Urban Bird Treaty Program

Anchorage, Alaska

Designated: 2008 Treaty Signing Event: July 26, 2008 Status: Active Description: Like many coastal cities, Anchorage is an important link along the migratory routes of many birds, providing critical stopover habitat for these species. The city is home to more than 150 species of migrating and nesting birds that use natural areas located within and outside the city. Thus, birdwatching is a year-round recreational activity in Anchorage for both community members and visitors alike. 

The Westchester Lagoon area and Sullivan Park and Cheney Lake in the Chester Creek Watershed are two of Anchorage’s most celebrated natural spaces and gathering places of community residents. The lagoon environs are a “melting pot” of habitats, including intertidal coastal marsh, forested and shrub bogs, and riparian wetlands, and arguably Anchorage’s most popular birding destinations. Twenty-three Alaska Watchlist bird species have occurred in the are that was the focus of the UBT-funded project. The tidally influenced portion of the UBT project area, designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the National Audubon Society, annually attracts birders from all over the world traveling to Alaska.

For more information on Anchorage's UBT activities, contact Tamara Zeller at  tamara_zeller@fws.gov .

Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage Park Foundation, Audubon Alaska, Anchorage Audubon, Municipality of Anchorage, Anchorage Waterways Council, Youth Employment in Parks, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Alaska Conservation Foundation, National Pollinator Partnership, Bird Treatment and Learning Center, Student Conservation Association, Boys and Girls Clubs of Alaska, Anchorage School District, Alaska Geographic, Matson, Conoco Phillips, CIRI, GCI, 

Photo: Westchester Lagoon with Chugach Mountain Range in the distance. Courtesy of Tamara Zeller, USFWS

Habitat Conservation: In 2022, Anchorage Waterways Council received a Challenge Grant from the Anchorage Park Foundation to restore a section of habitat along Westchester Lagoon Waterfowl Sanctuary that had been denuded of vegetation by humans. A popular spot for feeding waterfowl and swimming dogs, this problem area was revegetated to reduce bank erosion and reduce human-waterfowl interactions. Approximately 400 square feet of habitat was restored and a new bird viewing platform installed. Partners installed educational signs about the problems of feeding waterfowl and held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the project's completion. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service worked with Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to build a native plant garden at the Center to benefit Rufous Hummingbirds and attract other pollinators and birds while sharing the many values of native plants with the public. In summer 2022, 250 square feet of garden was established. In addition, Service staff worked with the National Pollinator Partnership to develop a  native plant garden card for Alaska .  More than one thousand copies of this garden card were distributed at educational events around Anchorage.

Community Engagement: UBT partners initiated the Anchorage Urban Fishing Program in 2011 to help Anchorage youth and their caregivers develop safe fishing skills near home and in 2022 this was expanded to include lessons on responsible angling to help reduce entanglement to fishing line and mortalities of waterbirds from lead tackle. Learning opportunities focus around fishing techniques, responsible angling, cooking the catch, and outdoor safety/preparedness. The strategy centers on repeat interactions with kids within and across years; building competence and fun, food, and comradery, and staff consistency.

Community Engagement: UBT partners host "Summer Hummingbird Days" to celebrate Alaska's hummingbirds and use them as charismatic ambassadors to spread broad bird conservation messaging. The event reaches more than 1one thousand people every year. In summer 2022, the event was expanded to specifically target Anchorage urban youth through an additional partnership with Anchorage's Boys and Girls Clubs. Fifty children were funded to visit the conservation center and learn about hummingbirds and other migratory birds.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partners with the Anchorage School District to provide wildlife conservation presentations to middle school and high schoolers. The program piloted in 2022 reaching 750 students. Staff also presented to 50 teachers at their in-service learning day and shared about the  3 billion bird campaign  and distributed bird conservation resources. Teachers were eager to share with their students the  7 simple actions  we all can take to conserve birds in decline. 

Hazard Reduction: Fishing gear is linked to many wildlife injuries and deaths. Birds that have become entangled are hard to catch, left to suffer, or the injury proves too grave for rehabilitation. In addition, ingestion of lead tackle can cause significant illness and often death in numerous bird species, most notably loons. Lead sinkers are the number one killer of adult loons, and lead-related deaths have had population level effects in some states.  

In the summer of 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with numerous non-governmental organization partners launched an outreach campaign to educate the public on how to fish responsibly to help eliminate the threats of fishing gear to loons and other wildlife. Working with Anchorage Waterways Council, the Service constructed and placed lead tackle and monofilament collection and recycling stations at 20 popular fishing spots throughout the Municipality of Anchorage. The recycling stations included educational signage and one large collection bin with identifying stickers. Bins were emptied over two months in the summer and over eight miles of fishing line were recovered for recycling.

UBT partners also delivered educational activities about responsible angling to children from several Boys and Girls Clubs in Anchorage and two summer camps at the Alaska Zoo. Packets of non-toxic sinkers, stickers, and education materials and information were also made available at Potter Marsh Discovery Day in June, several different farmer’s markets, and fishing events throughout the summer, reaching diverse audiences. 

In addition to using social media to promote the campaign's messages, partners gave an  interview  with a local news channel about the placement of new lead tackle and monofilament collection and recycling stations. Information about the dangers of lead tackle and discarded fishing line was made available on Service and partner  websites  and a  story map about Anchorage Lakes with Loons  included campaign messages.

Atlanta, Georgia

Designated: 2015 Status: Active Description: Atlanta hosts a wide array of natural habitats that attract a diversity of birds to its urban environment; however, many of these natural areas are overrun by exotic species, impacted by development, and or degraded by human use. Restoring urban green spaces, especially those near water sources, may help increase the number of birds and species over time and provided places for people to recreate and connect with nature. Declining bird species that could use Atlanta’s urban green spaces as nesting or stopover habitats include Field Sparrow, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Red-headed Woodpecker, and the Georgia state bird, Brown Thrasher, as well as Wood Thrush and Prothonotary Warbler, which are  State of the Birds Watch List species . 

For more information on Atlanta's UBT activities, contact Adam Betuel of Birds Georgia at  adam.betuel@georgiaaudubon.org .

Partners: Birds Georgia, Atlanta’s Olmstead Linear Parks Alliance, City of Clarkson, Friends of Friendship Forest, Greening Youth Foundation, National Audubon Society, Georgia Native Plant Society. Rock Springs Restorations, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Photo: Atlanta Youth Corps crew at Emma Wetlands. Courtesy of Adam Betuel, Birds Georgia.

Habitat Conservation: Led by Birds Georgia, Atlanta’s Urban Bird Treaty projects involved the development and enhancement of bird-friendly habitat by eradicating invasive, exotic plants and installing native plants to encourage birds to use urban green spaces as quality foraging, nesting, and stopover habitat. This work entailed removal of 11 species of invasive and/or exotic plants and installation of 27 species of native plants across five acres of land at  Emma Wetlands at Blue Heron Nature Preserve , and The Confluence of Peachtree Creek. For information about bottomland hardwood forest restoration work in the Utoy Watershed, click  here .

These were Birds Georgia initial bird-friendly habitat restoration projects and served as a model for future projects. Seven restoration sites—with multiple partners around Atlanta—are now active and nearly 125 species of birds have been detected on those properties, indicating the importance of Atlanta’s urban habitats to birds and other wildlife. For more information, click  here . 

Community Engagement: Partners engaged Greening Youth Foundation’s Atlanta Youth Corps for assistance to restore habitat at two sites, Emma Wetlands and The Confluence, and trained these young adults to identify common birds by sight and sound. The project also brought 390 participants out to 16 different events at these two public spaces to learn about their significance to urban wildlife and how to identify birds and plants.

To understand the avian community present on habitat restoration sites, partners and volunteers inventoried the bird life using scientifically sound data collection techniques, and then shared this information with the public. The total number of species detected came to 95 species at Emma Wetlands and 73 species at The Confluence. 

Hazard Reduction: In addition to creating quality habitat for birds, partners are engaged in monitoring for bird building collisions and working on collision mitigation projects through Project Safe Flight Atlanta. Partners have also established  Lights Out Atlanta , a companion program to encourage individuals and businesses to pledge to shut off their lights at night during migration to decrease bird mortality. 

Baltimore, Maryland

Designated:  2015  Treaty Signing Event:  October 1, 2016  Status: Active Description:  Gwynns Falls Leakin’ Park —the country’s second largest urban wilderness area—is the focal area for Baltimore’s Urban Bird Treaty habitat restoration efforts. A hidden gem in Baltimore City, this park is within walking distance of 30 densely populated neighborhoods, representing over 3,000 people and provides a diversity of habitats for wildlife. Reducing invasive plant species and restoring native species in the Park’s forest interior has the potential to improve habitat for many declining birds that use the park during migration, especially priority species such as Wood Thrush and Cerulean Warbler and other important Neotropical migrants such as Louisiana Waterthrush, Worm-eating Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, and many others.

For more information about Baltimore's UBT activities, contact Lindsey Jacks at  lightsoutbaltimore@gmail.com  or Amy O'donnell at  amy_odonnell@fws.gov 

Partners: National Aquarium, Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition, National Aquarium, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Masonville Cove Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership, Lights Out Baltimore, The Maryland Zoo, Friends of Gwynns Falls/Leakin' Park, Tree Baltimore, Bee Friendly Apiary, Carrie Murray Nature Center, Patterson Park Audubon Center, Baltimore Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School, Towson University, Green Street Academy

Photo: Gwynn Falls Leakin' Park restoration efforts. Courtesy of Lights Out Baltimore. 

Habitat Conservation: An historic building with a stout chimney built in 1930 became an unlikely habitat conservation site in Baltimore. It was first used as a clothing factory then in 1984 the Free State bookbindery. The building’s large brick chimney has hosted roosting and nesting Chimney Swifts there for generations and has become a well-known and well-loved site to watch the amazing flights of this neotropical migratory bird. Over 100 people can be seen watching swifts enter the building’s chimney during summer and fall migration. Unfortunately, Chimney Swift nesting and roosting chimneys ---and chimney-like structures--- are dwindling rapidly due to removal and capping of chimneys.

In 2022, the local community discovered that a developer was planning to demolish the building and construct a six-story apartment building in its place. The neighborhood expressed concern not only because of increased traffic and difficulty parking, but because of the loss of the chimney habitat, which support upwards of 6,000-7,000 roosting swifts in the fall.

A representative of the Service’s Northeast Regional Office reached out to the building owner and architect. Local media published several  articles  and social media was all atwitter about the potential loss of swift habitat. Luckily, and likely due to public outcry, the real estate developer decided they were no longer interested in the property. The local community was relieved to know that the Chimney Swifts would continue to have access to this site---and people would be able to enjoy their aerial spectacles--for years to come!

Community Engagement:   Birds of Urban Baltimore (B.Ur.B)  helps inspire a sense of wonder for nature in communities throughout Baltimore through the lens of the conservation science of birds. Founded in 2019, BUrB has been providing valuable opportunities for local communities to connect with nature through bird-related community events, bird banding demonstrations, internships, and more, BUrB supports communities wishing to become more involved in their own neighborhood and provide valuable skills and resources to community members interested in careers in conservation sciences.

