Saturday, January 10, 2015

Oilsands Tailings Ponds Hotspots for Waterfowl

Periodically bird deaths in oilsands tailings ponds will pop up in the news. Recently several dozens of birds died at a site in Alberta, Canada. The companies operating these oil facilities are required to have deterrent systems in place, ranging from scarecrows (visual deterrents) to various auditory deterrents. 
One new solution might be to use some type of laser-based deterrent system. Laser system have shown some promise in bird control recently. 

A combination of deterrent methods must be utilized for any system to be effective. This includes varying exposure and frequency of use, physical location changes and periodically introducing new deterrent types while reducing (or temporarily halting) use of others. Introduction of a laser system may possibly be an effective addition to an oilsands tailings pond waterfowl deterrent program.