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Nevada Department of Wildlife
Hundreds of dead birds that were found inside Nevada mining claim markers are displayed.
Armed with a legal provision that took effect this month, a bird conservation group is urging state residents to pull out thousands of old mining claim markers made out of PVC to prevent more birds from entering what look like nests, but which instead are thin, slippery death traps.
"It is certainly possible and perhaps even likely that a million or more birds have needlessly died in these pipes," George Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy, said in a statement issued Tuesday. That number is based on Nevada having more than one million mining claims on federal land.
The legal provision enables "anyone to pull up claim marker stakes that are improperly set and act as bird-killing traps," the group stated. Having taken effect on Nov. 1, the provision is part of a 2009 law that invalidated any claim with an open-ended marker.
Nevada Department of Wildlife
Mining claim markers like these are death traps for birds.
"Small birds often see the opening of the pipe markers as a hollow suitable for nesting," it added. "After perching on the pipes, the birds then enter the hole only to become trapped because the walls of the pipes do not allow them to extend their wings and fly out and are too smooth to allow them to grapple their way up the sides. Death from dehydration or starvation in the hot, dry Nevada desert climate then soon follows. Other animals such as lizards also meet the same fate."
The most frequent victims are ash-throated flycatchers and mountain bluebirds, the group said, while other species include woodpeckers, sparrows, shrikes, kestrels, and owls.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife and the federal Bureau of Land Management earlier this month spent four days removing old markers and plan more removals soon.
Nevada Department of Wildlife
The cap had come off this marker post.
A troubling find was that "about half of those markers that had protective caps put in place at some earlier point in time, now had those caps displaced, on the ground nearby," said state biologist Christy Klinger. "So the hazard from the pipe became re-established."
Fenwick also worries that the state law "provides no meaningful enforcement provisions."
"It is encouraging that we are seeing efforts by local, federal, and state agencies to address the problem," Fenwick said. "However, given the enormous scale of the issue, long-term solutions are required. While Nevada has a large mining industry, the issue goes well beyond their borders to a number of other mining states. Mining claim holders need to be held accountable for their stakes through federal regulatory action: remove your hazardous markers or face fines under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act."
The Nevada Mining Association, for its part, said it supports the law.
"The Nevada Mining Association was pleased to support legislation in the early 90s to outlaw the use of hollow claim markers, and since that time, our members have taken the appropriate steps to replace hollow markers with monuments that cause no threat to birds or other wildlife," association President Tim Crowley told msnbc.com.
"We understand that despite the original law change there were still large numbers of hollow markers throughout the state," he added. "Therefore, the NVMA was once again pleased to support legislation in 2009 allowing for any remaining hollow markers to be pulled from the ground and laid next to their original location."
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How about gluing the caps on?
That makes too much sense. The stupidity of humans and the utter lack of regard for other species upsets me beyond words.
Perhaps we should create a "super committee" to look into it further.
Steve - A super committee might not work out for the birds. The dems would say that they don't want to cap anything and the republicans would say we don't have the money to buy the caps. And the unions would not allow non-union workers to remove the stakes at the same time as demanding high wages to remove the stakes themselves. Sorry birds, you lose. It is the current American way. I love the coming together in this sea of change.
To hell with super committees.
I say we start putting up pipes all around Washington big enough to catch a politician and put tax dollars in the bottoms of each one as bait. It would be the most effective use of our taxes since WWII.
A "super committee"? That's for the birds.
Why not put an old stick there instead? Birds can't get stuck in a stick. They can stand on it maybe, but they won't get stuck. Either that or put caps on all of those pipe markers! Too many birds are dying unnecessarily, poor birds.
I was afraid I'd hear about this someday. I work in Construction and it is standard practice for contractors to put these PVC pipes in all over the place. "Some" of the time they would Duct Tape them to cap them off, alot of times they wouldn't. IF I came across those that weren't covered I always, always capped them...........mainly because it is not just birds that get trapped so do squirrels and other small land animals....... This is NOT a pleasant way for these animals to die, and finding one many years ago made me realize how very dangerous these opened ended pipes were...........
So very common sense and do-able. This is easily solved and should be implemented immediately. There are other perils out there. Here in Md, standard soil core holes go down at least 2 feet, and small animals get trapped in those and die a terrible death, as the sides of the cores are also smooth and offer no traction. The construction people never bother to check the holes and fill them when finished. Animals are a low priority in this business. And the solutions are simple and cost nothing or next to nothing. Same thing happens with dumpsters. Animals get trapped in those and end up getting crushed when the garbage truck comes to upend and empty them. So many manmade problems that could be solved by a 5-year old.
