This week, Megan had the opportunity to make a new friend at the Solid Waste Operator Conference co-hosted by the Air & Waste Management Association and SWANA - the Solid Waste Association of North America’s Land of Lakes Chapter. Meet Emma, a beautiful Harris Hawk with quite the resume.
Megan and Emma
Emma is just one of many predatory birds employed by Predator Birds Services Inc. (PBSI), a company with a mission to solve pest problems in the most “natural” way possible - using nature itself. PBSI trains predatory birds to sustainably manage pests in settings such as landfills, airports, and more. Essentially, the predators create hostile environments for smaller nuisance birds such as Starlings, Gulls, Turkey Vulchers, etc. in order to deter these species from invading these environments.
Jackie and Emma
The idea is simple - channeling ecological hierarchies that have been in place since before humans were even around - and yet seemingly innovative. Jackie, Emma’s handler, described the creative ways in which this system works, exemplifying how there truly is a job for everything.
Native strives to follow this model of sustainability in our work as well. Biomimicry - the design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes- reinforces this idea; proving that nature has successfully fine-tuned methods of solving problems. If we pay attention to these methods, we have a better chance to create sustainable solutions in our complex world.
Click here to find out more about the birds and services of PBSI.