USDA, Michigan Air Guard Program Cuts Risk of Bird Collisions

Jan. 8, 2020

By By 1st Lt. Andrew Layton, Michigan National Guard

Source U.S. Air Force

Tony Aderman, Agriculture Department district supervisor, and Dane Williams, wildlife specialist, check Swedish goshawk traps at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Mich., as part of the base's Bird/wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) program, Oct. 29, 2019.

ALPENA, Mich. (AFNS) --

The flightline at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center is a busy place.

As the year-round host for training events like Northern Strike – the Defense Department's largest joint reserve-component exercise – it's not uncommon to see more than 60 aircraft on Alpena's tarmac. During exercise Northern Strike 19, more than 450 flights launched from the airfield over two weeks.

Adding to this high-intensity operations tempo, military aircraft aren't the only wings soaring over the base.