The Ithaca Common Council will discuss a new piece of proposed environmental legislation that aims to protect birds from untimely deaths.
The council’s proposed ordinance, sponsored by Fourth Ward Alderperson Patrick Kuehl ’24 (D- Fourth Ward), would require all new buildings to meet the standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leed rating system to receive the Reducing Bird Collisions Credit. The credit outlines requirements for the use of predominantly bird-friendly materials, particularly in the lower floors of buildings.
The proposed legislation — which Kuehl dubbed the “bird bill” — would specifically require that all new buildings applying for a permit present documentation that the building meets the outlined bird-friendly design standards.
The proposed bird bill is similar to New York City’s Local Law 15 of 2020, which was passed in December 2019. If legislation based on Kuehl’s proposal is passed, Ithaca would join at least 20 U.S. cities and municipalities that have bird-friendly laws on the books. Kuehl is consulting with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to assist with the legislation.
At the July 17 Common Council meeting, Kuehl announced plans to hold a public forum to hear community feedback, of which Kuehl said he has heard a “surprising” amount since introducing the legislative proposal to the Common Council. The forum took place at 3 p.m. on July 27 at the Kendal at Ithaca.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, human activity has contributed to the decline of many avian species. One major cause of bird death is colliding with building glass, which claims the lives of over 350 million birds each year.
A 2019 study conducted by the Lab of Ornithology found that the bird population in the U.S. and Canada had decreased by three billion birds, or by nearly 30 percent.
To address this stark decline, researchers have turned to bird-friendly building materials, which aim to reduce the number of window strikes.
“Birds can’t really perceive glass. They either see the reflections or they see through it, and as a result, they fly into it,” said Adam Vinson ’25, who works in the Lab of Ornithology. “So, if you make it so that birds can see something, they’re less likely to fly into it.”
According to the American Bird Conservancy, some bird-friendly alternatives to traditional glass include angled glass, ultraviolet-patterned glass and opaque glass. Alternatively, developers can add netting, screens, cords or decals to make a window more bird-friendly.
While it is challenging to collect precise data on bird strikes, Vinson said bird strikes happened observably less often at the Lab of Ornithology after the installation of black paracord Acopian BirdSavers.
“It was built with a 90 percent glass facade in the middle of the forest, and for years it was having tons of collisions,” Vinson said. “They put up a pretty cheap paracord solution, … and this wound up reducing collisions dramatically.”
Miyoko Chu, the senior director of communications for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, said many of these bird-friendly options are not only inexpensive but also aesthetically pleasing. After installing the BirdSavers outside the windows of the Lab of Ornithology, Chu said the lab had not received any complaints about their appearance.
“I think it’s so heartening that [when] people … see [the BirdSavers], I think they feel inspired that this was an action that was taken to help birds,” Chu said.
In June 2019, the Ithaca Common Council passed the Ithaca Green New Deal, a sweeping commitment to sustainability, carbon neutrality and climate justice. This May, the Common Council adopted the Justice50 framework, which seeks to aid communities disproportionately affected by climate change.
To Kuehl, this proposal is a continuation of Ithaca’s work to be more environmentally friendly.
“I think with sustainability there also needs to be an emphasis on conservation, and part of conservation is thinking about how we build more sustainable built environments for things that are not human,” Kuehl said.
Kuehl, Chu and Vinson expressed optimism that the proposal would receive the necessary support from the Common Council and the Ithaca community, citing the city’s enthusiasm for sustainability and appreciation for birds.
“Birds are such a special part of the character and beauty of Ithaca, and so many people in our community just love birds,” Chu said. “It would be a real point of pride if Ithaca were a bird-friendly city.”
Kate Sanders is a reporter from the Cornell Daily Sun working on The Sun’s summer fellowship at The Ithaca Voice. This piece was originally published in The Ithaca Voice.