In 2023, over 500 birds representing 50 species were captured and banded by 19 bird banding volunteers at the newly established Masonville Cove bird banding station. On May 2023, BUrB hosted an event at the Masonville Cove Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership campus inviting people to watch the bird banding process firsthand. Participants were able to walk with the bird banders to check mistnets, bird watching along the way, and then watch them band the birds up close. Participants also got to watch all three of Masonville Cove’s recently-fledged bald eaglets practice flying around campus.

Hazard Reduction:  Bird-Safe Baltimore  formed in 2023 as a network of community partners whose mission is to ensure safe passage for birds in Baltimore, through education, collision mitigation, and legislation. In coordination with  Lights Out Baltimore , partners are working to increase participation of building owners in turning off decorative lighting from 10:00pm-6:00am during peak migration seasons and promote bird friendly building design. They recently enrolled six new downtown buildings in the program, including the Baltimore Science Center— all important hotspots for bird collisions based on volunteer monitoring. 

Partners also are working with the Baltimore Office of Sustainability to ensure that Lights Out protocols are addressed in the 2016 Sustainability Plan. In addition, they are working with the Baltimore City Department of General Services to increase lights off signage in buildings and ensure custodians are aware of the Lights Out program.

Bird-Safe Baltimore’s mitigation efforts focus on making glass visible to migrating birds by addressing transparency and reflectivity. In 2023, Maryland passed the Sustainable Buildings Act to ensure state-funded buildings are bird-safe by minimizing glass and reducing light pollution. Bird-Safe Baltimore is taking a city-wide step to save birds and money and energy as well. A win for people, the environment, and birds like the beloved Baltimore Oriole.

****

Chicago, Illinois

Designated: 2000 Treaty Signing Event: March 25, 2000 Status: Active Description: Chicago is located on the Mississippi Flyway, which is part of a larger migration route that extends from the Mackenzie Valley in northwest Canada, along the Great Lakes, and down the Mississippi River Valley. Each year, millions of birds use this flyway to travel between their winter homes in the southern U.S. and Central and South America, and their summer homes in North America.

With Lake Michigan to the east and farmland to the south and west, Chicago’s green spaces—especially those with native plants and trees—provide important habitat for over 250 species of migratory birds to rest and refuel on their long journeys. Native birds—about 50 species—also find a range of suitable places to nest and raise broods in Chicago. Habitats that support breeding bird populations include shrublands, woodlands, prairies, wetlands and marshes, lakes, ponds, and rivers. Migrant birds use all of these places, as well as just about any green space in the city, including parks and backyards. 

Chicago residents and community groups have a long history of working with the City and its partners to make Chicago an even better home and stopover point for birds (adapted from Chicago’s  Bird Agenda  2006). Visit the city’s  web page  for more information. The Forest Preserves of Cook County manages habitat for birds in and around the city, and offers birding events throughout the year, visit their  web site  for more information.

For more information about Chicago's UBT activities, contact Edward Warden, Chicago Ornithological Society at  edwarhzangmail.com 

Partners: City of Chicago, Chicago Park District, Forest Preserves of Cook, County, Chicago Ornithological Society, Bird Conservation Network, Chicago Bird Alliance, Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute, The Field Museum of Natural History, Illinois Natural History Survey, Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, Friends of the Chicago River, Greencorps Chicago, Audubon Great Lakes, U.S. Forest Service, Friends of Forest Preserves, The Nature Conservancy - Illinois, Chicago Public Library, and many others.

Photo: World Migratory Bird Day 2016 partners at the Burnham Wildlife Corridor. Courtesy of Michelle Uting, Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

Habitat Conservation: Chicago’s UBT partners have undertaken a wide variety of projects to promote habitat restoration in the city, including developing a  landowner guide  for enhancing properties for birds and  recommendations  for shrub and tree species for birds for open space plantings, creating four lakefront bird sanctuaries, as well as many other habitat restorations at parks and sites throughout the city. They developed a sophisticated new community science monitoring method for measuring the impact of habitat restorations on migratory birds. For more information on the monitoring protocol, and the study results that provided the foundation for it, click  here .

One recent habitat restoration is the Powderhorn Lake forest preserve, which has been impacted by more than a century of development. The complex of wetlands around Powderhorn Lake no longer effectively distributed standing water. It began to have abnormally high-water levels, which eliminated natural vegetation increased invasive species. The lake lacked the shallow-water habitat necessary for both native fish nurseries and wetland birds.

In 2021 partners finalized a plan to recreate the former hydrology by connecting Powderhorn Lake with Wolf Lake as an outlet for drainage to the Calumet River. Significantly reducing the water level in this way allows native plants, birds, and other wildlife to return to a healthier, more connected wetland system. With the help of Audubon Great Lakes, Great Lakes Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the two lakes are now connected and utilize several pumps to move water through a series of intermittent pools and wetlands to assist with draining Powderhorn Lake. This 230-acre restoration of wetland habitat and native vegetation will create ideal habitat for breeding marsh birds such as Least Bittern, Common Gallinule, and Pied-billed Grebe.

Community Engagement: One of the first UBT education and engagement projects was the creation of the “ Birds of the Windy City ” booklet that provides information about migration, urban bird habitats, ways to attract backyard birds and keep birds safe, seasonal bird sighting information, and other birding resources. 

Bird the Preserves is a more recent initiative designed to connect communities to the local natural areas, expand birding programs and activities, and establish the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC) as a premiere birding destination in the Chicago region. Bird the Preserves expands and energizes the birding community, and forges and strengthens partnerships between the Forest Preserves and local conservation and birding group partners. To find out about upcoming birding events, click  here .

In addition, partners brought bird habitat into many neglected corners of the south side by creating ten “Migratory Makeover” gardens. For more information, click  here . Through these efforts, community organizations are helping to create a positive atmosphere in their neighborhoods by turning unused lawns and weedy lots into beneficial bird habitats. Gardens were installed by trainees of Greencorps Chicago, the city’s green job training program for people with employment barriers, who receive training on habitat restoration techniques and landscaping

Hazard Reduction: UBT partners are working on a host of efforts to reduce the hazards building glass and lights pose to birds. For example, partners continue to collect and analyze data on the causes of fatal bird collisions and to expand Chicago’s  Lights Out ! Program, which encourages downtown building owners and managers to turn off decorative or atrium lights after 4 a.m. and until full daylight, during the migratory season.

Partners worked with the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council to incorporate promotion of bird safe design practices into their outreach. They also created and distributed bird-safe design guidelines for architects and designers, which include using existing bird-safe glass that is fritted, angled, or non-reflective. 

In addition, partners are working to develop bird-safe glass that is transparent to humans but not to birds by working with glass manufacturers to design the glass and building owners and the conservation community to test demonstration projects. 

To lead the way, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC), a land management agency retrofitted six of their property locations to be bird safe, including Sand Ridge Nature Center, Dan Ryan Visitor Center, Swallow Cliff Pavilion, Central Warehouse, Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, and Crabtree Nature Center. FPDCC also collected and disposed properly of on-site garbage, illegal dumps, and recyclables on their managed lands, amounting to an estimated 2,866 tons in 2022 and 3,000 tons in 2023.

For more information about what partners are doing to make buildings safer for birds in Chicago and how to get involved, visit  Bird Friendly Chicago . For more information on bird hazard reduction efforts, see the  Chicago Bird Agenda .

Denver, Colorado

Designated: 2014 Status: Active Description: Located in the Central Flyway, Denver and its environs provide a wide range of habitats for more than 300 bird species that migrate through or nest in the city’s parks, refuges, backyards, schoolyards, and other natural areas. Denver's natural areas include open space, mountain parks and other parcels of lands where reservoirs, riparian woodlands, marshes, and grasslands support a variety of migratory waterbirds, shorebirds, and landbirds. Parks, whether occurring downtown or in city suburbs, provide places for people to sit, walk, and watch or listen to wildlife —places to study and observe all forms of life and their interactions. Natural areas not only support birds and other wildlife that live in and move through urban areas but also support the health of city dwellers by helping filter out pollutants in the environment and improving air and water quality.

For more information, please contact Vicki Vargas-Madrid, Denver Parks and Recreation at  vicki.vargas-madrid@denvergov.org 

Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver Parks and Recreation, Bird Conservation of the Rockies, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Denver Natural Resources Operations, Denver Office of Sustainability, Mile High Youth Corps

Photo: Lights Out Denver logo.

Habitat Conservation: UBT partners enhanced and restored habitat on an island at Sloan's Lake by removing non-native trees and planting native trees and shrubs. In addition, eight migratory bird nesting structures were built and installed on the island. Partners also installed fishing line recycle bins to prevent bird entanglement.

In a second project, UBT partners, including a team from the Mile High Youth Corps, restored a portion of Sand Creek near its confluence with Westerly Creek in the Stapleton neighborhood of Denver. The work involved both weed control and native species restoration on over 150 acres of riparian areas along Sand Creek, where extensive noxious weed infestations occurred. Partners planted a variety of native trees and shrubs and sowed a native riparian seed mix on the site.

Community Engagement: Partners helped fund the development of a stationary bird banding station at Chatfield State Park that hosts interpretive panels about bird migration and why birds matter. Approximately, 608 participants visited the station in 2015 and 700 in 2016.

Partners provided scholarship funding that was dedicated to bus transportation and program fees for elementary school children to take environmental education field trips to Barr Lake State Park. Scholarships were given to three schools to attend spring field trips to the park to learn about the importance of birds and water. Approximately 234 students participated in the field trips in 2015 and 200 in 2016.

Partners purchased and installed an eBird Trail Tracker kiosk at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Visitors to the Refuge can input bird sightings as well as learn about recent sightings in the larger Denver metro area.

Partners designed and developed five interpretive panels highlighting the message of “Why Birds Matter.” Signs were installed at the following locations: City Park between the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the meadow on the southeast portion of the park; Sloan's Lake at the point across from the island; Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR next to the Visitor's Center, Sand Creek at the Sand Creek/Westerly Creek confluence in the Stapleton community; and at Denver Audubon at Chatfield State Park.

In addition, ten traveling birding kits were created that include a field birding bag, a copy of a "Pocket Guide to Birds", and a set of binoculars. Partners also developed a Denver Metro-Area Bird Application for mobile phones. The app went live in early 2016 and averaged 25 downloads per week. After the “Why Birds Matter” signs were installed—with a QR code that links to the app— the downloads increased to 1,500 per week. Click  here  for more information.

Hazard Reduction: Partners created a marketing plan for the national Lights Out! campaign. In carrying out the plan, partners created a  Lights Out! page  on the the City of Denver's website that explains the initiative, the importance of migratory bird safety, and provides a way for building owners to sign up their buildings in the program. Brochures and signage were also designed, printed, and distributed to educate the public on the importance of reducing light pollution to protect migrating birds.

To support the Lights Out Denver, partners developed a monitoring program relies on trained volunteers and a coordinator to monitor buildings in downtown Denver for dead and injured birds during the migration season. In 2023, 30 volunteers found 100 birds of a wide variety of species, through 69 days of monitoring in spring and fall. Based on monitoring data, partners are reaching out to owners of larger buildings to encourage them to turn lights out during migration seasons and retrofit their windows to make them visible to birds.

