Our friends at the American Bird Conservancy, whose work to encourage the proliferation of bird-safe window treatments nationwide has met a great deal of success, is seeing those recommendations codified into law in an increasing number of places continent-wide.
Oakland, California, has become the latest to adopt the guidelines for new construction which includes avoiding the use of mirrors in landscape design, avoiding placement of bird attractants like plants near glass, and using lights that are less likely to serve as bird attractants. It joins San Francisco and the state of Minnesota in the United States and Toronto in Canada.
Perhaps most exciting is the fact that this forward-thinking attitude may be reflected in federal building guidelines.
Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley has introduced national legislation into the US House of Representatives that calls for each public building constructed, acquired, or altered by the General Services Administration (GSA) to incorporate, to the maximum extent possible, bird-safe building materials and design features. The legislation would require GSA to take similar actions on existing buildings, where practicable. The terms “bird-safe building materials and design features” are defined through reference to several publications addressing those topics.
Good news for migrating birds, and good news for the people who love them.
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