Protecting Raptors

Southern Idaho and eastern Oregon are home to many birds of prey, or raptors (hawks, eagles, falcons, owls, etc.). This region also is home to Idaho Power customers who count on us to safely and reliably deliver power.

Our service area includes vital raptor habitat such as Idaho’s Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.

Raptors often use power poles to perch and nest. This poses a risk of electrocution to the birds and can lead to power outages. Messy nests can also put birds and the power system at risk. To protect both, Idaho Power often moves nests to specially designed platforms.

Protecting Birds of Prey

In 1972, we partnered with Morlan “Morley” Nelson, a well-known birds of prey expert, to study eagles and powerline electrocutions. Much of this work was detailed in the 1980 film Silver Wires, Golden Wings.

Today, we work with the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee (APLIC), a group of utilities and agencies who work to reduce risks to wildlife from powerlines. We also collaborate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state wildlife agencies to manage our power poles and lines to protect birds of prey.

Our Avian Protection Plan

Our Avian Protection Plan guides our efforts to protect raptors and other large birds while boosting power reliability.

The plan includes:

  • Raptor-safe guidelines for all new electrical construction
  • Designs that make poles and lines safer for birds
  • Employee training to ensure plan compliance

For a closer look at how we protect birds of prey while improving reliability for our customers, download the Our Bird Story brochure. For printed copies, or to ask questions about our raptor protection or other wildlife management efforts, contact us.

For assistance with a PDF on this page or to request a PDF in an alternate format, please contact Customer Service at 208-388-2323 or 1-800-488-6151