They have also been coordinating with other Lights Out programs in other UBT cities to discuss ideas, trade knowledge, and gain insight into what works for various Lights Out initiatives. 

Watch this  Lights Out presentation  that includes information on Lights Out Denver as well as LO programs in Philadelphia and Houston. The passcode is O4X?v*m4

Detroit, Michigan

Designated: 2017 Treaty Signing Ceremony: May 22, 2017 Status: Active Description: Over 350 species of birds are regularly observed and recorded in the Metropolitan Detroit area, which lies at the intersection of the Mississippi and Atlantic migratory flyways. The Lake Huron to Lake Erie Corridor lies within the northern limits of the Eastern Deciduous Forest Region and is a transition area between the hardwood forests of the East and the prairies of the West. The Corridor is made up of the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit River, as well as the watersheds of southwestern Ontario and southeastern Michigan that drain into these large waterways. Over 212,000 acres of parks, recreation and open space (SEMCOG 2008) occur within the Urban Bird Treaty (UBT) designated area for Detroit. These lands and waters provide the foundation for outdoor recreation, resilient communities, habitat restoration, and support a wide variety of wildlife, including migratory, breeding, and resident birds. Michigan is home to 103 BirdLife International Important Bird Areas (IBA’s), seven of which are in Metro Detroit. IBA’s provide critical habitat for one or more bird species and can include public or private land that may or may not be protected. The sites in the metro area include St. Clair Flats State Wildlife Area, Harsen’s Island, Lake St. Clair, Detroit River, Western Lake Erie basin, Pinckney State Recreation Area, and Lake Erie Metropark Hawk Watch.

The UBT Agenda for Detroit was organized by the  Metro Detroit Nature Network , now known as SEMIWILD, which is composed of over  40 partner organizations , including city, county, state, and federal agencies, universities, and nonprofits based in southeast Michigan. SEMIWILD’s vision is that all people in the metropolitan Detroit region have access to and actively steward nature and promote ecosystem sustainability.

For more information, contact Ava Landgraf at  alandgraf@detroitaudubon.org  or Bonnie Van Dam at  bvandam@dzs.org 

Photo: Participants at BIPOC Birders Week walk at Elmwood Cemetery. Courtesy of Detroit Audubon.

Habitat Conservation: In 2022 and 2023, Detroit Bird Alliance, the City of Detroit, US Fish and Wildlife, Detroit Zoological Society, and many community organizations, continued the Detroit Bird City transforming underutilized parks into beautiful community greenspaces with meadow habitat that benefits birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. In 2023, they planted an additional 13.9 acres of meadow bringing the total meadow acreage to 25.6. At each park DBC partners carry out: 1) community engagement and planning; 2) restoration through planting native flower meadows; 3) installation of signs, benches, and pathways; and 4) educational programs and conservation events. These meadows provide ecological functions such as pollination, stormwater capture, carbon sequestration, and air and water pollution mitigation. Pathways, benches, and informative signage ensure that the parks appear purposeful, safe, and welcoming.

Migratory grassland birds face some of the greatest population declines and benefit from native plants and meadow habitats. At Callahan park, the first park restored to a meadow in 2019, Detroit Bird Alliance volunteers recorded over 100 species of birds on ebird.org. Pollinating insects also depend on the host and nectar plants provided by the native flower meadows. By turning unused land commonly filled with trash and invasive species into meadow habitats, they can support struggling birds and pollinators during their migratory journeys. The native meadows, once established, only require mowing once a year, which saves the city significant time and resources while providing important resources for residents and wildlife. These meadows also help the city of Detroit with stormwater and drainage issues. Native plants have much larger, complex root systems that allow them to soak up rainwater and store it instead of letting the water overflow the Detroit sewer system. The native flower meadows provide inviting greenspace to local communities to provide the many mental and physical benefits of nature. Studies show that exposure to nature can lower stress, improve sleep, increase focus, improve immune function, and lower blood. Natural habitat areas offer opportunities for exploration and experience-based learning, especially for children.

Community Engagement: In 2022, Detroit Bird Alliance collaborated with local nature-based community organizations to help connect residents to opportunities sponsored by groups. For example, Detroit Audubon helped launched a website and schedule various field trips throughout the year. These efforts are giving communities in Detroit and throughout Southeast Michigan improved awareness of outdoor spaces, field trips, and other activities in nearby green spaces in local neighborhoods. They encourage people to spend more time in nature through programs on how to become outdoor stewards, enthusiasts, and naturalists. Field trips have included: Buggin’ Out at Humbug Marsh, Plants, Bugs & Birds Prairie Walk, Hummingbirds, Bird banding Station at Lake St Clair Metropark, and Fall Bird Walk at Sterling State park.

In February 2023, ten students from the Thriving Together program joined Detroit Audubon for a winter birding session. Students used this experience as a source of inspiration for their poetry, which they shared with the community throughout the year. In July, ten Conservation Stewardship Interns joined two DZS educators and a representative from Detroit Bird Alliance for a half-day birdwatching workshop at Rouge Park. Students learned to identify local bird species, what habitats support them and how to collect accurate data and provide it to researchers through digital apps.

Ninety-two rising third graders attended Zookeeper 3: Avian Adventure, a weeklong, full-day summer camp experience. Throughout the week, campers explored Michigan’s native birds who visit and live at the Detroit Zoo. DZS educators provided afterschool programming at eight community partner sites across Eastpointe, Highland Park, Detroit, and Dearborn during fall 2023.

A total of 241 students grades kindergarten through fourth and 24 afterschool providers participated in outreach programming that focused on identifying and increasing appreciation for local bird species. Students practiced birdwatching in their schoolyards, learned to identify and describe features of local birds with field guides, built model gliders based on bird wing shapes, and engineered bird nests using natural materials.

Hazard Reduction: Detroit Bird Alliance has been collecting birds killed from window strikes throughout the metro Detroit region as part of the Safe Passage Great Lakes program, which includes partners from Washtenaw Safe Passage, Washtenaw Audubon, Michigan Audubon, Wayne State University, University of Michigan, and the Detroit Zoo. Collection has been most consistent on Wayne State University’s campus for five years. Now, with enough information to identify which buildings are most problematic, Detroit Audubon is leading discussions with building managers about how to make these windows bird-safe.

By using this data, partners could clearly see that a section of windows at the Wayne State University library was causing the most bird-window collisions. Considering this data as well as feasibility and outreach value, in 2023, the Detroit Zoological Society and Detroit Bird Alliance partnered with WSU to retrofit the first two floors of windows with CollidEscape film. This treatment is barely visible from the inside and the most effective treatment to prevent collisions.

Partners also will install signage around the WSU library window retrofits outside with QR codes so people can learn how to retrofit windows at home. Detroit Audubon hosts popular birding walks around the campus that teach people how to support urban birds with native plantings and bird-safe window retrofits. On these walks, DA shows people the library windows that caused the most collisions and how they made them bird-safe.

The Detroit Zoological Society has retrofitted all their buildings on both Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Center campuses with various window treatments that have significantly reduced collisions and provide talking points for educational programming. As awareness of this hazard has increased, so has the interest of other organizations to either retrofit existing trouble windows or design bird-safe windows in new buildings. The Detroit Zoo has consulted with six organizations to help reduce bird collisions.

The MI Birds program includes threats to birds as part of its outreach programs. Weekly bird building collision posts shared on the MI Birds social media pages reached over 9,500 followers in the spring and fall of 2019. MI Birds and local Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR) staff surveyed the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center for bird collisions as part of the Safe Passage Great Lakes program. MI Birds funded the installation of  CollidEscape  on the most hazardous section of the building, which greatly reduced collisions in this problem area. This success story was also highlighted on social media, along with resources on how others can help reduce bird-collisions at their home or workplace. 

Hartford, Connecticut

Designated: 2011 Signing Event:  May 19, 2023  Status: Active Description: The City of Hartford, Connecticut is situated mid-state at the confluence of the Park River watershed and the Connecticut River, which flows from Canada to the Long Island Sound and is a distinct migratory pathway within the Atlantic Flyway. Every spring and fall hundreds of thousands of migratory birds pass through Hartford's city parks and neighborhoods as they fly along the Connecticut River corridor, and depend upon available habitat for food, shelter, clean water, and safe passage. Many birds also are resident in Hartford further attesting to the importance of these urban environments to the well-being of native species.

Hartford’s city parks not only provide urban havens for birds but also public access to picturesque and wild landscapes within a short walk from high-density urban homes and businesses. Hartford’s parks offer residents and visitors unique glimpses of bird migration and nesting because these species return to established habitats, especially mature forests and ponds within the city’s heritage parks as well as flood plains along the North and South Branches of the Park River and the Lower Connecticut River.

Bird habitat within Hartford’s city parks, open spaces, and backyard gardens has degraded over time and is being enhanced through conservation, cultivation, and maintenance of diverse ecosystems. These restoration efforts are improving quality of life for city residents as well native species. When Trinity College, Park Watershed, Friends of Keney Park and the City of Hartford partnered together to apply for this designation, their goal was to enhance migratory bird habitat in City of Hartford parks, cultivate public awareness, community science, and reduce migratory bird hazards. Recommendations developed from that original work, ‘ Hartford’s Birds – Park Habitat Revitalization and Conservation’ a Municipal Conservation Reference ’, have provided useful guidance in the continuing work toward goals of the Urban Bird Treaty.

For more information, contact Mary Pelletier at  maryp@parkwatershed.org  and Kate Reamer at  kreamer@ctaudubon.org 

Partners: Trinity College, Park Watershed, City of Hartford, Friends of Pope Park, Friends of Keney Park, Hooker Environmental Magnet School, Breakthrough Magnet School, Hartford Audubon Society, Connecticut Audubon, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, International Dark Sky Association, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Photo: Urban Bird Treaty partners at celebratory signing event in May 2023. 

Habitat Conservation: Implementation of low mow practices in Hartford city parks has been an ongoing and consistent accomplishment since the official adoption of the policy in 2014. With an expansion of low mow/no mow areas throughout the city parks, Hartford Parks and Recreation is creating and maintaining healthy bird habitats while reducing carbon emissions and slowing storm runoff. With assistance from the Garden Club of Hartford and encouragement from city park “friends” groups, the Hartford Department of Public Works has provided training to their staff on the proper techniques and philosophies of no/low mow habitats. In 2023, the City DPW added signage to identify low mow areas for mowing crews tasked with lawn maintenance, and to inform park visitors of the differences in management practices.

The acreage of no/low mow areas has grown from about 25 acres in 2018 to 320 acres, which is nearly 20% of the city’s park area in FY 2022 and 2023. There are now extensive designated low mow areas in the following Hartford City Parks: Keney Park, Colt Park, Pope Park and Batterson Pond Park. Low mow areas have also been integrated into smaller city parks: Sigourney Square, Bushnell, Hyland and Rocky Ridge parks. The continued commitment to low mow habitat conservation actions is one that partners will be refining by improving the diversity of native plants, and continuing to expand acreage each year.

