Call to Action: Bird-Friendly Design Subject Matter Hearing
An example of unfriendly bird design. Unless the Chicago City Council passes a bird-friendly design ordinance, hazardous buildings like this one at 300 South Canal will continue to pop up across the city.
On July 23 the Committee in Environmental Protection an Energy will hold a subject matter hearing about the need for a bird-friendly design ordinance in Chicago. COS is asking all of its members and followers to contact their Chicago alderperson about the life-saving importance of bird-friendly design. Don’t assume that someone else will call or email—we need a sunrise chorus of contacts from birders about the importance of council members attending this subject matter hearing. You also can reach out to alderpeople who represent wards along Lake Michigan, the Chicago River and where major developments are planned.
At the hearing, Bird Friendly Chicago, of which COS is a member, along with national and regional bird experts and advocates will provide policy recommendations on a bird-friendly building design ordinance in the city of Chicago. The presence of a large number of ordinance supporters will make an impact.
If you can, attend the Chicago City Council Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 23, at City Council Chambers, second floor, 121 N. LaSalle Street. Everyone will be allowed to submit a written comment.
If you can’t attend, we’ve made it easy for you to share your support for such an ordinance—choose a few points from the list below to share in a public comment. Tell the city council how birds matter to you and that you want to be proud of Chicago. Public comment can be submitted online at CommitteeonEnvironmentalProtectionandEnergy@cityofchicago.org until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 22.
Here are points you can make:
The population of North American birds has dropped nearly 30 percent since 1970. That's almost three billion birds gone.
Thousands of birds are documented and tens of thousands more birds are estimated to die every year in Chicago from collisions with dangerous glass building features—something the world became keenly aware of during the mass casualty events downtown and at McCormick Place in October 2023.
Chicago is ranked as posing the greatest threat to migratory birds of any city in the country. We must therefore take the strongest actions to prevent the deaths of irreplaceable, innocent, and environmentally crucial birds.
There are simple, inexpensive fixes to making buildings more bird-friendly, such as using patterns on glass, using a UV coating, or adding window treatment so birds can recognize buildings as barriers.
According to a report by the Ornithology Center at Muhlenberg College, the cost to install these measures is nominal, accounting for only 0.38% of the total overall costs of new construction.
Chicago-based glass supplier Torstenson Glass was quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times stating bird-safe glass costs only 5 percent to 10 percent more than traditional glass.
Mandated measures have already been enacted in cities such as in New York, San Francisco and Toronto and in surrounding communities including Skokie and Evanston, IL, where they are found to be achievable, economically viable and effective in significantly reducing bird mortality.
Every year of delay implementing bird safety measures has resulted in the construction of more deadly buildings that will kill thousands of birds for decades of each building's existence.
The City of Chicago seeks to promote responsible urban development that supports wildlife conservation and enhances the quality of life for residents and migratory birds alike.
Bird protection is part of essential environmental protection on which the health of our world depends and is a vital priority that overshadows cost and delay concerns.
Finally, encourage your friends and neighbors to participate. Share this post on social media. We can make a difference for birds in Chicago!