Every year, a large number of the birds we see are injured by striking windows.
In a new initiative to improve bird conservation, Denver has become one of the 30 Urban Bird Treaty Cities in the United States. A major goal of the program is to reduce the number of bird collisions with city buildings. In conjunction with the treaty, a program called Lights Out Denver will work to collect data on the number of birds that collide with our Denver skyrises. This dataset will be used to inform legislation, motivate businesses in Denver to turn off lights at night, and to use bird friendly window designs, stickers, and blinds. In other Urban Bird Treaty Cities, data has shown that one tall building can result in 1,000 bird deaths per structure (audubon.org).
The Lights Out program could bring more birds in need of rehabilitation to Greenwood. In fact, in Baltimore, over 1,000 birds have been rescued due to the volunteers that find them. If you would like to help rescue birds in the Denver Lights Out Program you can contact Julia Clark at julia.clark@denvergov.org or call (303) 910-1827.
This program is a great way to interact with birds in a whole new way. You can learn how to properly handle them, get up close with rare migratory species, and contribute to bird conservation.
Greenwood hopes to utilize this program to intercept even more birds in need of our help.
