$300,000 will be spent on a three-year study to see if the windows on the $1 billion U.S. Bank Stadium kill migrating birds.
The subject was a great debate during the planning stages for the Minnesota Vikings’ new home, and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority has apparently agreed to push on with this study in partnership with The Audubon Society.
Agenda documents for a meeting on Friday reveal the authority, the Vikings, and the bird conservation organization have been working for several months on a solution, with the society having previously called the new stadium a “death trap” for birds.
The program will “design, research, observe, monitor, analyze, and assess the potential impact of the Stadium on bird mortality due to potential bird collisions.”
The cost of the project – $300,000 between now and the issuance of a final report in June 2019 – will be split between the Sports Facilities Authority and the Vikings.
This final report could contain possible deterrents and management techniques to reduce bird collisions, the documents say, and the plan is expected to be passed by the authority on Friday.
The Audubon Society, the world’s largest bird-focused protection group, had objected to the 200,000 square feet of glass encasing the stadium, and had suggested the Vikings install special lighting or bird-safe glass.
The Sports Facilities Authority rejected the suggestions in January 2015, as reported by the Star Tribune, as installing the glass would prove too much of a delay.
Work on the stadium is complete and it will host its first event on Aug. 3.
