You are probably familiar with the Lakefield sewage lagoon because it is a much loved birding hotspot-- particularly now as the winter ducks have shown up. But did you know that this is the site of a proposed Rogers telecommunications tower, supporting LTE and 5G services?
The American Bird Conservancy has resources on the threat telecommunications towers pose to migratory birds in North America. There is also a peer-reviewed article reporting the number of fatalities in Canada caused by collisions with these towers.
The proposed tower for 1256 County Rd 33 is under 300 feet (60m) and is freestanding with no lights, which greatly lessens the risk it will pose. However, the construction of the tower in the northeast corner of the property may coincide with nesting periods as defined by Environment and Climate Change Canada and pursuant to the Migratory Bird Regulations (MBR), 2022. It also may impact species listed in Schedule 1 of the MBR, whose nests are protected year-round.
A public comment period on the proposed tower closes on December 10th, 2023. I hope that you will join Bird Friendly Selwyn in providing evidence-based concerns about the proposed tower and ensuring tower construction will be carried out in a way that poses the least disruption to migratory bird breeding. Specifically we are calling for Rogers to complete a publicly available Beneficial Management Practices for the tower project at 1256 County Rd 33, as outlined by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Please join us in our call for a commitment to protect our migratory birds!
Keep up the great work!