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Add Your Voice

Declaration of Support

for a Chicago Bird-Friendly Building Ordinance

Millions of birds migrate through Chicago twice a year every year. Birds have followed the natural corridor of Lake Michigan for thousands of years because it provides valuable habitat for resting and feeding during their long migratory journeys. Most small songbirds migrate at night, and research has shown that urban lighting draws birds into the city.

Once in the city, birds do not recognize glass as a hazard. Instead of a solid barrier, they see an open corridor, or a reflected tree or sky. As buildings use more glass, more of the birds that make it to our city don’t make it out. For tens of thousands of birds every year, their long, difficult migratory journey ends at a Chicago window.

Bird friendly glass products and thoughtful architectural design can reduce bird collisions with windows. New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Evanston and Skokie have enacted bird-friendly building ordinances that save birds’ lives.

Chicago has a proud history of innovation in both architecture and bird safety. Our city launched the first “Lights Out” program in the country, to reduce bird mortality by reducing nighttime building lighting.

It’s time for Chicago to have a Bird-friendly Building Ordinance.

Organizations and individuals are invited
to sign on to our declaration

Founding organizations

Chicago Bird Collision Monitors

Chicago Ornithological Society

Chicago Bird Alliance


Supporting Organizations

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Chicago/Beijing

American Bird Conservancy, Washington, DC

Audubon Great Lakes, Chicago

Badgerland Bird Alliance, Madison, WI

Bird City Wisconsin

Bird Conservation Network, Chicago

Chicago Mayor’s Nature and Wildlife Committee, Chicago

City Wildlife, Inc. (Lights Out DC), Washington, DC

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY

Cosley Zoo, Wheaton, IL

Environmental Law and Policy Center, Chicago

Evanston North Shore Bird Club, Evanston, IL

Farr Associates, Chicago

The Field Museum, Chicago

FLAP Canada (Fatal Light Awareness Program), Toronto

Fort Dearborn Chapter, Illinois Audubon Society, Fort Dearborn, IL

Friends of the Chicago River, Chicago

Friends of the Forest Preserves, Chicago

Friends of the North Branch Park & Nature Preserve, Chicago

HKS Architects, Chicago

Illinois Green Alliance

The Illinois Nature Conservancy, Chicago

International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, WI

The Izaak Walton League of America, Illinois Division

Kane County Chapter
Illinois Audubon Society, Geneva, IL

Lake County Audubon Society, Libertyville, IL

Lake Michigan Bird Observatory, Port Washington, WI

McHenry County Audubon Society, Woodstock, IL

McNicholas Architects/MGLM, Chicago

National Audubon Society, New York, NY

Openlands, Chicago

Red Hill Birding, Chicago

Skyline Design, Chicago

Southeast Environmental Task Force, Chicago

Studio Gang, Chicago/New York/San Francisco/Paris

Thorn Creek Audubon Society, Park Forest, IL

Urban Environmentalists, Illinois, San Francisco, Los Angeles

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chicago

The Wetlands Initiative, Chicago, IL

Individuals

Rebecca Allard
Negin Almassi
Deborah Altman
Judith Anderson
Bob Andrini
Roberta Asher
Sharon Avendano
Rachel Azzarello
Carol B
Tina Bach
Laura Jean Bailey
Lynne Bailey
Katherine Barnash
Bethany Barratt
Howard Bass
Sarah Bass
Kelly Bauer
Gina Bavone
Stephanie Beard
Daniel Beck
Kim Beck
Stephanie Beilke
Brittney Bennett
Carley Bennett
Elisa Benson
Linda Berlow
Mary Bernat
Mary Bigelow
Nancy Bigelow
Diann Bilderback
Mike Bingaman
Anthony Bolos
Alissa Bozza
Nancy Bradt
Betsy Brill
Debra Brinker
Casey Buchanan
Bonnie Bush
Lizette Cardenas
Mary Carpenter
Gwen Casey
Susan Casey
Francine Cella
Elizabeth Challoner
Suzanne Checchia
Georgia Chilton
Anja Claus
Carol Cleave
Rachel Cohen
Sonny Cohen
Benedict Conley
Erin Connelly
Tessilee Shana Conner
Steve Constantelos
William Coons
Leslie Cummings
Elizabeth Cunniff
Madeline M Cusick
Leta Dally
Kris DaPra
Marjorie David
Therese Davis
Donna DeMilio
Robyn Detterline
Paul Devine Bottone
Jennifer DeStefano
Sandra Dold
Bob Dolgan
Kelly Dougherty
Barbara Drapcho
Christopher Drew
Cheryl Dudeck
Aaron Durnbaugh
Rand K. Ekman
Shannon Ellis
Josh Engel
Emma England
Christine Esposito
Anna Fadorsen
Doug Farr
Heather Ferguson
Bob Fisher
Karen Fisher
Linda Fisher
Beata Fiszer
Sarah Flax
Suzanne Flemens
Cameron Flint
Katherine France
Melanie Freisinger
Dina Frigo
Glenn Gabanski
Cindy Gach
Diane Galleher
Joseph Gannon
Megan Garfinkel
Linda Gels
Karen Gibson
Kathleen Gillespie
Jessica Giltzow
Carl Giometti
Renee Giron
Renate Goki
Jim Goodridge
Elisa Gores
Ruth Goring
Michele Govea
Linda Graf