In addition to the no/low mow habitats in our parks, the City of Hartford has an aggressive tree planting program with the goal to increase our tree canopy from 25% to 35% in the next 50 years. This plan calls for the planting of approximately 1500 trees this year and increasing that number incrementally to achieve the final goal.

Partners developed the  Greater Hartford Plant Palette , a colorful, beautifully designed brochure that lists plant species appropriate to the region that provide food, nest sites, and cover to both resident and migratory birds in the Hartford area. Partners used this palette to organize and carry out native species plantings around ponds and other natural areas in the city. Partners posted information about existing and new bird habitat on the signage at the park restoration sites. In addition, they advertised the restoration planting days to local park friends groups, schools, and Hartford’s citizens in neighborhoods immediately surrounding project sites.

Community Engagement: The re-dedication of the Hartford Urban Bird Treaty, held at Keney Park on May 19, 2023, included thirty-four signatory organizations: twelve local nonprofits, fourteen state and regional organizations, and five city departments. The rededication ceremony was a wonderful way to reinvigorate the local community and increase the awareness and excitement around Hartford as an Urban Bird Treaty city. Students from a local school joined the nearly 60 other attendees to take part in bird watching, especially enjoying the Osprey catching a fish in Keney pond, painting bird houses, and getting an up close look at several local raptor species brought in by local educator and rehabber Horizon Wings.

The week of May 29 – June 4, 2022, Hartford Public Library staff organized the first “Hartford Bird Week” to coincide with #BlackBirdersWeek. Over a dozen programs were held during a four-day span including bird walks, an after-school presentation on bird nesting by Hartford Audubon Society, and bird bingo games held at eight different library and city park locations. The library is a place where the community can come to be curious and find connection, so partners opened the library doors to connect community members to the city's parks and wildlife neighbors. A suggested reading list was compiled at the library. All programs were free and open to any and all community members and took place at various locations around the city.

Hazard Reduction: Several partner organizations, including CT Audubon Society, are working to move bills through the legislature to reduce the use of rodenticides and pesticides. In February 2022, Connecticut Ornithological Society formed  Lights Out Connecticut  as a statewide collaboration to address the urgent need to protect our state’s bird population from exponential increases in night light pollution. Lights Out Connecticut formed strategic partnerships with state and local bird conservation groups such as CT Audubon Society, Hartford Audubon Society, CT Ornithological Association, and Dark Skies, all of whom are involved partners with the Urban Bird Treaty.

A considerable accomplishment occurred in 2023 with the passage of  Public Act No. 23-143 , An act concerning the nighttime lighting of state-owned buildings at certain times for the protection of birds, which Governor Lamont signed into law on June 27, 2023. This legislation requires state owned and leased buildings to turn off nonessential outdoor lighting between the hours of 11pm and 6am to help prevent bird strikes during peak migration season. While the original bill was written to enact the restrictions just during migration season, the passed law does not specify a time of year which will benefit our birds all year round with reduced light pollution. Future work within this goal category includes the passage of legislation in regards to rodenticides and neonicotinoid pesticides.

The elimination of seasonal human-made habitat that is critical to migratory birds, such as Chimney Swifts, can be traced to facilities management concerns. For example, the large chimneys of older buildings are increasingly being capped to conserve energy. The chimney towers at the UConn Law School were capped to reduce air flow from chimneys that are no longer in use. Park Watershed is working to secure funding to design and build successful seasonal swift roosts that complement the urban fabric.

Houston, Texas

Designated: 2002 Treaty Signing Ceremony: April 18, 2003 Status: Active Description: Known as the Bayou City, Houston is the fourth largest metropolitan area of the United States with a population of more than six million. It is one of the most culturally rich cities with more than 145 languages spoken. The Gulf-Houston region is also well known for its biodiversity. The rapidly developing region is situated in one of the most ecologically diverse urban areas. It sits at the juncture of the East Texas Pineywoods, Columbia and Trinity bottomland forests, the Katy prairie, coastal bays and estuaries, and the Gulf of Mexico. Its position makes it a hotspot for avian migration, with millions of birds passing through the region each year -- and approximately two billion birds migrating through the state annually. In 2023, partners produced a  Houston-Galveston State of the Birds Story Map  and report to set regional priorities for bird conservation.

Within 60 miles of downtown Houston are five National Wildlife Refuges that provide urban residents access to this diversity of habitats. Within the city limits, 10 bayous (more than 2,500 miles of waterways) and associated riparian habitats mitigate flood waters, improve air and water quality, and provide erosion control. The waterways also provide outdoor recreation, including places to walk, hike, bike, watch wildlife and derive the health benefits of being in nature. Houston has nearly 53,000 acres of park space, including two of the largest parks in the United States. These natural areas are not only critical to the health and well-being of the millions of people who live in and visit the region, but they provide important habitat for the abundance of wildlife that reside in or migrate through the Houston region.

For more information, please contact Nancy Brown at  nancy_brown@fws.gov  

Partners: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service-Houston Community Partnerships and Engagement program (HCP&E), Houston-area National Wildlife Refuges, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Student Conservation Association, The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Houston Audubon, Region 4 Education Services, Ronald McDonald House-Houston, Citizens Environmental Coalition, University of Houston (Jack J. Valenti School of Communication), Texas Southern University, and Furr High School.

Photo: Community Super Bird event. Courtesy of USFWS.

Habitat Conservation: The Houston Community Partnership and Engagement (HCP&E) program and partners are developing and implementing best management practices for urban restoration projects, specifically for prairie and riparian habitats. Partners are working together to remove exotic and invasive species and restore native plant communities on city parks and partner lands. In addition, HCP&E partners have created more than 40 acres of native prairie/seed bank. 

The projects help to absorb flood waters, improve water and air quality, prevent erosion, filter pollutants, and create habitat that benefits a variety of species, including Monarchs, other insect pollinators, migratory birds, and other urban wildlife species. The restored habitats are maintained with the help of hundreds of community volunteers and students and provide living laboratories for educators. The demonstrations sites ‘show’ communities how to effectively convert exotic, urban lawns to wildlife habitat. The reduced need for watering, chemical application, and mowing of native prairie will ultimately result in extensive cost savings over time for the City of Houston.

Houston Parks and Recreation Department’s (HPARD) Natural Resources Division’s largest habitat restoration is a 72-acre site at Sylvan Rodriguez, a city park that still contains remnant prairie and prairie potholes. The historic coastal prairie habitat had been encroached by invasive trees due to a lack of fire and grazing. With funding from the Texas General Land Office and the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, all 72 acres were treated and replanted with native plants. Vegetation surveys showed removal of invasive species allowed the native seed bank to germinate, resulting in nearly 100 native species that were not planted. Many grassland-dependent species have returned to the site, including Northern Harrier, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Dickcissel, and Sedge Wrens. Restoration, which began in 2019, included 7 community planting events and 40 monthly volunteer workdays, with 18,000+ prairie plants installed.

In 2022-23 HPARD installed a 680-ft long boardwalk and 6 interpretive signs, and hosted a World Migratory Bird Day event with Houston Audubon, which included a guided bird walk and a volunteer prairie planting. In addition, HPARD completed a prescribed fire at the site with the Houston Fire Department, providing cross training for firefighters and greatly improving habitat value.

Community Engagement: Houston Community Partnerships and Engagement (HCP&E) program is reaching new and non-traditional audiences and engaging them in meaningful bird-related programs in a variety of ways.

The  WHOOP! for Whooping Cranes  video was developed by HCP&E and students from the University of Houston’s Jack J. Valenti School of Communication. It will be paired with lesson plans and activities specific to whooping cranes and migratory birds. These tools will be available through the Houston-area educator resource  HereInHouston.org . The video will also be shown at local film festivals and used as a rainy-day activity for kids at Ronald McDonald House-Houston, a facility dedicated to supporting families with sick children.

WHOOP! and other  migratory bird-related videos  is also used in  Virtually Wild!Texas , a virtual program designed for schools, hospitals, and other institutions that serve young people with limited access to nature. The virtual program brings to life bird and wildlife stories from the Houston region where classroom and homeschool students virtually travel to forests, coastal wetlands, prairies and other locations to learn about and experience nature.

The videos and other HCP&E programs place great emphasis on introducing young people to careers in conservation. HCP&E reaches young people starting in elementary school through environmental education and virtual programs and engages them through college where they participate in professional development opportunities and internships, both paid and unpaid.

Houston Audubon conducts monthly urban bird surveys at 18 different locations, including parks, non-profit lands, and Rice University. This critical community science effort gathers regional data and helps evaluate population changes as well as identifies species that might require special management. The walking surveys are led by staff and skilled volunteers, and engage anywhere from two to 20 participants in data collection.

In addition, HAS staff and volunteers conduct surveys during peak migration at 10 locations to document bird collisions with high rise buildings. The early morning surveys conducted by staff and participants include walking the grounds of various downtown facilities and documenting species number and diversity. The collected information is then reported to the Cornell Lab for Ornithology, as well as documented on iNaturalist, for inclusion in both state-wide and national collision monitoring databases.

HAS also surveys for Chimney Swift, conducting a count at two locations in Houston throughout the summer months. They participate in national surveys, including the Christmas Bird Count and Swifts Over Houston on national Swift Night Out. These combined surveys engage hundreds of participants and reach untold numbers within the general public.

Hazard Reduction: Most North American migratory birds fly at night, and lights on buildings can disorient birds on their paths, resulting in fatal collisions. The Upper Texas Coast plays a key role on the Central Flyway, an important migratory path for birds. Birds that move along and across the Gulf of Mexico depend on safe passage through the Houston-Galveston area. Throughout migration, and particularly during storm fronts, turning Lights Out for Birds can make a difference.

Houston Audubon’s Lights Out Action Alerts are distributed during times when high predicted migration through the region coincides with a weather front. By using Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s  BirdCast  program, Houston Audubon staff are able to track predicted migration levels and weather forecasts to make science-based determinations of when birds are at the greatest risk of collision. Distributing these alerts can serve as a reminder for residents and businesses alike to turn off their lights for migratory birds. Houston Audubon is currently working with 56 buildings, the majority of which are in Houston’s downtown business district, to turn their lights off. Facilities range from 78-story skyscraper with glass paneling to an industrial business park.

In addition to directly working with facilities, Houston Audubon is engaging the community with Lights Out for Birds alerts broadcast via social media, news releases, their website, and special events. They have had many successes, including in September 2023 when City of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner proclaimed September 22-30th “Bird Week” in Houston. This included a reminder of the Lights Out for migration dates and further encouraging all businesses, residents, and building managers to turn off non-essential exterior lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the period of peak migration for birds through Texas. 

The Houston Community and Partnerships Engagement program partners with Houston Audubon in various capacities, including promoting the Lights Out program, as well as conducting educational programming for youth and the general public on migratory birds and how individuals can help. 

For more information, visit Houston Audubon's  Lights Out  program and watch this  Lights Out presentation  that includes information on Houston's Lights Out program as well as LO programs in Philadelphia and Denver. The passcode is O4X?v*m4

Lansing, Michigan

Designated:  2017  Status: Active Description: The city of Lansing contains many small areas of undeveloped land and abundant water resources. The Grand and Red Cedar Rivers and Sycamore Creek all flow through the city. The floodplains and wetlands associated with these rivers and creeks provide many benefits to the city, including a pollution buffer for the waterways, storm recharge areas, and a variety of habitats. Many of these areas are associated with city-owned park land and thus are preserved from the threats of development.

