Be a member of the bird watch team Published Feb. 2, 2007 By Lt. Col. John Clark 305 AMW/SE MCGUIRE AIR FORCE BASE, N.J. -- Just like many of us, you've probably taken the family and a bag of old bread to feed the majestic Canada Geese at Fort Dix or have set up a bird feeder in your backyard to attract robins or sparrows. These birds are truly magnificent creatures -- that is until you come face to face with one at 200 miles an hour in an aircraft at 3,000 feet in the air. When this occurs, the goose becomes the equivalent of a flying bowling ball, and the results can be disastrous. In November 1994, geese caused the crash of an E-3 Airborne Warning and Control aircraft at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. This incident destroyed the aircraft and took the lives of 24 crewmembers. People at Elmendorf don't feed the geese or set up bird feeders in their yards anymore. BASH, which stands for Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard, is the Air Force program designed to mitigate the threat of aircraft colliding with birds. The program is governed by Air Force regulations and is run by the 305th Air Mobility Wing Safety office at McGuire. Understanding that birds and aircraft will continue to share the same airspace, the BASH program includes a multifaceted approach to bird strike control. The major areas of emphasis are restrictions to flying operations during heavy bird activity, habitat management and pest control. Air Mobility Command has set several rules when birds are in the runway area in order to ensure the safety of aircraft, Airmen and those of us below. Bird conditions are measured as either low, moderate or severe, depending on how many birds are spotted around the airfield. If bird conditions are moderate, all AMC aircraft terminate flying training in the McGuire traffic pattern. If the bird condition becomes severe, airborne aircraft divert to another airfield or hold, and all takeoffs and landings are prohibited. Civil engineers, airfield operations and civilian contract personnel are working hard to make the land around the runways less attractive to birds. Their efforts include controlling grass height, limiting food sources and using harassment tactics to disperse the birds. If birds are reported on or near the runways, a response team is activated. The response team uses a combination of loud noises, dogs and falcons to disperse nuisance birds. You might be asking yourself why we would be concerned with geese at Fort Dix when they are not near our runways. First, there are bodies of water on Fort Dix which are located directly adjacent to and under the flight path of McGuire's main runway. These are very attractive to geese. And if that weren't bad enough, giant formations of up to 100 geese take to the air daily from all over Fort Dix in search of new food sources. Their flights frequently encroach on McGuire's approach and departure flight paths and aircraft traffic pattern. Over the last few years, more and more Canada Geese have turned in their passports and taken up residence in the Northeast United States. Compounding the problem, the resident geese attract more migratory geese. When flocks fly over and see large populations of geese on the ground they assume what's good for the goose is good for the gander. And so, Fort Dix and Team McGuire are coordinating efforts to balance the preservation of these natural resources with the protection of aircraft and Airmen. You can help reduce the bird hazard. First and foremost, don't feed the geese or ducks at McGuire or Fort Dix. Just like their human counterparts, these flyers never pass up a free lunch. Additionally, if you spot a large number of birds around the airfield, whether in the air or on the ground, call airfield operations at (609) 754-2712 and give them as much information as possible about the location and density of the birds. Remember, safety at Fort Dix and McGuire is everyone's business. You are invited to be a member of the bird watch team.