Laserfiche WebLink
Bowers Field WildlifeHazard Management Plan <br />WHMP was deemed prudent. This WHMP will follow a significantportion of CertAlert <br />97-09 (Wildlife HazardManagement Plan outline). The objective of this WHMP is to set <br />forth a well-defined set of policies, goals, and standards by which wildlife hazards can be <br />effectively reduced. <br />ELN recognizes that it is not possible to eliminate wildlife strikes, but through the <br />development and implementation of this WHMP, wildlife hazards can be substantially <br />reduced. <br />1.3 Strike History <br />Wildlife strikes are largely unpredictable events. It is impossible to know exactly when <br />an animal will collide with an operating aircraft. Dolbeer et al. (2021) determined that <br />75o/o of theairports incurring wildlife strikes were GA airports, but those reports only <br />accounted for 6Yoof the strikes. That is, from 1990 -2020,roughly 1,500 GA airports <br />reported 13,000 strikes, whereas 522 commercial airports reported 196,000 strikes. <br />Sixty-four percent were GA aircraftand 55%o of the events occurred at GA airports. Of <br />the iq airciaft destroyed following a wildlife strike, 4I (64%) were GA aircraft (Dolbeer <br />et a\.2021). This information suggests that GA airports and aircraft are susceptible to <br />wildlife strikes and that relatively few strikes involving GA aircraft atlnear GA airports <br />get reported. Roughly TlYo of strikes occurred below 500' above ground level (AGL), <br />1l7[i"tt is an area within or immediately adjacent to most airfields. This suggests that <br />actions on and around the airfield can have the greatest benefit in decreasing wildlife <br />hazards. <br />The annual number of strikes reported for Washington State is on an upward trend <br />Q.{ational Wildlife Strike Database, unpublished data). The FAA recorded3,963 wildlife <br />strikes in Washington from 1990 through2020. There were 17 fatal strike events <br />reported nation-wide, Two occurred in WA (an American white pelican in 2018 and an <br />American green-winged teal in2019). Smaller passerines and raptors were the most <br />commonly struck birds in Washington. <br />No wildlife strikes were reported for ELN, however USDA WS witnessed near misses <br />during site visits. It is likely that strikes occurred at ELN, but were not reported to the <br />FAA (Linnell et al. 1999). <br />3l December 2024 <br />l-3