In addition, there are four lakes in Lansing: Fidelity Lake, located in the recently developed Crego Park; Jones Lake, a small lake in the northern region of the city; Hawk Island Park at the southern end of the city, with a small lake with public access for swimming, boating and fishing; and Bear Lake that does not currently provide public access. These abundant water resources provide recreational opportunities for people as well as invaluable habitat for native wildlife.

The city’s waterways and small and large land areas provide valuable habitat for fish and other wildlife. For example, natural areas such as the Fenner Nature Center, Crego Park, Shubel Park, and Scott Woods provide habitat for wild turkeys, fox, deer, cranes and many other breeding and migrating birds as well as amphibians, mammals, and reptiles. The park lands contain a large amount of oak, ash, and maple trees in the drier areas and black locust, willow, box elder, and cottonwoods along the river banks.

In addition, the rivers and the close proximity of several park areas create contiguous green space that functions as key wildlife corridors throughout the city. For example, two large wildlife corridors include over 705 acres in Potter Park, Shubel Park, Fenner Nature Center, Crego Park, Mt. Hope and Evergreen Cemetery, Scott Woods and Hawk Island, and over 128 acres in Bancroft Park, Groesbeck Golf Course, Ormond Park, and Fairview Park. These corridors are vital to providing connections for wildlife to other suitable habitats so that they can thrive and biodiversity can be sustained and protected in our community. 

For more information, contact Lindsay Cain at  lcain@michiganaudubon.org  or Chad Machinski at  cmachinski@michiganaudubon.org  Partners: Michigan Audubon has led this work in the Greater Lansing area with the generous support and involvement of the following partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Designs by Nature, WildType Nursery, Michigan Environmental Council, Woldumar Nature Center, Hammond Farms, Ingham County Parks and Recreation, Lansing Parks and Recreation, Montessori Radmoor, Sierra Club Central MI Chapter, Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter, Michigan Audubon volunteers, Penny Briscoe, Capital Area Audubon Society, and Old Town Commercial Association.

Photo: Tour of Wildtype Native Plant Nursery for volunteers participating in a Backyard Habitat Workshop. Courtesy of Michigan Audubon.

Habitat Conservation: Partners are working with volunteers to increase total area, distribution, and diversity of native plants in gardens and natural areas in Lansing for the benefit of bird and insect populations and other wildlife and all other components of the ecosystem. In addition, partners are measuring and increasing roosting and nesting site availability for two urban birds—aerial insectivores whose numbers are in steep decline: Chimney Swifts and Purple Martins.

In one project, volunteers are removing invasive plants and restoring habitat at Capital City Bird Sanctuary, a 65-acre public, urban bird sanctuary and certified wildlife habitat. Invasive species removal includes garlic mustard, dame’s rocket, autumn olive, and non-native honeysuckle. A wet meadow area is being restored by replacing invasive plants with a diverse native forb and grass mix and native willow shrubs to support the large numbers of spring migrants that use the area as stopover habitat. 

By replacing invasive plants, which threaten ecological diversity and function, with native plants, partners and volunteers are increasing the sanctuary’s ability to support both migratory and breeding birds as well as serve as a high-quality filtration system for large quantities of runoff prior to entry into the Grand River Watershed. Volunteers involved in removing invasive species and/or planting native plants will have the opportunity to learn about the importance of restoration while directly taking part in the process.

Twenty miles away, along a popular River Trail, over 200 native forbs are being planted to increase native floral diversity along a 1,200’ “no mow zone” of shoreline habitat along the Grand River. By removing invasive plants and adding more native plant species, specifically those shown to support high numbers of insects, partners are significantly enhancing these areas for use by migrating and breeding birds that require high-energy and high-protein food sources.

Such a network of high-quality habitat is critically important for supporting healthy bird populations in a landscape with large amounts of non-native turf and impervious surfaces. These restored, publicly-accessible areas are also important for reducing threats associated with lack of public awareness and nature deficit disorder in the community.

Partners are monitoring and assessing the restoration areas for plant, insect, and bird occupancy and diversity. They are creating a map of native gardens and greenspace across the Greater Lansing area to increase the number and distribution over time. Enhancement and expansion of native greenspace will address threats to birds, pollinators, and wildlife associated with habitat loss.

Partners are also focusing conservation efforts on two human-dependent urban birds: Chimney Swifts and Purple Martins. Six nesting/roosting structures are being installed in proper habitat on public land to benefit these species by increasing nesting/roosting site availability, the lack of which significantly limits healthy populations of both species. Installing these structures in public parks, schools, and other community hubs will raise awareness about the conservation needs of Chimney Swifts and Purple Martins that, without the widespread help of informed communities, will continue to experience population decline and eventually could be endangered in the state of Michigan.

Volunteers are monitoring and maintaining six Chimney Swift and Purple Martin nesting/roosting structures, tracking use and nesting success, removing invasive species, and keeping the structures in safe, working order. With this information, partners are gaining an understanding of population distribution and health of these birds across the Greater Lansing area. They are also identifying priority areas for habitat enhancement through installation of new nesting/roosting structures and efforts to improve foraging habitat through native habitat restoration. Over time, the goal will be to steadily increase the local distribution and population numbers of both species.

Community Engagement: Many annual events take place at the Capital City Bird Sanctuary, including guided migration bird walks, International Migratory Bird Day celebrations, backyard bird habitat workshops, and volunteer training sessions for habitat restoration and enhancement for birds and native wildlife. Educational signage is being installed at all of the habitat improvement projects (e.g., habitat restoration, Purple Martin houses, and Chimney Swift towers) to teach visitors about the role each project plays in urban bird conservation. The goal of the signage is to educate and inspire visitors to take action in their own backyards and to increase overall awareness, understanding, and involvement in conservation.

Native gardens are being installed on the properties of three community organizations, including schools, libraries, and/or places of worship. These gardens serve to bring these organizations together to plant and maintain the space, and will also educate all students, patrons, and members about the importance, utility, and beauty of native plants. Each garden has educational signage to engage visitors to learn more during their visit. Partners are also creating and freely distributing a native garden inspiration booklet featuring designs from local landscape companies to make garden installation less daunting and more approachable for organizations and landowners.

Partners are engaging Greater Lansing area residents in several new community science projects aimed at gaining a greater understanding of where birds find refuge and face hazards. Chimney Swift monitoring training and events are taking place in historic business districts across the Greater Lansing area to teach volunteers and the public about the species’ habitat needs and how to survey them. Educational brochures will be created and distributed at all events, and partners will work with local artists to create artwork and signage that designates swift-occupied chimneys across the city.

Youth engagement is a critical piece of conservation, and partners are engaging youth and families through several events, materials, and a unique summer camp curriculum. Partners developed 10 Discovery Packs that are being used during summer camps and events throughout the year to actively engage youth to observe, record, and question the natural world around them. An annual International Migratory Bird Day is held at Capital City Bird Sanctuary, where youth can learn about backyard birds, assist bird banders, and take part in bird-themed games and activities.

Michigan Audubon’s Bird by Bird program helps connect students with birds and introduces them to bird conservation topics such as bird adaptations, bird habitat, and bird-window collisions. As part of the bird-window collisions activity, students are given a mock window and materials and they must work together to treat the windows to protect the birds. Students take different approaches and get very invested in making their windows as safe as possible for the birds. Surrounding this activity is a variety of conversations about the windows in their own homes and school. Many students leave this activity with a sense of empowerment to spread the word about bird-window collisions.

Partners are also working to reinvigorate the Young Birders Club program within Lansing and across the state. By introducing youth to the birds in their own backyards, through summer camp experiences, and other activities and events, partners aim to increase the number of children who appreciate birds and nature and develop conservation-oriented values to secure a future for our natural resources. This work addresses the threats of nature deficit disorder in youth, childhood obesity, overstimulation and attention issues related to excessive screen time and use of technology, in addition to the other modern social and cultural concerns children face.

Hazard Reduction: Partners are training volunteer collision monitors and hosting Lights Out events to teach local communities about the hazards migratory birds face from light and glass surfaces on businesses and homes. Educational brochures, window tape samples, and collision tape demonstrations at events are reaching people across the Greater Lansing area.

Volunteer collision monitors are gathering data through scientifically sound survey protocols to understand where the greatest threats to migratory birds are and ultimately engage businesses and homeowners to mitigate these threats. Using data gathered by volunteer collision monitors, partners will generate a map of collision risk across the Greater Lansing area, which will be used to identify high risk structures and target buildings for a highly publicized “bird-friendly renovation,” to be used as a demonstration site to inspire existing buildings and new construction.

Increasing education and awareness about the threats posed by untreated glass and windows and engaging the community in addressing these threats will greatly benefit migratory birds that pass through the Greater Lansing area, resulting in far fewer avian injuries and deaths related to collisions. 

Minneapolis-Saint Paul

Designated: 2011 Status: Active Description: The Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area consists of Anoka, Dakota, Carver, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties. Birdlife throughout the Twin Cities is rich and varied with a total of 298 bird species regularly occurring within the seven-county metro area. Of these, 163 are breeders or permanent residents, while the others are migrants or winter/summer visitors. An additional 97 occasional/accidental visitants have also been documented within at least one of the seven counties. The Twin Cities is part of a larger landscape identified for bird conservation purposes as Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 23—the Prairie Hardwood Transition.

Migratory birds pulse through the metro area in waves each spring and fall, often stopping to rest and refuel in the city’s habitats before continuing on their journeys. The presence of these migrants, although sometimes brief, embellishes the rich birding opportunities that are available throughout the year. A diversity of common birds, such as Northern Cardinals, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinches, Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Orioles, and American Robins, may grace in even the most densely urbanized areas. Larger species are easily found along rivers and other water bodies, including Ospreys, Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets. Other iconic birds that were once hard to spot are rapidly increasing in numbers, such as the Cooper’s Hawk, Bald Eagle, and Wild Turkey. Some species found in the city that are increasingly dependent on human-made structures and nesting sites include Eastern Bluebirds, Wood Ducks,  Purple Martins, Chimney Swifts, Barn Swallows, Peregrine Falcons and Osprey.   

The Twin Cities metropolitan area falls within the transition zone between prairie and deciduous forest. Habitat types that have declined significantly include prairie, oak savanna, wetland, and deciduous upland hardwoods. All of these habitat types are important for breeding and migratory bird conservation. Current land cover classification of the seven-county metro area is approximately 36% urban, 36% cultivated land, 12% forested, 11% non-forested natural land, and 6% water. Based on a 2003 habitat quality assessment, approximately 14% (280,000 acres of 1.9 million) could be classified as remaining high quality habitat but it exists in small fragments throughout the landscape.

See the  Guide to Urban Bird Conservation for the Twin Cities and Surrounding Area  that details actions needed to protect, restore and enhance urban areas for birds in the Twin Cities through targeted habitat restoration, species management, environmental education, hazard reduction, and community involvement activities. As a dynamic supplement to the guide, Audubon created and launched the Urban Bird Conservation  on-line map  featuring ongoing bird conservation projects, birding trails, and bird related activities in the metro area.

