The Lake County Commission has approved a new policy that will make birds a top consideration in all new government-owned facilities Lake County builds and renovates.
The main objective of this policy is to reduce the dangers posed to birds in the built environment, particularly from collisions with glass surfaces.
The policy, which went into effect May 14, requires that the exteriors of newly constructed government-owned facilities in Lake County must be made of at least 80 percent bird-friendly glass from ground level to an elevation of 100 feet.
When Lake County renovates or expands a facility, 80 percent of the glass and reflective materials used in the project must also be bird-friendly.
“As many as one billion birds may die each year in the United States due to collisions with buildings,” said Lake County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Hart, “and I'm proud of our commission and staff for leading the charge on this issue and making a real difference for the native and migratory birds that live in or pass through Lake County.”
Lake County is located within the Mississippi Flyway, one of North America's major migratory bird routes.
More than 30 million birds have migrated through the region so far this spring, according to BirdCast, a network run by Colorado State University, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“Incorporating bird-friendly design into Lake County buildings is very important to us,” said Paul Frank, chairman of the Lake County Financial Management Committee and Trustee for District 11. “Our area is located on a major flight path for migratory birds, and we must find ways to reduce the number of birds lost to collisions with buildings. Bird-friendly design is completely cost-free and achievable. Our county is once again leading the way, and we hope that municipalities, other counties, businesses and residents will join us and adopt bird-friendly practices in the near future.”
The Lake County Planning, Building, Zoning and Environment (PBZ&E) Commission also approved at its last meeting to move forward with a proposed ordinance that would impose bird-friendly design requirements on new construction and renovations of nonresidential properties and nonresidential planned unit developments (PUDs) in unincorporated areas of Lake County.
The ordinance is scheduled to be voted on by the Lake County Council on June 11.