We are a lazy specie, whose focus is on expediency and not the salvation of the Earth, man's only home. These very birds are scientifically, "biological diversity", the creators and saviors of the Earth's ecosystems.
Birds are in the eco-nomics of pest control, seed dispersal and pollination, probably also the regulation and checking of deadly disease pathogens in the food chain with man, like influenza and the plague. Their paychecks, alone, for just pest control are in the millions of dollars. A silent spring is a deadly event for mankind.
All life on the Earth is inextricably connected, like the strands in the web of life. Birds are a strand in that web as is all of mankind.
....or drill screws through the pipe near the opening to allow nesting and no slipping through?
That would probably work....better still.....glue a pvc cap on top wiht a small hole so pressure won't build up and pop the cap.
Both of these are good ideas as well. Either a stick of some kind or cap those pipes. With a small hole in the top of it. To prevent some kind of pressure build up or put screws through them near the top. So they can't get stuck in the run. Something like that oughta work.
Just cap them, it really is standard practice in construction to cap open ended pipes........
Windmills kill more birds.
And predators probably kill even more. So what?!? The issue here is not what does the most harm, it is how to minimize or eliminate a proven threat that is killing a whole lot of them. These are separate issues.
and we all know two wrongs make a right?
I live where there are windmills and the birds have adapted to that area and don't fly into windmill blades very often. Certainly not anything like the scope of a million birds in one small area relatively speaking. This is an apples and oranges comparison.
Windmills are no threat to birds, you tool.
That problem has been solved.
Windmills eh? I'm not so sure that too many windmills kill birds. Maybe sometimes, if they don't watch where they're flying.
When a bird sees a trap being set, it stays away. -Proverbs 1:17. N.I.V.
I guess this doesn't apply to uncovered pipes that are sticking out of the ground. Remedy this situation, the sooner, the better or more birds will unfortunately die.
Windmills kill birds? Must be the conservative pavlovian response to renewable energy.
Tall buildings kill as many as 975 million birds that collide with them,Communication towers kill between 5-50 million each year,Cars kill around 60 million birds a year,Domestic cats kill around 40 million birds a yearWind Turbines are estimated by the fish and wildlife service of killing 33,000 birds a year...are you for abolishing buildings over 1 story?
Randy is on target about the domestic cat. No agent has been as deadly for small to mid-sized animals as this introduced, unnatural, killer predator, the top agent of recorded bird extinctions in the last 450 years. Cats are a top agent of recorded bird extinctions as number one with the rat being second in bird extinctions.
However, modern man is one planet killing machine with his introduced, killer predators and his forever consumption of the Earth's physical body or ecosystems and the biological diversity that creates and sustains them. Of course, windmills kill birds, bats and flying invertebrates, but the biggest problem is, that much of the ecosystem devoured for the actual process of the construction for the feverish, slicing swords, is that much more dead planet, as life creating and sustaining as Mars.
Any agent that kills ecosystems, whether it is heat islands, concrete, dead fields of solar panels or windmill factories or the destruction of the strands in the web of all life or biological diversity, just like these birds, kills that much more of the Earth.
Why are you always so hell-bend on cats being #1 killer of birds? Murphy just gave you the #1 killer of birds: HUMANS! 1 Billion compared to 40 million? Can you add? Look to Europe: every year Italians, Greeks and Spaniards kill MILLIONS of migrating songbirds and put them on peoples plates as it is a delicacy. Were is your outcry there? But then you only listen to yourself, no matter how many times people tell you otherwise. HUMANS are the #1 killer for all wildlife! PERIOD!
But Monica your ideas are too simple and too easy to do. And of course before your ideas would be implemented thousands of dollars would probably have to be spent to study those ideas.
I wonder if volunteers would get in trouble going out with a bag of caps and tube of glue and doing it for free? Get Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts troops and other groups getting together and fixing these things. Hiking around looking at nature, getting exercise and saving some birds.
Now about saving birds. When are we going to do something about all the bird and bat chopping wind turbines?
It turns out birds and bats are far more capable of navigation than a mouthbreather like you might imagine. Here's an idea, why don't you get out in nature and observe for yourself. It will be far more enlightening than 24 hrs straight of Fox News or where ever it is that you get that @!$%# pumped into your noodle.
