In a statewide
proclamation, Governor Snyder has designated Aug. 15 through Oct. 31 as Safe
Passages Great Lakes Days, helping protect millions of migratory birds as
they move across Michigan this fall.
To keep birds safe as
they pass through the state, Project Safe Passages Great Lakes encourages the
owners of tall buildings to follow some simple recommendations during the peak
migratory seasons. SPGL Days are from March 15-31 and Aug. 15 - Oct. 31. The
proclamation asks all Michigan residents to turn off nonessential lighting
between 11p.m. and dawn and participate in SPGL Days by “reduc[ing] the use of
unneeded electricity throughout the state.” Owners and occupants of buildings
over four stories tall are encouraged to:
Turn off all lights
between 11p.m. and 6 a.m. on unoccupied floors and in unused spaces.
Keep light “inside” by
covering windows or using task lights instead of ceiling lights.
Turn off all exterior
illumination from midnight to dawn.
Michigan lies in the
path of two principal migration routes—the Atlantic and the Mississippi
Flyways, and each spring and fall hundreds of thousands of birds perish while
crossing our state. Dr. Daniel Klem Jr., an ornithologist at Muhlenberg College,
estimates that in the United States more than one billion birds, roughly five
to twenty percent of the yearly bird population are killed in bird-building
collisions every year. More than half of these collisions are fatal, and birds
that at first seem to have survived the impact often become easy targets for
predators. The danger is perhaps greatest during fall migration, when
inexperienced birds are making the trip for the first time.
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