almost everyone has, at some point or another, walked into a glass door or screen. after shaking off the initial embarrassment and checking to see if there were any witnesses, the consequences are usually mild. however, the same cannot be said for many birds. while humans learn to adapt and avoid these obstacles, a single window strike for a bird can result in severe injury or death. in the united states, building collisions, due to glass, lead to over 1 billion bird deaths every year. 

now, companies around the world are racing to develop glass with innovative designs, patterns, and elements that birds can see and, hopefully, avoid. despite this influx of “bird-safe” glass products, there are only two testing sites in the entire united states – both run by the american bird conservancy – that assess whether these glass designs are truly effective. these testing tunnels use groundbreaking methods and rigorous field research to examine the functionality of bird-safe glass. one such tunnel, located deep in rural maryland, is on the front lines of the fight to conserve and protect birds across the world.

you can also see the first installment of patched wings here!

have you ever seen a bird fly into a window? if you have, chances are you’re not alone. building collisions account for over 1 billion bird deaths in the united states every year. this, along with other human factors, has led to a nearly 30% decline in the overall population of birds in north america over the past 50 years, impacting crop production, seed dispersal, and the billion-dollar birding industry. 

yet, across the country, organizations continue to fight for our avian friends, even in the face of mounting adversity. one such group, city wildlife, a rehabilitation center on the outskirts of the nation’s capital, has made it their mission to stop as many bird deaths as possible. their lights out dc initiative has been especially impactful, not only raising public awareness about the dangers of artificial light during migration seasons but also driving meaningful legislative change through years of hands-on work.

bison, an icon of the great plains, once dominated the north american landscape, with herds stretching from canada’s northern territories deep into the mexican grasslands. however, their population declined steeply in the 1800s due to a variety of factors tied to european settlement. by the end of the 19th century, the species had been brought to the brink of extinction, with only a few hundred bison remaining.

decades later, the struggling bison population would find an unlikely ally in the prominent businessman and billionaire, ted turner. turner, who began amassing bison in the mid-1970s, has played a vital role over the past 50 years in the revitalization of the bison population in the united states.

this pioneering work accounts for 30% of all agricultural bison in the united states against a backdrop where upfront costs to purchasing bison can be nearly three times higher than that of cattle.

with nearly 50,000 bison across his many properties, one reserve serves as the home to one of the most important bison herds in the world. the castle rock herd is a nearly genetically pure group of wild bison that possesses almost no evidence of breeding with cattle. these bison serve as a lifeline for the vast ecosystems that comprise the largest piece of privately owned land in the united states: the vermejo reserve.

learn more by clicking on the video above!

editor’s note: this series was made possible with the generous support of turner reserves and contributions by the turner family. all editorial content is published independently. 

planet forward’s environmental media lab led this expedition to teach the power of visual storytelling in wild spaces to convey the beauty and bounty of our planet.