TalkBluffPrez, birds do in fact get killed by Wind turbines and it can be a bigger threat in specific locations and with older turbines. There are more birds killed by flying into windows however. I don't understand your caustic remarks to some of the comments. Your comment that windmills are no threat to birds is just as wrong as those that believe the windmills kill birds by the millions. Here's an idea for you, why don't you inform rather than insult!
Simple solution, ANYONE with a type of marker that works in the way mentioned shall be held responsible for either repairing it so it does not create a hazard to wildlife OR be fined $1000 a day until it is replaced or repaired to the satisfaction of the local game warden. ANYONE finding such a marker NOT in compliance and documents the time taken to correct the problem gets 25% of the total fine imposed and shall not be taxed on those proceeds. All of this has to be documented of course. The owner of the claim shall be held responsible for all fines and court cost. IN OTHER WORDS , IF YOU OWN A CLAIM IT WOULD BEHOOVE YOU TO CLAIM IT PROPERLY!!!!!!!!
Windmills kill more birds.
========
..........Really! How many more?
Why have so many bird died, because americans are a stupid breed !
These markers should have never existed in the first place !
I fledge hundreds of blue birds, building and monitering bird houses. When I see things like this I just want to scream ! Bunch of @!$%#ing stupid human beings !
You won't get any arguments from me. I'm with you on this one.
Americans are a stupid 'breed'? Breed? We are made up of every people group in the world, we come from immigrants and that make us the lone superpower in the world........of course, after 30 years of destructive conservative politicians, both GOP and DEMs, we are about to give that "Superpower Title" to China!!!
And Nevada should have used different markers.
This is an American issue? Hardly. Nobody goes to the lengths to worry about a bird, a bee, a spider...how it might someday be affected by something. If a problem comes up, we address it.
Sorry we did not have the foresight you apparently have. Must be great to be right all the time.
Solar panels kill more birds and fish.
How does a solar panel kill a fish?
And alcohol kills humans, but that is not "illegal", or "prohibited".
Solar Panels kill fish? And I bet it's Obama's fault too, huh?
And drilling for oil in Gulf of Mexico kills nothing, right?
Solar panels are pretty, but you don't see what is behind the scenes in producing the panels out of silicon wafers. Currently, 50 billion gallons of fresh water per year are used to produce the silicon wafers for computers and other electronics. With renewable energy comprising only 2% of our energy consumption, how much more water will be required if we increase our dependence on solar energy? That pollutes water and kills fish. Yes, since Obama is the one pushing solar energy, i.e. Solyndra, it is his fault fish are dying. If you ever work in a silicon wafer plant, you would change your mind about solar energy.
Aw, that sounds like RW CONServative demonization of solar power, next thing you are gonna say that coal is the cleanest fuel.....Period......(after they run it through the mythical clean coal technology), I'm guessing.
kdc,
I guess you have no comment on the vast amount of fresh water that is consumed by the solar panel manufacturing process, huh? How much water do you think we will consume if solar energy becomes a major player in our energy output? Let's here your defense.
Pull them all up and have closed ended pipes, or use closed ended curtain rods, cafe style. Poor little birds. Thoughtless humans hurt so many species.
I was thinking why not make them use a piece of rebar or iron pins like surveyors use.
stc1993,
The article I mentioned in post #18.3 explains why they use PVC pipes.
Just scoop up some sand and gravel around the markers and pour it in the tube. You could even leave it a couple inches from the top and then the birds might really use them for nests. They would be safe from some predators being off the ground.
Better yet, just stick a large rock in the end of the tube. Takes a few seconds.
I can't help but wonder how long this has been going on and the tens of thousands of birds suffering slow agonizing deaths. Those who put those stakes in should be out there right now.
Having worked out in the desert surveying birds, I can attest to this happening frequently. "Mine markers" that are upright and uncapped typically have at least 1 dead bird in them. The most I saw was 7 in one tube. We would stick a large rock in the end of the marker, so no birds could fit in them.
Sad, and perfectly avoidable.
Why are these caps not secured to the pole? How hard can that be? Plumbers glue or even a few screws on the side of the cap. Really this is not brain surgery.
Caps or screens would do a lot of good here. I am sure that it would be low cost, and eliminate this bird trap of death scenario.
Birds are a big part of the ecology, eating seeds, spreading pollen, eating nasty bothersome bugs and all of that. Not to mention, lots of other animals prey on these birds. Missing that chunk of the 'life web' could have bad effects on other critters.
