Hanowski, JoAnn MNiemi, Gerald JBlake, John G.2015-03-022017-04-142015-03-022017-04-141994https://hdl.handle.net/11299/187235This investigation was designed to detect effects of electromagnetic (EM) fields produced by extremely low frequency (ELF) antenna systems on bird species breeding in or migrating through northern Wisconsin and northern Michigan. Specifically, we asked whether bird species richness and abundance differed between areas that were close to the antenna and those that were far enough away to be unaffected by EM fields produced by the antenna. We pursued this question at both the community and species level. Characteristics examined included total species richness and abundance, abundances of common bird species, and abundances of birds within selected guilds. Our monitoring program included bird censuses in both states over a five month period from May to September, from 1986 onwards. Additional data were collected in August-September 1984 and in June 1985, in both states. Bird censuses were terminated in Wisconsin after 1989 and in 1993 in Michigan. Final results were reported previously for the Wisconsin study. Interpretations of ELF EM field effects in the Michigan study reported here, were based on significance of the interaction term in a repeated measures analysis of variance. For this analysis we were not interested in whether bird abundance varied annually (year effect), but whether bird abundance varied over time in the same manner in treatment and reference study areas. No significant interactions found at the community, species, or guild levels were consistent in any season. The number of significant interactions found at many levels of the analyses were not greater than the number expected by chance alone and therefore were unlikely attributable to EM fields produced by the ELF antenna.enELF communications systemExtremely low frequency antenna systemsWisconsinMichiganBird speciesNatural Resources Research InstituteUniversity of Minnesota DuluthTechnical Report