9/11 Tribute Traps 10,000 Birds

09/13/2010

The Tribute of Lights/ Copyright (c) 2010 John de Guzman

Each year since the tragic terrorist attacks on NYC’s twin towers, on every September 11th since 2001, the Municipal Art Society has shone two bright lights skyward from Manhattan's Financial District. Known as the Tribute of Light, the beams have struck an emotional chord with a lot of residents. This year, more than 10,000 birds flew into the beams and got trapped, unable to fly away. Because they are in their fall migration, the birds could be depleting crucial fat stores by flying endlessly in the light beams, unable to get away and continue their journey south.

New York City Audubon has kept an eye on the light tribute, and when they saw the gathering of helpless birds, let the Municipal Art Society know so they could shut down the beams (Migratory birds are protected by federal law).

"We have a protocol in place in partnership with the Municipal Arts Society in case something happens like it did on Saturday night," explains John Rowden, Citizen Science Manager for NYC Audubon. "There were huge numbers of birds flying through and large numbers did have difficulty navigating out of the beams. Through the course of the night we shut the lights off five times for approximately 20 minutes each time, which allowed the birds to clear out (and then new birds moving through would accumulate). The Municipal Arts Society were very supportive of our goals of minimizing risk to migratory birds." A similar situation happened in 2004 but because of the ways birds navigate the skies, and the way local weather affects their migration routes, these large numbers of migratory birds do not always pass through NYC on September 11th.

Lights pose problems for birds far beyond the Tribute of Lights. According to the New York chapter of the National Audubon Society website, Susan Elbin, the NYC Audubon director of conservation, said that 90,000 birds die annually in New York City, because of collisions with the reflective glass in buildings. Birds fly into glass that reflects sky, clouds, trees, and get disoriented by artificial that interfere with their natural navigational cues, especially in foggy and rainy weather. In 2005, NYC Audubon initiated the Lights Out New York campaign to encourage city dwellers to turn out lights at night between September through November. Dozens of Manhattan skyscrapers participate in the program, including the Rockefeller Center, the Chrysler Building, and JP Morgan Chase among others.

The concept got started by a Toronto-based conservation group called Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP), in 1993. As they say, “Across North America, more birds die from collisions each year than succumbed to the Exxon Valdez oil spill.” It's easy to get upset by images of oiled birds, but so many more die by this relatively unknown, and largely preventable means.

Downtown Chicago also has a lights out program, in which over 100 buildings go dark during the spring and fall bird migration months. That also saves bundles of money for businesses. Metro Hall in Toronto saved 2100,000 in a single year after implementing the lights out protocol!

As for the 9/11 Tribute of Light, it will go on as scheduled through next year – the 10th anniversary – but after that the Metropolitan Art Society would like to see it as a permanent tribute. What do you think: Should they find an another form of tribute to protect the helpless birds?  (Note to commenters - please be respectful in comments or they won't be published. This is a sensitive topic).

Comments

[Kai Schreiber]

I saw this from Ground Zero, and the thousands of little bright specks fluttering in the columns were somewhat ominous.

Minor detail: isn't the journey that was interrupted going south at this time of the year?

[Wendee Holtcamp]

Ack - yes thanks for catching that. I fixed it!

[equality to all]

We should keep the tribute going, however, shutting down the lights at a percise time every hour for 15 mintues would work. Say at 8:46, 9:46,10:46,ect,ect. for 15 mintues each time.

save teh birds but honor the time with light tribute and pause .

[davtherave]

Do we really care about the birds, The real issue is to honor our fellow Americans that were MURDERED on Sept. 11,2001...

[Joe Anderson]

While this display is beautiful I don't think it should go full time. Wildlife aside, isn't there a better way to honor the lives lost rather than throw away millions of dollars each year by running lights full time that do nothing but look pretty and make you remember something that we all remember anyways?

[Wing]

I feel like the power and money that would need to be spent to power a permanent display could be put to a better use. Like helping the poor.

[mark]

i worked for the airlines at the time of 9/11 it is the honor of the fallen and not the issue of birds

[Chris]

I don't see any need to use lights as permanent method to remember. We'll remember anyway (sadly - and I say that because remembering it will keep people angry).

I understand some people need time to feel angry and righteous, so do the light show, but not year around.

Let the anger go. It doesn't help anything - and only makes things worse.

