Action Alert

A decision for the site of the new Chicago casino is imminent. All three proposed locations adjoining the Chicago River and Lake Michigan pose serious threats to migratory and resident birds.

Please attend or watch the upcoming public forums to review the casino plans and locations and voice the importance of requiring bird-friendly design at such a prominent new complex for our city.

Meetings will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 pm: (registration required)

Tuesday April 5 Hard Rock One Central 400 S. State St.

Wednesday April 6 Bally’s Chicago 700 W. Chicago

Thursday April 7 Rivers 78 725 W. Roosevelt

Send your comments to: chicagocasino@cityofchicago.org

Tell the city that the lives of millions of birds are at risk if brightly lit glass structures with no protections are put in the path of their yearly migration through Chicago. Encourage the city to be a leader in world-class design that can be beautiful, sustainable and safe for the birds that are a critical part of a healthy natural world we all rely on and value.

Background:

Bright night time lights draw birds towards buildings where they are killed or injured by glass that is either an invisible barrier that birds are unable to perceive or a reflective surface that creates a mirror of trees and sky that birds are fooled into flying towards. Thousands of dead and injured birds are recovered at the base of just a few square miles of downtown buildings each year.

A single building near Chicago and Halsted has been documented to cause the death and injury of more than 100 birds every year.

A new structure adjacent to the Chicago River or lakefront such as the Chicago Tribune Publishing Center, the 78 or One Central that includes glass and bright lighting is sure to prove deadly for birds.