The Lake County Board has passed a policy requiring government-owned buildings to have “bird-friendly” glass.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors has approved a new policy that will make birds the focus of all newly constructed and renovated facilities owned by Lake County government.

The primary goal of this policy is to reduce threats to birds posed by the building’s surroundings, in particular as a result of collisions with glass surfaces.

The policy, which went into effect May 14, requires that newly constructed facilities owned by the Lake County government use at least 80% bird-friendly glass on the exterior from ground level to a height of 100 feet.

If Lake County renovates or expands one of its facilities, 80 percent of the glass and reflective materials used in the project must also be bird-friendly.

“Up to a billion birds potentially die each year in the United States as a result of collisions with buildings,” said Sandy Hart, chairwoman of the Lake County Board of Commissioners. “I am proud of our board and staff for being leaders on this issue that will truly make a difference for our resident and migratory birds that live or pass through Lake County.”

Lake County lies on the Mississippi Flyway, one of the major bird migration routes in North America.

More than 30 million birds passed through the region this spring, according to “Birdcast,” managed by Colorado State University, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“Bird-friendly design is extremely important to us and we include it in the structures of Lake County,” said Paul Frank, chairman of the Lake County Finance and Administration Committee and a member of the District 11 board. “We are located on a major migration route for migratory birds. We need to find ways to reduce the number of birds killed in construction collisions. Bird-friendly design is completely affordable and achievable. Our County is once again leading the way, and we hope that in the near future, municipalities, other counties, businesses and residents will join us and adopt bird-friendly practices.”

The Lake County Planning, Building, Zoning and Environmental (PBZ&E) Commission also gave the green light at its recent meeting to move forward with a proposed ordinance regarding bird-friendly design requirements for new construction and renovation of nonresidential properties and nonresidential planned unit developments (PUD) in unincorporated Lake County.

The resolution is expected to be adopted by the Lake County Council on June 11.