Minnesota Power takes action to prevent birds from hitting power lines

[Donna]

In an effort to project an endangered crane species, Minnesota Power has installed approximately 15,000 flight diverters on 44 miles to transmission line in North Dakota over the past two weeks.

The foot-long plastic corkscrews will help whooping cranes and other birds see and avoid the lines. Hitting lines, towers and antennas is a major cause of bird mortality. Research indicates that flight diverters are approximately 50 to 80 percent effective against avian mortality.

Minnesota Power and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working together to reduce the chances of whooping cranes hitting power lines connected with the Bison I wind farm being built near New Salem, ND.

Whooping cranes are among the most threatened bird species in the U.S. There are only 263 whooping cranes who use the flyway through North Dakota, and 535 in total, according to Tom Stehn, U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s whooping crane coordinator.

Minnesota Power agreed to equip 22 miles of new line and 22 miles of existing line with the diverters. It was necessary to use a helicopter to install the diverters on the existing line.

“That’s a very impressive effort,� Stehn said in a news release. “The species is so rare we’ve got to help wherever we can.�

[Bird Crazy]

well good for Minnesota Power,