DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Ameren Illinois created a program and plan to save birds of prey and other wildlife from potential deadly encounters with power lines.
Since the 1970's, utility companies and conservation agencies have worked together to understand interactions between migratory birds and power lines.
With the help of the Illinois Raptor Center, Ameren Illinois has found solutions to protect birds of prey and other wildlife within the ecosystem.
"We work with the manufacture to develop products in the process in what should be done to protect animals," said Riley Adams, manager of electric initiatives and the Avian Protection Program for Ameren Illinois.
Low-cost, easy-to-install protective measures have been put into place to keep birds safe from potentially hazardous situations.
"(We) have the disconnect switches with everything out on the front, anything metal is energized ... we've got the discs on there to keep the animal from getting between the energized part," said Berry Rebman, substation/relay supervisor for Ameren Illinois.
Ameren Illinois' ongoing plan upgrades electric and natural gas utility systems with higher standards and better structures that are avian-safe for eagles, hawks, falcons, osprey, owls and other birds.
To learn more about this program, click here.
