The Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") recently issued a policy to prevent wildlife mortalities in open, uncapped hollow pipes used on public land. The policy to reduce preventable wildlife mortalities can be found here.
Mining claims marked with uncapped PVC pipe are one target of the new policy.
These hollow and vertical PVC pipes are a danger to small animals and migratory birds that mistake the open space for the perfect place to nest and become trapped. Once inside, the smooth surface is too slick for the birds to climb out.
An article featured by Arizona Public Radio reported that the victims are typically cavity nesters such as mountain bluebirds, but woodpeckers, kestrels, owls, bats, lizards and small mammals also become trapped in the open pipes. Reportedly, up to 30 animal corpses have been found in a single PVC mining claim marker, with at least one dead bird per pipe on average.
The significance of the impact that this small measure will have is remarkable; over 3 million mining claims are reportedly marked with uncapped PVC pipe nationwide.
The BLM's new policy to reduce preventable wildlife mortalities encourages mining claimants to (1) remove and properly dispose of any existing open-pipe markers on their claims, (2) cap open pipes or (3) voluntarily use wildlife-safe mining claim monuments made from safe and naturally occurring materials when locating new mining claims. Examples of wildlife-safe markers are provided by the BLM attachment entitled, "Request to Mining Claimants on Federal Land – Help Eliminate Hazards to Birds and Other Wildlife," which can be found here.
The BLM's press release on the new policy estimates that this small change could save more than 100,000 birds a year.
The new policy is effective immediately and is in response to Executive Order 13186 (Federal Responsibilities to Protect Migratory Birds), which directs federal agencies to protect migratory birds when taking actions that have, or are likely to have, a measurable negative effect on migratory bird populations.
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