Does the proposed cell tower site by a cell phone company within your area sit next to a historic lake, ocean, water way? If so, the tower to be built will most likely endanger the natural proservation of wildlife, and the ecology and life of migrating birds. Help protect them from "Cell Tower Death" by contacting your county officals and requesting that they say "no" to building cell towers that can kill area migrating birds. Jane Grant is the chair of Cell Tower and Wildlife Subcommittee of Bedford Audubon Sociiety (Email:: celltowers@bedfordaudubon.org , Tel. (914) 764 4241). Grant confirms, "Cell towers often pose a serious hazard to migrating birds. These journeys area already long and arduous. The increasing number of communication towers is an added deadly obstacle course."
Grant provides excellent educational zoning advice, "Brevard County, Florida recently passed a model ordinance for bird-friendly sitting and construction of communication towers Incorporating many guidelines. In our area such matters of planning and zoning are the concern of the local municipalitiies. Individual municipalities can help achieve better protection of migratory birds by being aware of the USFWS guidelines when considering applications for new communication towers, or by passing ordinances that include the measures advised in the guidelinees as Breward County has done."
U.S FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE WEIGHS IN
An article by Peter Passi, Duluth News Triburne, December 28, 2009, concerns were cited for migrating birds to Lake Superior, by representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who weighed in against a recent decision by Duluth City Council to allow for the construction of a new cell AT & T phone tower. A letter sent by the service cited, "is concerned that the construction....represents a hazard to migratory birds in the well-doumented coastal flyway along Lake Superior shoreline."
In referrence to the Western Shoreline of Lake Superior Passi quotes Bob Russell, a biologist workiing for the service's migratory bird program. Russell stated, "Fish and Wildlife normally wouldn’t get involved in a tower under 200 feet tall... But there can be issues even with shorter structures where there are large concentrations of birds, especially in bad weather." Russel pointed out, that more than 25,000 birds per day have been sighted flying over the nearby Lakewood pumping station during the fall migration and noted that count doesn’t include millions of birds that fly through the area at night. Most of the birds that migrate by dark fly at heights of 500 to 3,000 feet, making a collision with the tower unlikely, but Russell said strong headwinds and poor weather can cause the birds to fly at lower altitudes that could put them on a collision course with the proposed tower. Normally people don't put these towers in such egregious places."
Nick Rowse, another bilogist workiing for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said the agency would prefer to see the tower sited more than a mile away from Lake Superior to avoid the shore and neighboring ridge that's also a common migratory route for many hawks. We would recommend the tower not be contructed as proposed." Rowse went on to acknowledge the Fish and Wildlife Service lacks jurisdiction to block the project. In the event that the tower is built nevertheless, Fish and Wildlife requests that the city require AT&T to conduct post-construction surveys for a minimum of one year, watching for evidence of bird mortalities, particularly during the spring and fall migrations and following periods of fog or foul weather. Russell said if significant bird deaths are documented, it could trigger an enforcement action, as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits the killing of migratory birds except when specifically authorized by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Some species of birds are afforded additional protections under the Endangered Species Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND MIGRATING BIRDS - WILDLIFE PRESERVATION
The cell tower just built in our area (stated to be 155 feet tall, but looks undauntingly taller), "does" sit next to a historic Georgia lake. The Muscogean Indians who came to be known in Georgia and Alabama as "Creeks" used the natural water in our area. So special and historic is our lake area that Sonny Purdue signed a Senate Resoltion in 2009, to rename a portion of our area after the Lake. Representavitve Glanton said the renaming of the area and to Lake XXXXXXX was really a big deal. He stated, "The siginifcance ...creates a destination." In fact, not only does our subdivision sit across from a large body of water, we even have a pond within our residential area the birds migrate to as well.
BIRDS MIGRATE TO WATER WAYS, LAKES, AND PONDS EACH YEAR. HELP PROTECT THEM FROM CELL TOWER DEATH!
The birds migrate (including hawks), to our area lake and pond each year. Visitors to my home would watch them overhead in amazement, as they flew overhead. Our former subidvision association president Cheryl (not her real name), was so concerned about the birds, she even had the county place up a caution "Geese Crossing" sign years ago. Now these migrating birds face "CELL TOWER DEATH."
ARE YOUR ELECTED COUNTY OFFICALS PROTECTING YOU AND AREA WILDLIFE?
So special and historic is our Lake and Wildlife area, Sonny Purdue signed a Senate Resoltion, renameing our area after the Lake. If the beautiful and natural lake area and its wildlife is so special to Governor Sonny Purdue, why didn't our local county government think so? Only they can anwser that question. In my opinion, I believe they did not know about the serious upset the tower would cause to our areas historic and natural wildlife preservation. However, as our elected officals they oversee our county's planning and zoning division. They are elected to take care of both tax paying citizens, their families, infrastructure, and our natural wildlife preservation. Bottom line? It is their job to know. Do you think the cell phone company is going to tell them? Cracitt seeks govermental legislation that would allow for state regulation that would require "the preservation, care, and ecology of wildlife," in relation to cell tower siting.
COMMENTS POSTED CONCERNING PASSI'S DULUTH NEWS TRIBUNE STORY TELL OF DECEPTION AND CONTROL BY CELL PHONE COMPANY REP'S
Kelly B. of Duluth, MN, 12/29/2009, 11:13 , states that Doug S. called her, giving information from planning commission notes that says the residents outside of 350 feet of the tower site were not notified. But that folks who bought land at the White Pines development 600 feet away were notified. The commission notes were said to detail they and the birds are affected because they didn't know the tower would be built when they bought the land. The question Doug S. is important. For my research notes there are many such loopholes and deception by cell tower company representatives. Doug S. comments, "How about us resdients who bought the land and have been paying taxes for the last how many years!" Toshay Doug, I couldn't agree more. Like Paul Havey Always Says, "Now You Know The Rest Of The Story."
Copyright 2010, Jane Celltower. All Rights Reserveed.
