BOISE, Idaho — A new bird-safe window mural designed by Boise State University graphic design student Amber Jansson is now helping protect wildlife at the West Boise Library!
The project was celebrated with a ribbon cutting, and grew out of a Boise State Service-Learning course that blends art, design, and conservation science.
WATCH | How the community is saving birds' lives with art
The class brought together students from art and science programs to assess collision risks, conduct fieldwork, and create evidence-based decal designs aimed at preventing bird strikes.
Art became the life-saving solution for a window wall that fills the library’s children’s section with natural light, but previously posed a danger to birds.
“There are a lot of birds flying into the windows, and the kids would see it, and it'd make them sad, so they just really wanted a solution to fix this for both [the] birds and the library community,” Jansson said.
To create the most effective mural, Jansson collaborated with conservationists at the Intermountain Bird Observatory.
“There's research that if you put dots 2 inches apart, birds recognize that they can't fit through that space, and then that is what saves birds' lives, is having that 2-inch spacing on your windows,” said Heidi Ware Carlisle, education director at Boise State’s Intermountain Bird Observatory.
Bird collisions with building windows are one of the leading causes of bird mortality nationwide, and conservationists say the issue is growing as taller buildings go up across the Treasure Valley.
Experts say people can help reduce bird deaths by adding designs or dots to glass windows that birds may not otherwise see.
