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Canadian author Margaret Atwood is adding her voice to the growing opposition against a proposed 600-foot communications tower on Pelee Island, amid concerns it could pose a threat to migratory birds.
The Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO) is calling on the federal government do an environmental impact assessment before the tower is allowed to proceed.
The observatory says the tower’s height, supporting wires and nighttime lighting could make it particularly dangerous for birds migrating across Lake Erie.
According to PIBO, its monitoring programs counted and banded more than 660,000 birds during 2024 and 2025.
A proposed telecommunications tower, which could be situated on Pelee Island, has prompted a petition and outcry from Canadian author Margaret Atwood, among other birders concerned about how the tower would impact migratory birds. The CBC’s Jacob Barker explains.
Atwood, a longtime supporter of bird conservation, raised the alarm Friday in a Substack post titled “Bird Scary Tower!”
“Pelee Island is one of the stupidest places on the planet to put such a stock-trading tower,” Atwood wrote.
She urged readers to sign a letter calling for a federal assessment, arguing the consequences could extend far beyond the island.
The observatory says the proposed location also overlaps federally mapped critical habitat for several species at risk, including the endangered Blue Racer snake.
It calls the proposed location – which one road over from the newly opened Atwood-Gibson Bird Centre – a place “where birds should land, not die.”
Company says protecting birds is a priority
In a statement to CBC News, a spokeswoman for DRW, the company responsible for the tower, said they share the community’s commitment to protecting migratory birds and the island’s environment.
“Protecting wildlife has been a priority throughout the project’s planning,” Caroline Vasquez said.
She said DRW commissioned an independent environmental impact study and incorporated recommended mitigation measures into the design.
The company also says it has consulted Birds Canada, PIBO and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Margaret Atwood, left, is a long time supporter of bird conservation on Pelee Island. In this 2024 photo, she and observatory chair Deborah Egan unfurled a banner announcing what would eventually become the Atwood-Gibson Bird Centre. (The Pelee Island Bird Observatory)
“We are committed to voluntarily installing best-in-class bird collision mitigation technologies alongside the lighting requirements for aviation security,” Vasquez said.
DRW maintains the project has undergone the public consultation process required by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
PIBO, however, argues the company’s environmental study did not adequately assess bird collisions during migration.
The observatory submitted a request for a federal impact assessment on Oct. 6.
It says the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is accepting comments until Monday, with a decision on the assessment request expected by Jan. 19, 2027.