Jennifer Lee Green
Barbara Greenman
Peggy Greenwood
Ryan Griffis
Molly Gross
Kathleen Habbley
Jenny Hansen
Linda Henderson
Elaine Henry
Bonnie Hernandez
Jerry Herst
Ashlea Holland
Dali Hoover
Michael Howard
Matt Igleski
Amanda Jaggers
Susan Jicha
Donna J. Kahn
Frances Kane
Pam Kasper
Todd Katz
Caitlin Kearney
Tina Khaunte
Robert Killeen
Jeffery Killinger
Kathy Kosabuckik
Jane Koten
Beck Kramer
Heather Krott
Tom Lang
Amy Lardner
Jim LaRochelle
Naomi Leighton
Stef Leinwohl
Nathan Lentz
Vera Leopold
Anne Lewis
Laury Lewis
Jackie Lim
Alma Lizcano
Stephanie L J Lopez
Dan Lory
Marj Lundy
Maximillian Lyon
Sean Lyon
Tess Madden
Joshua Magariel
Sydney Mandel
Lauren Marquez-Viso
Joan Matz
Patricia May
Carolina Mayorga
Arlene McFadden
Allyson McGahan
Linda McGuire
Jeanne McMahon
Chrissy McNulty
Scott Mcwilliams
Lynne Mecum
Mary Lou Mellon
Laura Mendoza
Sharon A Metzger
Chris Michalek
Katie Miller
Nat Miller
Patricia Miller
Scott C. Miller
Sue Mitchel
Stephen Mitten
Rosalie Mizner
Christina Moynihan
Andrea Muckley
William Mueller
Patricia Murfay
Maureen Murphy
Eileen Murray
Cheryl Muth
Tracy Neff
Jill Niland
Tracy Nolan
Emily Norkus
Michelene O'Connor
Brian Ohsowski
Peter Olson
Karen Omara
Nikki Orvis
Charlie Palmgren
Melissa Parola
Catherine Patrick
Bernadette Payne
Deborah Perry
Michelle Piette
Roland Polit
Judy Pollock
Amelia Pollock
Margarita Poromanska
Bethanne Portala-Dean
Mark Porter
Marina Post
Alia Poulos
Jen Price
Annette Prince
Emily Purcell
Emily Rapport
Rita Renwick
Sally Richards
Jill Riddell
Joan Riley
Charlie Rizzo
Jane Rix
Jennifer Roche
Paul Roots
Sharon Rose
Deane Rosen
Christine Rosenberg
Alex Rossi
Nan Rothrock
Jane Rothschild
Tony Rothschild
Holly Rowe
Lorra Rudman
Troy Rudy
John Ryan
Lynette Ryzewicz
Claire Salling
Luka Saparnyte
Jeremiah Schatt
Monica Schrager
Grant Schreiber
Mary Schultz
Jamie Sciullo
JoAnn Seagren
Leslie Shad
Doug Shaeffer
Mary Shannon
Lois Shelgren
Debra Shore
Hannah Silverstein
Connie Simonelli
Jason Sippel
John Sisson
Marcia Slomowitz
Adair Small
Judy Smith
Julia Smith
Jean Sodeman
Marshal Sorkin
Jennie Strable
PB Sucherman
Lisa Sukenic
Phyllis Sullivan
David Swain
Elizabeth Sweetland
David Taliaferro
Rebecca Tanda
Jenny Thiermann
Michael S. Thompson
Wanda Thompson
Amanda Tichacek
Nancy Tikalsky
Candace Tillquist
M Tomaschewsky
Maria E. Torres
Jamie Toste
Deborah Turski
Katharine Uhrich
Lauren Umek
Dena van der Wal Margaret Van Dyke
Gavin Van Horn
Christine Velez
Lisa Velez
Stephanie Vendetta
Stacy Vincent
Kristen Wacker
Susan Wahlgren
Gabriela Wakulchik
Edward Warden
Gaerin Warman-Szvoboda
Barbara Warren
Noreen Weeden
Karen Weigert
Irene Weinman
Kathleen Welton
Christopher J. Whelan
Win Whelan
Doug Widener
Lindsay Wilkes
Marcel Wilkins
Dave Willard
Kara Williams
Chris Williamson
Sandra Wilmore
Carla Winterbottom
Aimee Wise
Ted Wolff
Kristy Yale
Andrew Yang
Sarah Young
Levi Yutuc
Benjamin Zerante
Margaret Zielinski

Supporting Scientists

George Archibald, PhD
Co-Founder and Senior Conservationist
International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, WI

Bethany Barratt, PhD
Professor of Political Science
Roosevelt University, Chicago

John Bates, PhD
Associate Curator, Birds
The Field Museum, Chicago

Richard Beilfuss, PhD
President and CEO
International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, WI

Andrew Farnsworth, PhD
Research Associate
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY

John W. Fitzpatrick, PhD
Executive Director Emeritus
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY

Todd Katz
Science Teacher
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Chicago

Reuben Keller, PhD
Professor of Environmental Science
Loyola University Chicago

Daniel Klem, Jr., PhD, DSc
Professor of Biology, and Sarkis Acopian Professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology
Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA

Richard Lariviere, PhD
President
The Field Museum, Chicago

Bryan Lenz, PhD
Bird Glass Collision Campaign Manager
American Bird Conservancy, Milwaukee, WI

John P. Leonard, PhD
Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences
University of Illinois at Chicago

Michael Mesure
Executive Director
Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) Canada, Toronto

Debra Moskovits, PhD
Vice President, Strategic Science Initiatives
The Field Museum, Chicago

Carter O'Brien
Sustainability Officer
The Field Museum, Chicago

Matthew Reetz, PhD
Executive Director
Badgerland Bird Alliance, Madison, WI

Dr. Sarah Richardson
Adjunct Professor
DePaul University

John Rowden, PhD
Director of Community Conservation and Bird-Friendly Communities National Audubon Society, Los Angeles, CA

Christine Sheppard, PhD
Director, Glass Collisions Program
American Bird Conservancy, Washington, DC

Jeff Walk, PhD
Illinois Director of Conservation
The Nature Conservancy, Toulon, IL