Many participants at last month's COA Annual Meeting were looking for answers to the problems Dr Klem posed about bird collisions. Next Wednesday, May 11th, Dr. Christine Sheppard from the American Bird Conservancy will explain how bird collisions can be reduced with innovative products and properly designed buildings. Wednesday, May 11, 2011 At Audubon Greenwich 7:30-8:30 pm Suggested donation: $5 for those who did not attend the reception with Dr. Sheppard Please RSVP to Jeff Cordulack at 203-869-5272 x239 >From high-rises to single-story structures, large glass windows are a common feature in buildings. Sadly, bird mortality from collisions is a "biologically significant" issue and can lead to local, regional, and national declines in bird populations. Songbirds - already imperiled by habitat loss and other environmental stressors - are especially vulnerable to nighttime collisions during migration, and to daytime glass collisions as they seek food and resting perches among urban buildings. NYC Audubon estimates that 100 million birds are killed every year in the U.S. alone through building collision and some experts believe the number is perhaps as many as one billion killed annually. While this is tragic, it is also avoidable. To share how birds can be protected through bird-safe design and innovative materials, Dr. Christine Sheppard will provide an in-depth presentation for architects and building professionals in the afternoon. Then, in the evening, she will give a special presentation to Audubon members and the general public to explain how bird collisions can be reduced with innovative products and properly designed buildings. ABOUT DR. SHEPPARD: Dr. Sheppard has extensive experience speaking to both professional and public audiences and her visit will include two presentations. Dr. Sheppard has a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University. She joined the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Bronx Zoo as curatorial intern in 1978 and eventually became the Curator and Chair of the Ornithology Department. In this role, she realized first-hand how glass exhibit walls and windows can cause bird collision problems. With a vested interest in finding ways to make glass safer for birds, she began research to quantify the effectiveness of different materials and patterns in preventing bird collision. In 2007, she joined the board of the Bird-safe Glass Foundation as science advisor and then in 2009, she became Collision Program Manager for the American Bird Conservancy. She has contributed to recently passed and pending legislation that mandates bird-friendly construction and is working with the LEED building standards to incorporate bird safe credits into that program. Official Event Sponsor: Granoff Architects, P.C.<http://www.granoffarchitects.com/> Presented by: Audubon Connecticut<http://ct.audubon.org/> & East Coast Home + Design Magazine<http://www.echomeanddesign.com/> Ken Elkins Education Program Manager Audubon Center at Bent of the River 185 East Flat Hill Road Southbury, CT 06488 203-264-5098 x308 kelkins@audubon.org<mailto:kelkins@audubon.org> http://bentoftheriver.audubon.org<http://bentoftheriver.audubon.org/> www.facebook.com/bentoftheriver<http://www.facebook.com/bentoftheriver>