Excerpts from the September 2002 Avocet

SLV Rural Electric Co-op Installs Avian Protection Devices
by Virginia McConnell Simmons

The San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative has added a new device in its ongoing efforts to protect raptors and migrating birds from injury or death. Recently, the company installed plastic perches on top of utility poles near the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge to prevent large birds' tails from contacting electric lines. The arms are positioned parallel to the lines, perpendicular to the existing wooden arms where raptors tend to perch with often disastrous results.

Since SLVREC began installing various types of avian protectors along its lines in 1984, its projects have extended to about 18 miles around the MVNWR. This year alone, the coop has spent $30,000 on such projects. Some of these have been experimental attempts to make lines more visible, thereby reducing colisions with lines as birds fly into and around the refuge. Over the years, SLVREC has also removed many nests that can be hazardous for the birds and can cause power outages for consumers. The most effective solution, burying lines, is too costly for the company to undertake, according to Phil Zimmer, SLVRC's manager of marketing and member services.

Colorado's 22 electric coops have initiated a program that is designed to provide technical support for such efforts. EDM International of Fort Collins has been engaged to evaluate each cooperative's electric utility system and identify ways to protect raptors and migratory birds. The first study in now being conducted in the southwestern part of the state. Because of the presence of the San Luis Valley's wildlife refuges and the abundance of migratory birds here, the Valley will be the second site for EDM's work

John Villyard, who is SLVREC's CEO, says, "We have a strong commitment to building and maintaining avian-friendly power lines."