Peer review: Wildlife Risk

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At the JFK airport the large hazard and biggest concern for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA), the airport authority, for wildlife hazards are birds. The PA knows all too well the dangers of birds coming in contact with an aircraft after the “miracle on the Hudson” where a flock of birds flew into an aircraft at LGA 10 years ago. Due to the JFK airport’s location on the water/wetlands the largest threat when it comes to bird strikes are the gulls, and these gulls account for over 80 percent of the bird strikes at the JFK airport (Dolbeer, 1999). The bay and wetlands, which is filled with gulls and other birds and their nest, provides ample food and nesting areas for the birds, from fish to small mammals, to insects; and the gulls particularly like JFK because the gulls like to pick clams up out of the water and drop them on the tarmac to break open their shells to eat them (Wilson, 2010). To mitigate the risk of these gulls, as well as other birds, coming in contact with the aircraft the PA/JFK airport does a lot both on and off the airport to discourage the birds from being at the airport and/or limit their population. On the airport the PA attempts to mitigate the risk of bird strikes but limiting areas birds can make nests and removing those nest, keeping grass between 6 and 10 inches (which is too short for the small mammals that birds of prey hunt and too long for some birds that like to sit in short grass), using lasers and pyrotechnics/noise to scare birds away, traps to capture birds, and more (Wilson, 2010). The PA will also go as far as killing the birds by doing things such as shooting them with shotguns; the PA has an extensive, and controversial, bird killing program which kills tens of thousands of birds every year in the attempt to mitigate bird strike risks (Associated Press, 2017). Of the airport the PA tries to limit the birds around the airport by altering the environment (planting trees and grass) near the airport to discourage nesting and birds and working with cab drivers to prevent them from leaving food out, feeding the birds, or doing anything else that will condition the birds to come back to the airport (Associated Press, 2017; Wilson, 2010).

The JFK airport has to deal with more than just birds, in addition to the birds the PA also has to deal with small mammals, city wildlife, terrapins (turtles), and more. The JFK airport being part of New York City means much of the wildlife it has to deal with are small animals and city wildlife such as rats, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, stray dogs and cats, etc. Many of these animals that thrive in the city are scavenger animals that roam around looking for food left by humans. The PA deals with these animals by keeping the airport clean and free of trash, properly handling trash and regularly emptying bins, keeping grass and vegetation at proper levels, working with stakeholders (employees, vendors, contractors, taxi drivers, etc.) to avoid them leaving food out or feeding wildlife, setting up humane traps (I put humane there because I specifically worked on that, you’re welcome PETA), and making sure barriers are well maintained. Employees will also regularly check for any signs of wildlife and remove the animals or contact exterminators if signs are found. Terrapins, mainly the Diamondback Terrapin are also a common issue at the JFK (and LGA) airports as the terrapins will lay their eggs on the beach. This can cause mother terrapins to wonder onto the airport looking for a place for their eggs or baby turtles to hatch at or near the airport and wonder onto the runway. The PA handles this by knowing when these mating and nesting season are, watching for terrapins and their nests during these times, and removing the terrapins and their nests when there are found.

The PA is constantly improving their wildlife management program by collecting and analysis data on things such as bird strikes, animal trappings and/or killings, animal populations, and more. With this knowledge and the study of how these animals migrate the PA can constantly work to lower the risk of wildlife impacting the airport.

References

Associated Press (2017, January 14). Nearly 70,000 birds killed in New York in attempt to clear safer path for planes. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/14/new-york-birds-killed-airport-miracle-on-hudson-sully.

Dolbeer, Richard A., "Aerodrome Bird Hazard Prevention: Case Study At John F. Kennedy International Airport" (1999). USDA

National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications. 1900