The safety of airport users is of paramount importance.  At the same time, airports are subject to a variety of federal and state laws and regulations aimed at protecting wildlife. ACRP Report 32: Guidebook for Addressing Aircraft/Wildlife Hazards at General Aviation Airports provides additional background material on these regulations.  These mandates must be taken into account in the development of procedures to minimize the potential hazards to aircraft created by wildlife.  This project will identify applicable laws and regulations that impact airports’ responses to on-airport wildlife and concern off-airport land uses compatible with aircraft operations (e.g., discouraging land uses that attract birds).  This project will also identify legally acceptable means airports can pursue to remove or discourage wildlife, including protected species, from runways, taxiways, and airspace necessary for takeoffs and landings.

The objective of this research is to identify applicable federal and state statutes and regulations, federal grant assurances, and FAA directives and advisory documents that apply to airport protection of wildlife on-airport or promotion of compatible land use off-airport.  The report should also identify those federal and state entities that regulate an airport’s management of wildlife.

Status: The report has been published as LRD 20:  Airport Liability for Wildlife Management.