For more information, contact Nicole Menard at  nicole_menard@fws.gov  or Margaret Rheude at  margaret_rheude@fws.gov .

Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Valley NWR, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minnesota DNR, Refuge Friends, Inc., St. Paul Parks and Recreation, Minnesota Valley Refuge Trust, Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa, Urban Roots, National Audubon Society

Photo: Mississippi River Green Team members engaging in prairie bird monitoring. Courtesy of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.

Habitat Conservation: Located in the heart of Saint Paul within the Mississippi River corridor, the Willow Brook project restored 3.2 acres of habitat at two sites—Willow Brook Preserve and Indian Mound—. The project engaged 31 urban teenagers, 38 additional volunteers, and 5 partner organizations over two years. Partners and volunteers worked together to remove invasive species, including buckthorn, black locust, Siberian elm, and green ash from the project area and then planted 250 native trees and shrubs on the sites. Through this project the at-risk youth volunteers learned about the history of the region’s prairie habitats, how the landscape has changed over time as a result of human actions, as well as efforts today to reintroduce these important habitats back onto the landscape.

The resulting high quality, diverse wildlife habitat provides resources for nesting and migrating birds and improves the health of the Mississippi River watershed by reducing and filtering stormwater runoff. The project also provides a readily accessible demonstration project of how restored prairie can improve the environment and mitigate human impacts while providing native habitat for wildlife. Following the grant period, the Saint Paul Parks modified management activities occurring on the site and within adjacent parcels to include the newly restored acreage created under this program.

Community Engagement: To engage young people in birdwatching, UBT partners piloted Urban Birding programs to 136 individuals through 8 sessions with 17 students at each session. They built three urban birding kits that included 30 copies each of Kaufman Birding Guides (Spanish version), Birds of Minnesota Field Guides, Backyard Birds Folding Guides, and 60 pairs of binoculars. These kits are used at the Twin Cities’ Urban Birding Festival, an annual event that has been celebrated since 2010.

In 2016, partners celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty at the festival, with 80 events involving 11 partners, 50 volunteers, and reaching 800 participants. The MN Valley Refuge Trust's events reached 304 participants from 58 classrooms with an audience diversity that reflects that of the Greater Twin Cities metropolitan area. Partners provided their first Spanish language programming through bi-lingual bird hikes focused on Neotropical migratory species with a guest speaker from Nicaragua.

Partners are using Facebook and a blog,  Restore Saint Paul  to feature weekly updates of a volunteer bluebird trail monitor and habitat restoration happenings in city parks. Interpretive sign posts installed at Crosby Farm Regional Park include a QR code that directs users to web pages with bird and habitat information. Partners also developed ecoSpotters, a wildlife photography community science program that will result in participatory, online field guides at various parks. Birdwatching scopes and other equipment helped ecoSpotters engage in this bird-focused photography program.

Partners hired, trained, educated, and oversaw 46 youth in the City’s EcoRanger Academy program. Crews spent over 2,700 hours performing restoration and maintenance on Saint Paul parkland, and an additional 1,000 hours participating in environmental education activities. Naturalists led the Mississippi River Green Team youth in summer-long community science and conservation programs that involved monitoring songbirds found in prairie habitats and restoring habitat along the Mississippi River, while gaining hands-on natural resource education and skills.  

Hazard Reduction: Priorities in the MN-SP Urban Bird Conservation Guide include: 1) developing an Urban Bird working group of natural resource professionals; 2) working with architects to promote bird safe building designs; and 3) monitoring bird mortality from building collisions in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Bloomington during fall and spring migrations.

Partners coordinated participation of private and public buildings in Minneapolis and Saint Paul in reducing lighting during bird migration. In the 6th annual 2012 spring  Lights Out program , 59 private buildings participated. For both the spring and fall programs, surveys are conducted by staff and volunteers to document and collect birds that died in building collisions.

To reach residential property, Audubon developed the  BirdSafe Homes  campaign, to educate homeowners on the problem of bird-window collisions and illustrating accessible solutions. Over 1,500 brochures for the program were distributed through retail outlets and outreach events.

Nashville, Tennessee

Designated: 2023 Treaty Signing Event:  May 13, 2023  Status: Active Description: Nashville lies within the Outer Nashville Basin in the Interior Plateau ecoregion, characterized by rolling hills of temperate deciduous forest. Predominate land covers include a mix of intense urban development, suburbs, and pastureland. Bisecting Nashville, the Cumberland River is highly biologically diverse and supports hundreds of fish and freshwater mussel species. At the same time, the Cumberland River and its tributaries are significantly threatened due to pollution and habitat fragmentation.

One prominent feature of Nashville is its large parks system. The mission of Metro Parks and Recreation is to sustainably provide everyone in Nashville with an inviting network of parks and greenways that offer health, wellness, and quality of life through recreation, conservation, and community. Metro Parks oversees 15,134-acres of public lands, including 178 parks and ninety-nine miles of greenways. The combination of these lush and diverse parks contributes significantly to Nashville as an important area for migrating, nesting, and overwintering birds. Three hundred twenty-five bird species have been documented in Nashville (per eBird).

Located on the eastern edge of the Mississippi Flyway, millions of birds migrate through Nashville annually. Neotropical migrants and species of greatest conservation need, such as Wood Thrush, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Kentucky Warbler regularly breed in Nashville. Species such as Hermit Thrushes, Brown Creepers, Winter Wrens, Dark-eyed Juncos, Pine Siskin, and Purple Finches winter here. Four natural areas within Nashville have been designated by Audubon and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency as Important Bird Areas: Old Hickory Lake, Radnor Lake State Natural Area, Shelby Bottoms & Greenway, and Warner Parks.

Conservation partners in Nashville are taking actions that are benefiting the numerous migratory, breeding, and wintering birds in the city while engaging local communities, and increasing awareness of the city’s birds and habitats and how essential they are to the welfare of Nashville’s residents and visitors.

Partners: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Nashville Metro Parks, Mayor’s Office/ Sustainability & Resilience Officer Metro Nashville, Bird Safe Nashville, Warner Park Nature Center BIRD Program / Friends of Warner Parks, and The Nature Conservancy.

For more information, contact Nasyr Bey at  nasyr.bey@tnc.org 

Photo: Purple martins fly over downtown Nashville as they gather during migration to roost for the night. Courtesy of Kim Bailey

Habitat Conservation: As areas in Nashville are threatened by pollution and habitat fragmentation, UBT partners across the city are working together to conserve green space and urban habitats for birds. Nonprofits, private businesses, non-governmental landowners and government agencies are working together to conserve and ensure best management practices for bird habitat through land acquisitions and projects focused on habitat protection and restoration. In addition to seasonal management practices to protect public lands, efforts are also underway to receive approval for natural area designations that would be managed for the benefit of native plants, wildlife, and ecosystems.

As efforts are targeted towards the conservation and acquisition of land, there’s also been a growing emphasis on promoting native and beneficial plants within the Nashville area. Species lists of both birds and plants are being developed to help identify which birds are of greatest concern, which areas/habitats they inhabit, and what native trees, shrubs, and plants can be incorporated into land areas to best support those birds throughout the year.

The Cumberland River, an almost 700 mile long waterway, runs through downtown Nashville and while this river seemingly splits the city into two pieces, it’s one of Nashville’s most unifying features. The Cumberland River is highly biologically diverse—home to hundreds of fish species, offering shelter and food to birds, and providing the city with drinking water along with recreational activities. One of the Nashville Bird Agenda’s primary goals is to ensure clean water and natural waterways through legislation and habitat restoration projects to maintain the quality of water for all who depend on it.

Community Engagement: UBT partners in Nashville are reaching the greater community through outreach and educational activities and volunteer events involving bird appreciation, conservation, habitat restoration, and community monitoring opportunities. These include a wide variety of community science programs, teacher workshops, and educational programs through many local nature centers. By celebrating World Migratory Bird Day, increasing awareness of birds and their habitats, and proving opportunities for the community to participate in conservation and stewardship activities,  Nashville partners are helping people deepen their understanding of and connection with nature.

One of Nashville’s biggest educational goals is to educate and engage residents and community members about the Purple Martins. Since 2003, Purple Martins have formed a large migration roost in or near downtown Nashville during their annual migration southward. In 2020 they made national headlines when approximately 150,000 roosted at the Nashville Symphony Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Nashville officials, businesses, and residents were baffled by the sight and the migration received local and national attention. As the birds have continued to return to Nashville annually in astounding numbers, UBT partners are working to capitalize on this spectacle and educate and engage residents on what it means to host these incredible birds.

Hazard Reduction: UBT partners in Nashville are working to identify and reduce urban hazards to birds in the various forms that they take. Invasive and detrimental plant species, collisions with glass, light pollution, and the threat of disease, pollution, and pesticides are all key hazards that partners in Nashville are working to address. Various projects are being assessed for feasibility to ensure the use of native plants on public lands, to pass a city ordinance that requires new buildings to follow bird-safe design, and to transition downtown buildings to be  Dark Skies  compliant.

Community members are also doing their part to make progress towards this goal. Partner organizations are engaging with Nashville residents as they participate in trash cleanups to remove pollution and hazards from bird habitats, as well as providing community members with educational materials about pesticides and wildlife feeding practices to empower  Nashvillians to enact change in their own neighborhoods and do their part to benefit the city's natural areas for birds, other wildlife, and people.

New Haven, Connecticut

Designated: 2015 Treaty Signing Event:  May 14, 2016  Status: Active Description: In order to make their arduous fall and spring migration journeys, birds need places to rest and refuel—and these places can make all the difference for bird survival and reproduction. Studies show that even small and highly disturbed urban habitats—that may otherwise be of little significance to wildlife—have the potential to be valuable stopover sites for migrating birds. Weather radar research data has shown that areas throughout Connecticut are important for migrating birds. Fall data in particular show high densities of migrating birds in and around the New Haven Harbor Watershed just prior to migration. The city of New Haven is thus a hot spot for migrating birds---species not typically thought of as city birds, such as Wood Thrush, Grasshopper Sparrow, Bald Eagle, Great Horned Owl, and Clapper Rail, all use habitats in New Haven and other CT cities, according to the  CT State of the Birds report .

Urban Bird Treaty partners are working in the city of New Haven and surrounding areas across the watershed to engage local communities in bird conservation, appreciation, and education. They are part of the city's  Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership , which is helping people deepen their connection to nature and wildlife habitats in New Haven’s urban spaces through hands-on community-based conservation, stewardship, science, education, and recreation. They are restoring open spaces to enhance biodiversity, improve water quality in the Long Island Sound, and increase habitat connectivity across the New Haven Harbor Watershed. Moreover, they are inspiring the next generation of conservation leaders through place-based environmental programming and job skill building through the Schoolyard Habitat Program and the Green Jobs Corps.

For more information, contact Cindy Corsair at  cynthina_corsair@fws.gov 

Partners: Audubon CT, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Common Ground, Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge, Urban Resources Institute, Friends of Outer Island, Menunkatuck Audubon, City of New Haven, Regional Water Authority, The Peabody Museum, CT DEEP, Hamden Land Trust, the Community Advisory Council, and others.

