City Center , Troy MI
State of Michigan Government Buildings

Jackson, Michigan Buildings:

The Blake Building

First Baptist Church

Elaine Apartments
Nelson Towers
Jackson City Hall

Jackson County Tower Building

Consumers Energy, One Energy Plaza

Consumers Energy Environmental Laboratory Services

Foot Hospital Buildings, North East Ave. and One Jackson Square

If you live or work where you can monitor compliance or can contact your building management or draw your own blinds at night, please contact the DAS office by phone (248) 354-5804, by mail (24433 W 9 Mile Rd. Southfield, MI 48033), or by e-mail (detas@bignet.net) and leave your contact information. We’ll be in touch.

Links with more information:

FLAP--Fatal Light Awareness Program

National Public Radio--Windows: A Clear Danger to Birds

National Audubon--Minimizing Window Collisions

National Audubon--Clear and Present Danger

Birds and Buildings--Information and Resources

Terrain.org--A Building Less Bright

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