Bird Strike Committee Proceedings

 

Date of this Version

8-2008

Comments

Abstract of paper presented at Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada Meeting, Lake Mary and Sanford, Florida, August 18–21, 2008.

Abstract

USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services (WS) and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) work collaboratively to minimize bird strike risks at Air Force Bases (AFB) nationwide. At Laughlin AFB near Del Rio, Texas migratory, insectivorous birds in the aircraft operations area pose a bird strike risk to pilots and crews. The peak of bird strikes at Laughlin AFB is associated with the peaks of bird migration in the spring and fall. Noting this, WS recommended the application of carbaryl insecticide in the Laughlin AFB operational area to reduce insects and foraging opportunities for birds to reduce bird strike risks. Two trial treatments were conducted in 2006 which showed promising results. Before operational carbaryl treatments could be carried out, several procedural requirements needed to be completed. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents were prepared by WS and completed by the USAF. To meet U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements for pesticide registration, a 2(ee) amendment to the label was prepared and accepted by the EPA. A carbaryl application then was conducted in April 2008. Insectivorous bird strikes were reduced by 80% compared with previous years when no treatment was applied.

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