By Anonymous
Interaction
The human-environment interaction I chose is bird-building collisions due to glass windows. Glass windows are all around campus and specifically prevalent on the new Horizon Hall. These windows reflect the sky and surrounding area making them almost invisible to birds. Currently it is estimated that 100 million to 1 billion birds are killed annually due to collisions with windows (Loss et al., 2014). With a great deal of bird presence on campus, due to the high availability of food, this poses a major threat.
Resource Characteristics
As glass windows reflect the environment it makes it difficult for birds to know that there is a wall blocking their path of flight. Mortality rates increase even more when the percentage and surface area of the building covered in glass increases, the presence of vegetation increases, and larger amounts of light are emitted through the windows specifically at night (Loss et al., 2014). Birds will also occasionally see their own reflections in the window and attack causing their deaths (Powell, 2022). With the high percentage of windows covering Horizon hall, specifically on the lower level, it presents a high danger to local birds colliding with the windows.
Governance Characteristics
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which is overseen by The Fish and Wildlife Service, set out to ensure the safety of all protected migratory bird species (Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 2020). It protects these species against killing, capturing, trading, and transport, but does not include one of the most major anthropogenic causes of bird death bird-building collisions (Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 2020). There is currently ongoing research and recommendations for a reevaluation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to include precautions to reduce avian mortality and increase the number of new buildings constructed with bird-friendly glass (KLEM et al., 2004). The Audubon society also does a great job in educating the public on how people at home can prevent these collisions in their homes and advocates for further governmental action to take place.
Social Context
I think the main issue for this topic is that the public does not realize that this issue is as prevalent as it is. With the new idea of “green” buildings many of the designs include open spaces with lots of glass windows and greenery outside. Even though these designs are visually appealing and more sustainable than other buildings, without proper precaution they can lead to increased local bird death. Bird-safe glass is also 5% more expensive than standard glass. While it is not that much more expensive, when ordering a large quantity of glass for buildings on campus the price can add up quickly and deter companies from implementing bird-safe options.
What can we do?
The best thing we could do is change all of the windows on campus to bird-friendly glass. Bird-friendly glass is designed with almost unnoticeable patterns or designs etched into the glass itself (How bird safe glass can save millions of birds, 2022). This is done by the “2 by 4” rule. There cannot be 2 inches or less of horizontal space or four inches or less of vertical space left untreated (How bird safe glass can save millions of birds, 2022). This would be the most ideal situation, but we can also encourage staff to not put plants close to windows, putting up blinds, installing screens on windows, or putting up patterns onto campus windows.
University Actions
I could not find any sources that say Mason is actively pursuing any specific actions to prevent bird-building collisions. At the Mason-Smithsonian campus they do utilize bird-friendly glass options in their resident building and their academic building. It would most likely cost the university a lot of money to switch to bird-friendly windows, so I don’t see them changing all the windows in the near future. They could, however, take smaller steps to prevent bird-building collisions encouraging staff to not put plants close to windows, putting up blinds, installing screens on windows, or putting up pattern onto campus windows.
References
How bird safe glass can save millions of birds? Walker Glass. (2022, February 3). Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.walkerglass.com/resources/bird-safe-glass/
KLEM, D., KECK, C., MARTY, K, MILLER BALL, A, NICIU, E, PLATT, C. (2004). Effects of window angling, feeder placement, and scavengers on avian mortality at Plate Glass. The Wilson Bulletin, 116(1), 69–73. https://doi.org/10.1676/0043-5643(2004)116[0069:eowafp]2.0.co;2
Loss, S. R., Will, T., Loss, S. S., & Marra, P. P. (2014). Bird–building collisions in the United States: Estimates of annual mortality and species vulnerability. The Condor, 116(1), 8–23. https://doi.org/10.1650/condor-13-090.1
Powell, H. (2022, March 4). Why birds hit windows-and how you can help prevent it. All About Birds. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/
Migratory bird treaty act of 1918. Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (2020, April 26). Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.fws.gov/law/migratory-bird-treaty-act-1918