[Chris]

To add to my previous post, check this out:
http://lifehacker.com/5614548/venting-frustration-will-only-make-your-anger-worse

[Kyle]

a better way to remember the fallen of this day would be a method which did not injure something else in the process. im sure there were birders in those towers on that day, and im sure they would not want their memorial contributing to the this problem, i know i wouldnt...

[deepthi]

thanks for saving birds. iam asking the people please save birds treesand animals .

[Alice]

Perhaps we can come up with a different pattern of light or type of display that doesn't interfere with the migration.

[Candy P]

I do not think that those who died on 9/11 would want a tribute that could potentially kill thousands of birds.

[Riddles]

@ davtherave

Is it really a good idea to "honour" the victims of 9/11 with a power hungry lightshow that disrupts the lives of tens of thousands of animals?

[owen]

i thought they were bats feeding on insects that were drawn to the light (which i've seen many times at stadiums and other places with large flood lights).

i also thought (with a few exceptions) that most birds do not fly at night unless necessary. is there any info on what kind of birds these were?

[John]

I'm so happy Animal Planet used my photo for this post! For bigger versions of it, please visit: http://flic.kr/p/8AdxDy

[Julie]

I'm sure there is another way to honor the fallen without wasting all that power and putting so many birds at risk. Birds are already having enough problems with their migration lands oiled and all the lost habitat.

[Nate]

@John- Most birds don't fly at night during most of the year, but during spring and fall those species that winter in Central and South America travel at night because they're safer from predators and the air is generally calmer making long distance travel much easier.

I think this tribute, however visually stunning it is, should be discontinued after next year.

[Sara Wittenberg]

It is unfortunate that some people posted to the effect that the birds were a non-issue. That is the problem with our society - we are so anthropocentric that we cannot see our connection to the natural world. What a ridiculous way to honor such a tragic event - with a different tragic event! We can surely come up with an equally spectacular yet non-destructive way to commemorate this date. There is no excuse for purposefully contributing to the demise of thousands of migratory songbirds which, indeed, do migrate at night and already die by the thousands due to collisions with large buildings, glass windows, etc. Thanks for bringing light to this situation!

[Diane]

I love the lights as an honor to remember those who fell on 9-11, but it is a huge waste of energy. I think with or without the problem of the birds, there should be a more permanent way to show our respect. A beautiful statue or monument maybe. Of course I do believe we need to do something to protect the migrating birds, and if shutting off the lights periodically works then great.

[Sharon]

It seems odd to me that a tribute to our lives lost needlessly consumes energy, fuel for which is the perpetrators' country's biggest export and money maker. This uncommon way of honoring our fallen strikes me as particularly ironic given the circumstances. Add that to the avoidable exhaustion of birds who need their energy for their big journeys, and it becomes a questionable display whose time has passed. I'd vote to stop the practice and come up with a better idea that doesn't waste energy for either us or the birds.

[Greg]

While I agree the primary focus of the Tribute in Light is about remembering those whose lives were lost on 9/11, I think it's a poor memorial that results in more loss of innocent life, whether or not those lives are human.

[Judith]

Let's get some perspective on this people!!! Let us not diminish the American blood that was spilled that day. We should do everything we can to keep alive the spirit one oneness and patriotism we felt in those horrific days. Sweeping it under the rug just gives more power to the enemy!!! The greatest weapon an enemy has, is to convince you that he doesn't exist!!!

[Jessica]

I believe the fallen of 9/11 would not wish more to die,even if the dying now are birds.We can find a better way of handling the situation.One that works for all living things and the people who were murdered on such a tragic day.

[Phedre]

I don't think anyone is trying to undermine or disrespect those that lost their lives on 9/11 by requesting an alternative memorial. Everyone here remembers how horrific that event was, some on a more personal level than others, and I can assure you, a great number have lost their lives fighting our "enemy" on behalf of those lost in 9/11. I don't think anyone here has forgotten that or will forget it or any other major tragic event. I certainly don't forget the horror of the Oklahoma City Bombings but that doesn't mean birds die in honor of that memorial does it? Or is that even less horrific in comparison? People died. Terror - whether domestic or international - occurred.

Personally I don't think the lives of innocent creatures should be an acceptable side effect for any memorial to ensue. A memorial is something of peaceful rememberance. There is nothing peaceful about the death of an innocent animal in justification of a greater species.