Spring migration continues to be weeks away from reaching its peak in Chicago and already the tiny physique baggage are piling up, crammed with birds killed in collisions with the town’s glass buildings.
The majority of those deaths are preventable, advocates say, which is why members of the Bird Friendly Chicago coalition are labeling a just-released update to Chicago’s sustainable development policy a failure.
The draft of the revised policy — the primary update since 2017 — was shared with the general public on Monday. Instead of creating chicken safety a requirement for brand spanking new development (and vital renovation tasks), the coverage assigns some extent worth to bird-friendly mitigations together with all the opposite menu choices builders can select from to achieve a 100-point goal.
An ordinance handed in 2020 had instructed the Department of Planning and Development to extend the burden given to chicken safety, and the brand new coverage draft does certainly enhance the motivation by as a lot as 300%. Bird safety level values of 20 and 30 are among the many highest of the handfuls of selections, on par with many renewable vitality and stormwater retention credit.
But given Chicago’s standing because the nation’s most harmful metropolis for migratory birds, advocates like Judy Pollock, president of Chicago Bird Alliance, say the elective nature of the sustainability guidelines falls far wanting the purpose of stemming chicken deaths.
“That’s shameful,” Pollock stated. “Will the increased points stop someone who wants to build with transparent glass? Doubtful. There are many ways you can get those (100) points.”
Bags of useless birds, collected this migration season in Chicago. (Courtesy Chicago Bird Collision Monitors)
Annette Prince, director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, spent Tuesday rescuing injured birds and gathering the useless. Her disappointment within the sustainability coverage was palpable.
“Birds are a natural resource,” Prince stated. “If protecting the environment isn’t part of sustainability — what is?”
She questioned why chicken safety is being handled as totally different from different necessary security requirements carried out to stop hurt, albeit usually associated to people.
“Bird-friendly building design shouldn’t be optional points,” Prince stated. “Inconvenience, cost or preference doesn’t allow you to avoid putting lifesaving protections in place.”
The Department of Planning and Development is fielding suggestions on the coverage draft via May 15, largely within the type of an online survey. Comments can be despatched through electronic mail to [email protected]. Full implementation of the finalized coverage is anticipated by Jan. 1, 2025.
Bird Friendly Chicago is encouraging its supporters to answer the survey however can also be redirecting its efforts to passing an enforceable ordinance that may, Prince stated, guarantee chicken safety as a substitute of leaving it as an choice.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
