BASH: Reducing the bird threat Published April 10, 2009 By Maj. Jason Hughes 354th Fighter Wing Flight Safety Office EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Many people have probably seen or heard of US Airways Flight 1549, which performed an emergency landing in the Hudson River after its engines were disabled by a bird strike. In addition to that, many people who have been here for a spring or fall have probably seen the tremendous number of ducks and geese that stop at Eielson on their way north or south. Birds, just like the ones responsible for Flight 1549, pose a significant threat to aircraft operations here in the Alaskan Interior. The 354th Fighter Wing Flight Safety Office Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard program has been in place for many years now. In the past, the office had two Bird Dispersal team members working for them. Their primary job was to remove birds from the airfield area and therefore keep them away from aircraft in flight. Two employees, who we'll call 'James and John', would drive around in a blue truck and scare the birds away. They used a vast array of techniques to include 12 gauge shotguns that fired noise makers which then exploded over the birds. If the birds were persistent and did not leave the airfield, James and John had the unfortunate job of "taking" these birds with steel shot fired from their shotguns. The lethal taking of birds is always a last resort. The first effort at removing the birds is habitat modification. People may have noticed that some of the ponds around base have changed or disappeared. This is in an effort to make the area unattractive to birds flying over the base. Trees have also been removed and grass has been allowed in some areas to grow longer. This is designed to prevent geese from landing. Geese will usually not land if they can't see predators coming toward them, which is why they like open mowed fields. Another method used is propane cannons, which Eielson residents and visitors may have heard. These timed explosion noises are used to scare the birds away. Unfortunately if none of these methods work to scare them, the last resort must occur. These "taken" birds are then turned over to Natural Resources for donation to charitable organizations. This spring, the United States Department of Agriculture/Wildlife Services will be taking over for James and John. This organization will be operating on all of Eielson Air Force Base, 24 hours a day. The goal is to drastically reduce the attractiveness of the base to migratory birds and therefore reduce the risk to flight operations--something that could potentially save life and property. The USDA/WS will be operating a team of two per shift, augmented with volunteers during the peak of the migration seasons (Spring and Fall). The USDA/WS will be utilizing the same methods the safety office did in prior seasons. The volunteers aiding the USDA/WS effort must be thoroughly trained in airfield operations, weapons safety, and dispersal techniques. These volunteers will be supervised by expert personnel and will help to increase the capabilities of the BASH program. The volunteer shifts are broken down into four hour segments, allowing volunteers to work for just half the day if that's all that can be spared. Commanders are urged to be supportive of the base-wide effort and allow Airmen to volunteer when work schedules allow. Note that during the BASH season, bird dispersal will be taking place throughout the entire base, including the housing areas. Keep in mind that the dispersal teams are professionals. They can be identified by their bright orange vests and the white USDA truck they drive. They will not be firing shotguns in the housing area, but will be actively dispersing the birds. The use of noisemakers and movement will be the primary method of bird dispersal in the housing areas. In order to assist with reduction of the bird threat, the Flight Safety Office has created a BASH hotline, 377-BIRD. This hotline should be called to report any bird activity including large birds or flocks of birds flying toward or near the airfield. Don't forget to use a hands-free device or pull over before making the call if you're driving. Be sure to pass as much information possible whenever calling, to include the estimated size of the bird or flock, type of birds, location, and direction of movement. The information will aid in preventing birds from colliding with aircraft. If you are interested in volunteering for BASH program or if you have any questions or concerns contact one of the following people at the wing flight safety office: Maj. Hughes at 377-1155, Tech. Sgt. Brown at 377-1025, or Tech. Sgt. Stavesky at 377-2230.