Cape Perpetua, photo by Oregon Marine Reserves

Legislative Priorities for 2024

On February 5, the Oregon legislature will begin a 35-day sprint to get a dizzying array of bills over the finish line. Bird Alliance of Oregon has been working for months to prepare for session and will be working on bills in each of the below priority areas to protect our state’s wildlife and wild places.

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Red-breasted Sapsucker patient at WCC - window strike

What Happens When a Bird Hits a Window?

Birds are beginning their fall migrations, and here at the Wildlife Care Center we’ll start to receive dozens of calls and admissions each day due to window collisions. This is a tragic and avoidable pattern that we see occur every year. Window strikes are consistently among our top five reasons for injury, and last year was number three, behind only cats and cars.

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A photo of a drone hovering over the beach at sunset.

Minimizing Drone Impacts to Wildlife in Oregon State Parks

In recent years recreational drone use has skyrocketed, reflecting a nationwide trend. This in turn has led to increasing disturbances to birds, marine mammals, and other wildlife. Such disturbances have been documented to negatively impact nesting success of many bird species.

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Two dogs on the beach disturbing a nesting Snowy Plover

Coastal Birds Face a Growing Threat: Wildlife Disturbance

Vulnerable birds, like threatened Snowy Plovers, that use our coastline have evolved over thousands of years to deal with the hazards of near-constant wind, rip tides and storm surges, hot and cold weather, and predators stealing eggs and young. Only in the last century have they had to deal with a high volume of people recreating directly within their nesting areas.

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Red-tailed Hawk being released

One Lucky Red-tailed Hawk

A Red-tailed Hawk had arrived at the Wildlife Care Center after colliding with the glass side of a sporting goods store. After nearly two months of rest and rehabilitation while the hawk’s injuries healed, we were so happy to be able to release the hawk back out into the wild with a handful of volunteers cheering her/him on.

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A coyote stands at attention in a meadow surrounded by purple flowers.

Trapping Reform Comes to Oregon

On June 17, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission took a major and long overdue step forward in reforming trapping regulations in the state. After a marathon hearing that extended more than three hours, the ODFW Commission voted 6-1 to require trappers using live-animal restraining traps, such as leg-hold traps, to check the traps every 48 hours.

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Another Season of Drought Approaches at Klamath

The Bureau of Reclamation has announced another year of severe water shortages in the Klamath Basin. Endangered sucker fish in Upper Klamath Lake, endangered salmon in the Klamath River, farmers, and the refuges will all compete again for scarce water, estimated to be less than a seventh of what is typically allocated in a wetter year.

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Black Oystercatcher and chick

State Considers New Drone Rules To Protect Nesting Birds

Drone disturbances have been documented to negatively impact nesting success of many bird species. To minimize such impacts we need to ensure drone rules are informed by the best science and take a precautionary approach given that recreational drone use is a relatively new phenomena and impacts are just beginning to be understood.

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