Using native grasses at airfields to reduce bird strike hazards.

Bird strikes remain a serious concern at airports, costing the aviation community $957 million in aircraft damage & delay.  More importantly, bird strikes threaten human life at take-offs and landings.  Donna Vogler will report on a project she and her student Kristin Dorsch Baciuska conducted at Oneonta, Rome-Griffiths and Elmira airports with FAA funding. Her talk will show the test plots of native grasses planted at these airports and report on their ability to deter birds, deer and other wildlife. 
Dr. Donna Vogler is  Professor of Biology at SUNY Oneonta, with emphasis on ecology and conservation biology.  Her professional experiences include working as a botanist with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, and teaching at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock PA, and University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University and the Universtiy of Pittsburgh.  She has been at SUNY Oneonta since 2000.  

The program will take place on Friday, March 17th at 7:30pm at the Elm Park United Methodist Church, 401 Chestnut Street, Oneonta, NY. The program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, contact DOAS at info@doas.us.