UMass at Amherst program aims to stop birds from crashing into its buildings

Windows with glass that’s dotted to discourage birds from crashing into them.

Imprint from where a bird has struck a window

Photo by Ted - Flickr: DSC_0073

Edited from a report by The New England Council

The state has awarded The University of Massachusetts at Amherst a $173,404 biodiversity grant to expand its efforts to prevent bird-building collisions on campus. The funding will complete installation of bird-friendly window coverings at six high-risk campus buildings and support broader monitoring and environmental- education efforts across the campus and surrounding communities. 

The grant is part of a $1.1 million statewide package announced by Gov. Maura Healey supporting 12 biodiversity projects across Massachusetts. The broader initiative is designed to restore habitats, strengthen climate resilience, pilot biodiversity-friendly building practices, create new pollinator gardens and urban forests, and expand environmental education programming. 

State officials framed the investment as essential to the state’s long-term climate preparedness . Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper noted that supporting biodiversity delivers tangible public health and safety benefits, describing nature as the state’s ‘‘first line of defense” against worsening climate impacts.