Mining claim markers killing millions of birds in U.S. West

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Mining claim markers killing millions of birds in U.S. West

By Laura Zuckerman
SALMON, Idaho | Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:02pm EDT

(Reuters) - Millions of birds have died and millions more are in danger from an obscure but widespread hazard in 12 Western states - uncapped plastic pipes used to mark many of the 3.4 million mining claims on public lands, wildlife advocates say.

Migratory birds from western meadowlarks and mountain bluebirds to screech owls and woodpeckers are mistaking the open ends of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, pipes for natural hollows suitable for nesting, roosting or congregating to generate body heat.

Doomed birds enter the PVC pipes, which average 4 inches in diameter and stand about 4 feet high, but become trapped as they fail to gain traction on the smooth interior surfaces and cannot extend their wings to fly out of the narrow cavities. They eventually succumb to starvation or dehydration.

Federal land management officials acknowledge the threat, estimated by the American Bird Conservancy as responsible for at least 1 million bird deaths a year, although mining industry representatives say wildlife advocates exaggerate the problem.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/30/us-usa-birds-mining-idUSBRE85T0JJ20120630

[freshwest]

1. What's so hard about putting a cap on the things? Can be bought at the same place. Damn.

[XemaSab]

2. I thought that the BLM or the MMS or whoever

allowed people to take the posts out and lay them on the ground after this started coming out.

[madokie]

4. How many of these claims are there?

how densely populated are they located in?
In there you will find the answer you are looking for

[BlueToTheBone]

3. They can't put a little netting over the pipe?

What a bunch of horrible people. This is a disaster. Birds die flying the gulf because of the lights shining in the sky trap birds into a never ending circle trying to find their way around, blades of turbines, chop them to bits and now this. We have no respect for anything.

What good will all the money be on a dead planet?

[Curtis]

5. There are hundreds if not thousands of claims in my area

that I have driven by thanks to my being an avid gold panner (for the recreation not the money cause I can't find anything beyone flakes). Anyway, I have never, ever, never seen a plastic pipe used to mark a claim. They are either wooden posts with the top painted red (or is it orange?) or signs nailed to trees. And by my area I mean every major and most minor water ways in northeastern California.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Fill them with dirt, gravel, or sand ?? How hard is that ?

Why don't people ever think of these things ?

(Yeah, I know why -- they're not paid $$$$ to)