Avian Protection Program

Since the 1970s, utility companies and conservation agencies have been working together to understand the interactions between migratory birds and power lines.

Finding solutions to protect our avian friends not only supports our ecosystem, but also protects the reliability of the power supply we all enjoy. If a bird is electrocuted on a power pole, it can cause outages, equipment damage, and increased costs of operation and maintenance.

Nowadays, there are plenty of low-cost, easy-to-install protective measures utility companies can take to help keep birds safe from potentially deadly situations. But being good stewards of the environment means doing more than merely complying with federal laws.

That's why Ameren Illinois created our Avian Protection Program to help save birds of prey and migratory species from potential hazards. It's an ongoing plan to upgrade our electric and natural gas utility system with higher standards and better structures that are avian-safe for the eagles, hawks, falcons, osprey, owls, and other birds that dot the Ameren Illinois' forty-three thousand-square-mile service territory area.

Here are some of the ways Ameren Illinois is doing its part to help our feathered friends: