a report on the topic towerkill in 150 words
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This is a strange personal coincidence, involved as I am in promoting fair and reasonable tower and antenna regulation as chairman of the National Antenna Consortium and having grown up in Eau Claire, Wis., home of the so-called "worst bird tower-kill incident of all time."
It is nonetheless true, and I believe my experience (or more precisely, the lack thereof) with the incident gives me the opportunity to ask some pointed questions about the veracity of the tower-kill story.
The questions are important given the recent Fish and Wildlife recommendations that all towers should be under 200 feet and without lighting, and the announcement of suits by at least one group to prevent the FCC from granting licenses that would require tall and lighted towers because of the danger to migrating songbirds.
In 1974 an Eau Claire tower reportedly killed 30,000 birds in a single night.
Eau Claire does have one large tower, about 1,100 feet, belonging to WEAU(TV). By 1974, the TV station transmitted from a 2,000-footer 30 miles to the south. There was, and I believe still is, a 14-bay FM, belonging to WBIZ(FM), and a series of RPU, STL, two-way and other antennas on the tower.
While the reports never say which tower, it's hard to imagine any other. Likewise, the type of bird(s), if mentioned, is usually reported as "song birds."
It is nonetheless true, and I believe my experience (or more precisely, the lack thereof) with the incident gives me the opportunity to ask some pointed questions about the veracity of the tower-kill story.
The questions are important given the recent Fish and Wildlife recommendations that all towers should be under 200 feet and without lighting, and the announcement of suits by at least one group to prevent the FCC from granting licenses that would require tall and lighted towers because of the danger to migrating songbirds.
In 1974 an Eau Claire tower reportedly killed 30,000 birds in a single night.
Eau Claire does have one large tower, about 1,100 feet, belonging to WEAU(TV). By 1974, the TV station transmitted from a 2,000-footer 30 miles to the south. There was, and I believe still is, a 14-bay FM, belonging to WBIZ(FM), and a series of RPU, STL, two-way and other antennas on the tower.
While the reports never say which tower, it's hard to imagine any other. Likewise, the type of bird(s), if mentioned, is usually reported as "song birds."
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