ITC has installed 1,053 yellow-coiled bird diverters along more than five miles of its Tittabawassee – Hampton and Bauer – Tittabawassee 345 kV transmission lines that cross the Crow Island State Game Area in Saginaw, Michigan. The diverters are designed to help make the lines more visible to birds and discourage contact with the lines.
"As Michigan's largest electrical transmission provider, we take our environmental stewardship role very seriously," said Mike McNulty, environmental manager for ITC Holdings Corp. "Our high-voltage power lines coexist with nature, and by installing bird diverters along the lines that cross the Crow Island State Game Area we're helping protect many of the avian species that reside here."
Crow Island State Game Area includes portions of Saginaw and Bay Counties along the upper Saginaw River in east-central Lower Michigan, spanning roughly 3,638 acres of forest and wetland. Crow Island has had over 100 species recorded in recent years including egret, blue heron, red-tailed hawk and eagle.
ITC has a long-standing partnership with Crow Island State Game Area. Since 2011, ITC has worked to help remove invasive plant species, rejuvenate the switchgrass prairie plantings and restore an access road for use by wildlife watchers and outdoor recreationalists. ITC's partnership with the Crow Island State Game Area has been recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council as a Wildlife at Work certified site.