Photo: At-risk youth hired by Common Ground High School's Green Job Corps carrying out West River riparian habitat restoration tree planting. Courtesy of Michele Frankel, Audubon Greenwich.

Habitat Conservation: The New Haven Harbor Watershed Urban Oases program engages local communities in restoring urban green spaces to improve watershed health and provide quality habitat for migratory birds while also addressing critical community needs, such as improved water quality and access to natural areas, in underserved neighborhoods of greater New Haven. Habitat work is guided by Master Plans developed by partners in collaboration with community members and focus on expanding core sites and connecting them to larger habitat and green space corridors. Priority areas are those that have the potential to improve watershed health and provide valuable habitat for birds and address critical community needs such as improving water quality and providing nearby natural areas. Partners also raise awareness among municipal leaders and community stakeholders about the importance of enhanced urban green spaces for watershed health for both people and wildlife.

Throughout New Haven there are 29 Urban Oases demonstration sites—small areas of habitat in urban parks, backyards, and schoolyards that partners and community members restored and are using for outdoor learning, nature appreciation, and natural resource job skill building. At Urban Oases sites, invasive species are removed and native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers are planted. At several sites, partners and community members are monitoring the effects of restoration on plants, birds, and invertebrates. Common Ground students published the following article which summarizes their invertebrate findings:  Does Urban Habitat Restoration Work? 

Partners are also working to improve habitat management practices on large, private landholdings in the New Haven watershed. For example, they are working with the Regional Water Authority (RWA) to evaluate habitat on 100 acres of RWA lands and make bird-friendly stewardship recommendations where management is planned. They also providing technical guidance on habitat management and bird-friendly planting to the Hamden Land Trust for the 18-acre Rocky Top Preserve. Additionally, partners developed an Important Bird Area conservation plan for the 425-acre East Rock Park with stakeholder input.   

Community Engagement: New Haven UBT partners carry out the Schoolyard Habitat Program at nearly 20 New Haven area schools. Through this program, partners support participating schools to develop and implement Master Plans to create a native habitat, which teachers learn to use as an outdoor classroom using the Schoolyard Habitat Curriculum Guide. School staff is provided with ongoing professional development, through model teaching, leadership workshops, and a biennial, statewide Schoolyard Habitat Summit. They also participate in monthly peer-to-peer Habitat Exchanges that take place at different Schoolyard Habitat sites each month and expanded the program to include Urban Oases park sites, connecting more schools to community parks and fostering connections among participating schools. The GIS-based visualization product entitled  Schoolyard Habitats: Places for Birds and People  is an interactive story map about the importance of urban habitats for migratory birds and how schoolyard habitats can help contribute to larger, flyway scale conservation efforts.

The Green Job Corp is a year-round environmental career and leadership development program open to the students of Common Ground High School. Every year young people are employed (paid) and mentored as they steward and restore habitats at K-8 schools during the school year and Urban Oases park sites during the summer and lead after-school and summer environmental education programs at Common Ground’s flagship schoolyard habitat. Green Job Corp students also focus on public outreach, inviting neighbors, youth program participants, and others to engage with the resources they are helping to create. In addition, the USFWS Urban Refuge Intern provides technical expertise and restoration at school/park habitats, helping stewardship teams to improve and maintain habitat and plantings, conduct lessons with youth, etc. Many of these interns and students go on to high education and careers in wildlife and natural resource management.

Partners also sponsor and support many other outreach events to engage new audiences. They lead public walks on Regional Water Authority property to explain the benefits of forest management to bird communities and help people deepen their understanding of and connection with nature. Project partners also host the annual World Migratory Bird Day festivals at East Rock Park and Migration Festival at Lighthouse Point as well as the Rock-to-Rock Earth Day event.

Hazard Reduction: Birds face innumerable threats in our human built environment and our glass surfaces are one of the biggest. Birds collide with reflective surfaces when they stop to feed or rest, when avoiding a predator or flying from tree to tree. Shiny glass exteriors, internal plants near windows, glass corners, and greenery close to buildings can all be deadly as birds are unable to distinguish reflection from open flyway. For every collision victim found, three more typically go unseen, flying out of sight before falling or being carried away by predators.

As part of their Bird Friendly Communities Programs, Menunkatuck Audubon Society focuses on promoting bird safe buildings by educating people about the hazards of building glass, how to retrofit windows to make them visible to birds, and how to report birds that have died by colliding with buildings.

The Menunkatuck Audubon web site hosts a link to the Survey123 field app where people can enter information about the dead birds that they have found. People can also directly enter information into a form on the organization’s web page. Both options collect spatially explicit information about where the bird was found and other details. Maps are developed from data entered and as more data is collected, they are able to determine which buildings are serious problems for birds and work with the building owners and management to lessen the threats.

Please visit the following sites for more information:  https://menunkatuck.org/bird-safe-buildings  and  https://menunkatuck.org/bird-safe-windows 

New Orleans, Louisiana

Designated: 1999 Status: Active Description: Description: The Lake Pontchartrain Basin is the Mississippi Flyway’s southern gateway, providing a key jumping-off point for birds migrating south each winter and welcoming them back as they return each spring. Along the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain, however, birds face uneven prospects. Particularly due to the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Zeta, and Ida, New Orleans stands as one of America’s most deforested cities. Migrating birds must also navigate hazards presented by urban runoff, litter, illegal dumping, and a variety of other threats. Many of these challenges can be linked to the fact that New Orleans’ environmental ethos is only beginning to emerge, and unevenly at that. In a city with a 23.7% poverty rate and numerous resource-strapped schools, many young people have precious few opportunities to learn to appreciate and steward the natural world around them.

New Orleans’ prospects for repairing its relationship with its natural environment depend on empowering more people, especially children, to experience nature and participate in conserving it. In partnership with the Urban Bird Treaty program, a coalition of local educators and conservationists led by the University of New Orleans (UNO) is working to realize this goal. With its 195-acre lakefront campus and rich connections with local students, UNO has provided a meeting point for partners to engage the community in urban habitat restoration, citizen science, environmental recreation, and experiential learning. These efforts will position UNO as a hub for inclusive environmental education and conservation for years to come. For more information, contact Liz Sigler at  esigler@uno.edu  Partners: University of New Orleans, Orleans Audubon, Pontchartrain Conservancy, Native Plant Initiative of Greater New Orleans, Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater New Orleans, Civic Studio, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service

Photo: TRIO/Upward Bound student helping design a wildflower meadow across from the UNO campus to benefit pollinators. Courtesy of University of New Orleans.

Habitat Conservation: The University of New Orleans (UNO) campus is used by nearly 170 bird species, including many migrants traveling along the Mississippi Flyway. To help provide better resources for these travelers as well as resident bird populations, Urban Bird Treaty partners are undertaking a multi-phase habitat restoration project at UNO. The 2022-2023 phase drew on efforts from university faculty, staff, and students alongside TRiO Upward Bound students, volunteers and community partners to restore four acres of habitat on the northwest portion of campus.

In a three-acre woodlot to the west of the Fine Arts Building, partners removed invasive species such as Chinese tallow, Chinese elm, camphor tree, and golden rain tree and planted 146 native trees, shrubs, and perennials enhancing what is currently the only area on campus with a “natural feel.” Plant selections for this site focused mainly on food-producing species to increase the supply of nutrition provided by the woodlot to migrating birds. Selections included Selections included winterberry holly, eastern redcedar, Mexican plum, yaupon holly, possumhaw, American hornbeam, swamp cyrilla, sweet bay magnolia, winged sumac, American beautyberry, Virginia willow, wax myrtle, arrowwood viburnum, fringe tree, and pokeberry among others. This multiphase effort engaged 155 people, with student participants learning about the importance of native plant habitats for migratory birds. 

In a second site along the northeast side of the Liberal Arts building, an additional 37 native trees were planted in an area currently occupied by open grass, creating valuable new bird habitat and providing shade to students in a key pedestrian corridor. Selections included Winged Sumac, Bur Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, Mockernut Hickory, Cherry Laurel, Yaupon Holly 'La Chica, Bogalusa Hwy, Chalk Maple to provide both extensive shade coverage and a multilevel habitat capable of meeting a diversity of bird species’ needs. The planting event drew on contributions from 44 volunteers, including 31 TRiO Upward Bound students.

To assess the impacts of project improvements and contribute to understanding of local urban bird populations, UNO faculty and staff are facilitating weekly campus bird counts and recording the results on eBird using the “University of New Orleans--Main Campus” hotspot. These data augment a set of over 200 complete checklists encompassing nearly 150 species predating the launch of this project. During this time, they also monitor the health of the trees and consult with Native Plant Initiative of New Orleans with questions.

Community Engagement: Urban Bird Treaty partners have launched several initiatives to expand opportunities for environmental education, appreciation, and stewardship at the University of New Orleans (UNO). 

To promote bird education and recreation on the UNO campus, UBT partners and volunteers installed 12 trail markers along the route of a newly designated UNO birding trail. Each marker includes a QR code to connect trail users to online interpretive resources that correspond to the specific trail location in addition to a trail map and parking information. Information is hosted on a dedicated birding section of the  Sustainability at UNO website , and project updates and bird sightings are being shared on an Instagram page, @birdsofUNO.  Adjacent to the trail’s designated parking area near the Fine Arts building, at the three-acre restoration site along the bird trail route, an interpretive sign was installed to provide an overview of the trail, introduce the campus’ significance as a migratory bird resource, and describe restoration activities undertaken across campus. The trail has generated a buzz in the local birding community and established UNO as an asset for outdoor recreation and environmental appreciation. 

In collaboration with UNO’s TRiO Upward Bound program, partners and volunteers are delivering environmental educational programming to primarily low-income, first-generation college-bound high school students. These programs are thematically organized around bird appreciation and environmental stewardship, with a special focus on connecting these topics to the urban setting of New Orleans. Sessions are sponsored by UNO’S Shea Penland Coastal Education & Research Facility, Orleans Audubon, Pontchartrain Conservancy, and Civic Studio, for a total of 375 individual slots for student participants. 

Students involved in these programs are exploring local wetlands by canoe and on foot, practicing birdwatching with binoculars, participating in habitat restoration efforts, and getting up close and personal with raptor ambassadors, among many other things. Especially for students who participate in multiple activities, these programs are providing opportunities for immersive, hands-on environmental education that empowers and inspires these promising young people to value and protect nature in their community and beyond.

Hazard Reduction: In partnership with Keep Louisiana Beautiful, the University of New Orleans has launched a  new initiative  to keep its campus free of litter and help divert waste from running off into the adjacent Lake Pontchartrain. An inaugural campus cleanup was held on Earth Day 2022, marking the beginning of what will be a recurring effort involving university students, faculty, and staff. This initiative complements more regular litter collection and removal during weekly bird counts by the UBT project team.

