Desert death traps: PVC mining markers still killing birds
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada conservationists and state wildlife officials are stepping up efforts to find and destroy hollow PVC pipes to mark mining claims. The problem is that the piping also become death traps for nesting birds that get stuck inside them. The plastic pipes stuck upright tend in the ground to attract cavity nesters, which are birds that rely on confined spaces for secure breeding grounds. But the birds cannot escape the smooth-sided cylinders and eventually die from dehydration or starvation. Nevada’s Legislature outlawed the tubes a decade ago and authorized the removal of markers found on public land. There could be hundreds of thousands of markers throughout the state.