Seeing as that there are no natural formations like these (PVC is man-made) we should do something to protect the birdies. Being inquisitive little creatures, they look for nests and such, only to slide into their slow and painful doom. If I lived close to this place I would myself go out there and put caps or screens on. I am sure that if the company knew that the little buggers were dying inside of these that they would have done something. Now that they are facing lawsuits, I am sure that they will take corrective action.
Built or buy bird houses, american bird species need them.. give them as christmas gift.. but make sure there are not cats around as cats kill 2 billions song birds, every year... Cats should be kept indoor or shot as they have become a dangerous pest for all small wildlife. Cats are native from egypte, not from europe or the usa. They are a introduced domestic species and they are the worst predators of all, also competing with other native wild life, for preys.
BE RESPONSIBLE ! SAVE OUR SONG BIRDS THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT, WAY MORE THAN CATS.
hmmm... cats eat most vermin..... like DemocRATs
no wonder you're upset!
feral cats should be shot on sight. I think there is 1 state that allows it.
Castle, you are nuts. If we didn't allow cats to hunt, mice would soon overrun our country. Unless you think it's better to leave poison laying around all over the place? I have two cats, and they are FAR more dangerous to the mouse population than they are to birds.
Oh, and maybe I should point out that they thought cats were evil centuries ago, and the rat population got out of control. The Plague was the result, and a quarter of Europe died. Sounds like fun, eh?
PLEASE....SAVE THE SONGBIRDS!!! They are sooooo good on the grill, with a little garlic and rosemary, they taste just like chicken. Cats aren't quite as good, and you have to pre-boil them first.
I prefer a cat, cats don't crap on my car, birds do.
catsclaw, it was more than 1/3 of the population I think,
and castle: I can give you a whole list of wildcats that are native to many countries of the world. The domestic cats originated in Egypt and the reason: they kept the mouse population out of the grain silos. I guess you would rather have a repeat of the black plague to wipe out half the humans on this planet?
Any bird that is stupid enough to fly into a wind turbine blade NEEDS to be taken out of the gene pool.... like most liberals!
Let's make this difficult, can we?
A few large containers of end caps, a few tubes of glue and a group of boy/girl/eagle scouts and a few weekends.
Problem solved.
OR give each claim holder 30 days to cap all of their own pipes and fine the snot of out them if they don't comply. Daily fines at that for some compounding interest. Hefty fines to be exact.
These are not the typical 1/2" PVC pipe you see in our house. They are 4" diameter pipes. Capping them is no easy task, not to mention the amount of high-VOC glue needed.
Road warrior looks to me like the ones in the photo are 2" dia.
stc1993,
How can you tell from the picture? What is your reference?
http://www.lvrj.com/news/mining-claim-markers-blamed-for-thousands-of-bird-deaths-133346378.html
I've worked with it a long time.
I was wrong I read the article they sure looked smaller in the photo. I wonder why they use such a large pipe?m 4" is trade size the actual outside dia is 4 1/2"
My guess is they push these pipes into the ground with the bucket of a backhoe. Anything smaller than a 4" will snap like a twig.
Perhaps we need "MONEY PITS" to trap our less than "Good For Nothing" politicians !
People are IDIOTS and this story proves it. No wonder the government treats us like ash- ------s . A dollar cap would save a birds life and people are too damned cheap to buy or make one. I repeat, IDIOTS.
'Fenwick also worries that the state law "provides no meaningful enforcement provisions." "Nevada having more than one million mining claims on federal land."
So assuming each claim has 4 markers, one each corner. Some poor SOB (group of SOBs) needs to walk the desert and supply 'meaningful enforcement' by writing and mailing out tickets ON PAPER?? How many trees will that kill? How many birds will die for the lack of trees to nest in, due to meaningful enforcement?
sadness
Why not hire some homeless/jobless people to put vented caps on the pipes?
Ya that's the ticket! Get all them unemployed / homeless NV folks out walking the desert with a can of PVC glue and a bag of caps, a water bottle in the other hand. Birds will be saved!
Road Warrior, your wrong. Nothing could be simpler than caping these pipes. 2, 4, 6 inch. It's simple.
You're pole vaulting over mouse poop.
Who will cap them? How many need a cap? Who's going to pay for it? Simple?
Who's going to check every few months to make sure none fell off? States burden? BLM?
BLM probably mandates the markers.
There's gonna be a lot of dead birds disposed of the day after tomorrow in the US. (Of course, these birds are too fat to fit inside any PVC tube.)