Avian Powerline Collision Monitoring

For fourteen years our staff have been undertaking ground-breaking research into methods to accurately assess powerline collisions rates.  We put this work into practice on Kauaʻi where one of our teams (the Infrastructure Monitoring and Minimization Project, IMMP) assesses powerline collisions of endangered seabirds and waterbirds at a landscape level across the entire island.  This work is undertaken via an annual monitoring program using acoustic sensors and nocturnal observations utilizing night vision and thermal equipment. 

This work is conducted on behalf of the local utility cooperative (Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative) to help assess the scale of the problem and to utilize the data collected to guide minimization efforts to reduce those collisions through the use of diverters and line reconfigurations.  Through this work we have significantly reduced powerline collisions on Kaua’i.