My Fight with City Hall

I am very disappointed with our city council.

Yesterday most of them voted to approve a 180 foot cell phone tower directly in a major bird migration path. Only Jay Fosle and Todd Fedora voted no.

Councilors cannot say that they were not informed of a potential problem with this site. I sent them this email last week:

Dear City Councilors,

It has come to my attention that the proposed 180 foot cell phone monopole for 78th avenue East and Superior Street will be back on the agenda soon. In light of this news I would like to voice my concern about possible problems with migrating hawks and songbirds. Potential bird kills from Cell towers is an important issue, with research supported by many government and private groups,

“Using numbers from several long-term studies, conservation groups and government biologists estimate that communications towers kill from 4 to 50 million birds a year. They endanger or threaten at least 50 species.” Quoted from

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/ToweringTroubles.html

As you are all aware, Duluth has a unique geography which contributes to our spectacular migration each fall and spring. Raptors and songbirds follow the shoreline to Duluth, avoiding the long dangerous trip across Lake Superior where there is no food and no opportunity to rest on land. I live on East Superior Street and enjoy watching thousands of birds migrate in spring and fall. Every morning while my daughter and I wait for the bus we watch flocks of birds flying directly over the area between Superior Street and Highway 61. The birds fly quite low sometimes, this spring we watched the migration of hundreds of nighthawks that were approximately 30-50 feet above our heads. My concern is that we will be placing a tower directly in a migration path. I have contacted the US Fish and Wildlife Service with a specific request for information on this site’s suitability for a cell tower. I will pass on any information that I receive from the Fish and Wildlife Service. There is further information on this issue at their website http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/CurrentBirdIssues/Hazards/towers/towers.htm

At the least we should make sure that this tower does not have guy wires or any type of beacon or up lighting. At 180 feet it is under the guideline, this is good news. It is unfortunate that this tower is planned in an area where it will be the only tall structure. Please read the following guidelines for placement of new cell towers which is from the Fish and Wildlife Service website. My goal is to provide you with information to help you make your decision on this tower. If we must place it at 78th Avenue East, please make sure that it fits the guidelines established by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/CurrentBirdIssues/Hazards/towers/towers.htm

I included in the email, the US Fish and Wildlife Guidelines for Cell Towers which clearly state that local governments should take all measures possible to place cell towers away from migration paths. I warned them that I had already contacted Fish and Wildlife for confirmation that this is a migration path, and that they should take this into consideration when making their decision. I received a phone message today, from an agent at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that this site is indeed, a major migration path.

I'm guessing the council wrote my concerns off as another eco-nut. Not one councilor mentioned this as a potential issue.

I'm not done talking to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They don't seem to be disregarding my concerns, and they seemed quite willing to help.

How is the City of Duluth going to look when it gets out that we are okay with placing a cell tower where we will likely see hawks, eagles and all manner of migrating birds killed because we were listening to an AT&T salesmen selling to us with the phrase, "It's all about the bars!" People don't like dropped calls! People want to be able to take pictures while they're running the marathon! Do you think that all those folks who come here to watch the Hawk Migration will understand and appreciate the 3G service in this 2 mile area?

I understand that people want their cell phones, and that we need coverage for 911 cell phone calls in emergencies, but are we really not able to slow down and look for a more appropriate spot?

If the tower is built I will be inclined to document the bird kills and find some way to get that information out. Is it really "progress" for our community when we sacrifice so much to make a phone call?