Michigan Tech campus retrofitted to protect birds

There’s no shortage of glass panes on campus buildings at Michigan Tech, and each window was a potential hazard for area birds. Students from the Michigan Tech Sustainability House teamed up with members of the Copper Country Audobon Society to help mitigate these risks by installing film over the glass. Each screen heightens the reflection of UV light, one of the markers birds use to determine what’s open air and what is a deadly solid surface.

The Michigan Tech Sustainability House project shelters university students at the old Kettle Gundlach residence. At one time, it was the home for the school’s president. It has received several renovations over the decades and now is part of an experiment by the Alternative Energy Enterprise to make it more eco-friendly. One of the main projects this semester has been the construction of compost bins.