New York, New York

Designated:  2008  Treaty Signing Ceremony: October 15, 2008 Status: Active

Description: New York City is a vital link in one of the country’s great bird migration routes—a stopover, nesting, or wintering spot for more than 300 species that travel the Atlantic Flyway. Forty percent of the city is green space—city, state, and federal parkland that includes 20,000 acres of wetlands, forests, and other natural areas, as well as community gardens, green roofs, and private yards.

Dozens of shorebirds species, including many species of conservation concern, stopover or nest along the city’s coasts, especially in Jamaica Bay, an Important Bird Area. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, the only wildlife refuge administered by the National Park Service, is one of the best places in the city to observe migrating birds. Colonial waterbirds breed on islands in New York Harbor and forage in coastal wetlands, and are indicators of the harbor’s health for the multi-agency Harbor Estuary Program. Songbirds stopover and nest in the city’s forests and waterfowl winter in the harbor and inland ponds. New urban bird habitat is being created on reclaimed landfills—a potential lifeline for declining grassland birds—and on green roofs. The city is also home to growing populations of raptors such as Red-tailed Hawks, Kestrels, and Peregrine Falcons.

UBT partners in New York City are working to protect and expand habitat for the city’s birds and to reduce the hazards of urban infrastructure.

For more information about NYC UBT activities, contact  dpartridge@nycbirdalliance.org  or Anne Schwartz at  aschwartz@nycbirdalliance.org .

Partners: NYC Bird Alliance, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Audubon New York.

Photo: American Oystercatchers at dawn, Jamaica Bay. Courtesy of Don Riepe.

Habitat Conservation: Founded in 1979, NYC Bird Alliance works with its many partners to protect and restore habitat around New York Harbor, including grassland at Floyd Bennett Field, wetlands in Jamaica Bay, and natural areas in western Staten Island. NYC Bird Alliance on has surveyed waterbirds nesting on harbor islands for 36 years, and co-authored the 2010 Harbor Herons Conservation Plan for the Harbor Estuary Program. In Jamaica Bay and the Rockaways, NYC Bird Alliance and NYC Parks monitor and track migratory and nesting shorebirds and spawning horseshoe crabs, while involving the local community in learning about, enjoying, and protecting the bay’s wildlife. NYC Bird Alliance’s 2014 recommendations to restore fresh water to West Pond in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge after Hurricane Sandy were largely incorporated into the National Park Service’s final preferred plan.

With funding from the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund, they created  Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages , 22,000 square feet of bird-friendly green roof in an industrial area next to the heavily polluted Newtown Creek in Brooklyn. They launched and coordinate the  Green Roof Researchers Alliance  (GRRA) of more than 50 NYC academic, nonprofit, and government researchers in green roof science, mapping, policy and education. Through research and collaborations, an annual conference, a website, and advocacy with government agencies, the GRRA has become a catalyst for the expansion of green roofs across New York City, creating new bird habitat along with myriad other environmental benefits.

Community Engagement: The city’s abundance and variety of birds bring a connection with nature that is missing from the lives of too many urban residents. This nature deficit, which has been shown to negatively impact mental and physical health and the ability to learn, affects many local communities. Conversely, getting people outdoors to enjoy and protect wildlife improves their well-being and builds support for making the city greener and more sustainable for both wildlife and people.

UBT partners offer opportunities for New Yorkers to get involved in  volunteer wildlife monitoring  and other hands-on conservation activities. Through the Five Star and Urban Waters program and other support, the Jamaica Bay Tidal Connections program enlists students to educate beachgoers not to disturb nesting birds; organizes volunteers to restore marsh islands, clear trash from coastal habitat, and survey spawning horseshoe crabs; and has provided a field and classroom ecology program to more than 500 public school students. NYC Audubon offers a  full slate of bird walks , classes, lectures, workshops, tours, and wildlife festivals—including 150 free bird walks every year. Its seasonal  environmental pop-up on Governors Island  provides a connection with nature and an environmental message to island visitors. In  Audubon NY’s ‘For the Birds! ’ program, New York City students learn about birds and their local environment through classroom lessons, field trips, and a conservation project. 

Hazard Reduction: Two decades of NYC Bird Alliance’s  Project Safe Flight  collision monitoring by community scientists quantified the magnitude of NYC bird-building collisions and provided data underpinning the landmark  bird-friendly materials bill  passed by the city in December 2019. A consortium of conservation and real estate industry stakeholders brought together by NYC Bird Alliance worked with the City Council to shape an effective and realistic law. The legislation builds on earlier work by NYC Bird Alliance and American Bird Conservancy to create the first bird-friendly design guidelines for architects and co-introduce a bird-friendly pilot credit to the LEED building sustainability rating system.

Now that the legislation has passed, the next step is to provide information to assist construction professionals in meeting the law’s mandates and to work with building owners to encourage retrofits. NYC Audubon and partners are also researching the hazards of artificial light at night, and working to implement Lights Out policies. At the 9/11 Tribute in Light, NYC Bird Alliance monitors the beams to prevent large numbers of birds from circling in the lights. Research at the Tribute conducted with Cornell Lab of Ornithology, published in the  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , documented the detrimental effect of the beams on bird migration.

UBT partners advocate for eliminating the use of rodenticides that kill birds of prey. NYC Bird Alliance’s  website and brochures  provide information on alternatives to tenants and rodent-control professionals. NYC Parks has worked to eliminate the use of anticoagulant rodenticides in city parks where raptors nest. 

Ogden, Utah

Designated:  2011  Signing Ceremony:  May 2024  Status: Active Description: Ogden is a rapidly growing city nestled at the base of the Wasatch Front in Northern Utah and a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts due to its extensive and beautiful surrounding natural resources. Furthermore, it is located directly east of one of the most important natural resources in Utah: the Great Salt Lake. 

Located in the Pacific Flyway, the Great Salt Lake is designated as one of the most important avian reserves in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, is the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere, and supports vast wetlands that are critical to multiple avian species. The lake and its wetlands alone support over 230 species of migratory birds in vast numbers and is one of the largest breeding spots worldwide for multiple species, including eared grebes, Wilson’s phalaropes, American avocets, black-necked stilts, and American white pelicans. As one of the lake's bordering cities, Ogden's conservation work is critical to protecting the lake, its wetlands, and the avian species that depend on it. 

The city itself also supports a wide variety of birds due to native habitats such as uplands, wetlands, riparian areas, and mountain habitats as well as abundant parks, river walkways, nature preserves, and other green spaces in the heart of the city. Ogden City and the community are dedicated to maintaining and improving native habitats to benefit humans and wildlife alike. Multiple organizations throughout the city have partnered together to provide educational programs and restoration activities for thousands of citizens every year, particularly the city youth, to encourage stewardship of the environment and to build a brighter future for birds and other wildlife.

For more information, please contact Maya Pendleton, Ogden Nature Center, at  mpendleton@ogdennaturecenter.org .

Partners: Ogden Nature Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Weber State University, Wasatch Audubon, Wasatch Widgeons, Youth Impact, YMCA of Northern Utah, DaVinci Academy of Science and the Arts, Ogden City Trails Network, Ogden City Public Services

Photo: The Wasatch Mountains at sunrise with Ogden Nature Center in foreground. Courtesy of Maya Pendleton.

Habitat Conservation: The Ogden Nature Center (ONC) and other UBT partners completed several wildlife habitat restoration projects in 2021-2022 by planting a diversity of Utah native shrubs, grasses, wildflowers, and trees. In October 2021 and April 2022 volunteers throughout the Ogden City community joined ONC staff to plant over 600 wetland plugs and 345 upland shrubs around a newly constructed retention pond to create cover and food for wildlife. 

One restoration site is called The Potholes, an area at Ogden Nature Center characterized by grasslands surrounded by wetlands and ponds that provide critical wildlife habitat. Recurring drought in the west and past invasive species treatments had left the area degraded with multiple large bare patches of soil and a lack of native vegetation. In September 2022, ONC was joined by a local high school (Waypoint Academy), United Way, and Zion Bank employees to restore The Potholes by planting over 300 upland plants and 50 wetland plants provided by the Utah Pollinator Habitat Program. These native plants were hand-selected to bloom at staggered periods, providing food resources throughout the year to native pollinators and birds.

Revegetation is an excellent restoration tool to improve food and cover resources for local wildlife. However, many native species can be expensive to purchase or unavailable, must be cared for and maintained to increase the success of establishment, and can be labor-intensive to plant in large quantities. To address these challenges, ONC partnered with a native nursery run by a local high school that specializes in growing a variety of Utah native species for natural resources agencies and stakeholders. This program not only provides students with experience working in a greenhouse setting and an understanding of native flora, but also provides discounted bulk plants to entities such as the ONC, allowing organizations to plant more for less. 

Community Engagement: Ogden Nature Center often tackles restoration challenges with the help of its committed network of community volunteers. Hundreds of hours of volunteer time were spent at ONC over the last year to put hundreds of native plants in the ground and help keep them maintained afterward. Volunteers, including local students and community members, help keep areas clear of invasive weeds, mulch around plants and amend the soil, cage plants to protect them from herbivory and trampling, and even water each plant during the dry season to reduce stress and allow time for roots to establish. Dedicated volunteers are the key to ONC’s success. Through planting efforts and this intensive care, ONC’s revegetation efforts are likely to have a high success rate--- creating a better place for birds, other urban wildlife, and the community. Also see Ogden's Hazard Reduction tab to read a story about how the local community helped design window treatments to reduce bird collisions at the local education center.

Hazard Reduction: Constructed in 2004, The L. S. Peery Education Center at the Ogden Nature Center (ONC) is a 7,100 sq. ft. green building with classrooms, teacher preparation areas, and volunteer space for the ONC’s extensive nature education programming and is a model of sustainable and energy-efficient environmental design. The building also hosts large windows in the classrooms making them aesthetically appealing and more efficient to warm using solar radiation. However, these windows had a serious issue: birds were frequently colliding with them resulting in bird injury and death.

To remedy this issue, in 2020, ONC partnered with Weber State University’s ArtsBridge honors art program and the fourth-grade classes at Shadow Valley Elementary to design a project to reduce window strikes in the Education Center’s classrooms. The fourth-grade students visited ONC to first research native bird species and the habitats they depend on. Afterward, the students set to work drawing different birds in their associated habitats. The artwork was then handed off to the ArtsBridge program where university students brought it to life by transferring the images into 60 faux stained-glass panels. The university students further added to the project by etching frosted bird and habitat designs into the top panels of the windows.

In December 2021, the impressive art piece was finished and installed at ONC, effectively reducing bird strikes to nearly 0. To see the process, please watch the following video put together by the collaborating partners:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK6zI5i4Vjw&list=PLHMMenvoeoa5zGa1u_kKDlE6SBsX4OcyE&index=1 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Designated: 2002 Treaty Signing Event: May 8, 2002  UBT commitment renewal event: 2009 Status: Active Description: Although Philadelphia is one of the largest cities in the U.S. and home to more than 1.5 million people, it is a city where a large number and variety of animal and plant species also occur, especially birds. Located along a heavily used portion of the Atlantic Flyway, radar studies indicate that tens of millions of migratory birds pass through the city each year. The city contains a 10,500-acre city park— the largest inner city park in the world, a national wildlife refuge, a state park, a variety of preserves and arboretums, and many other public and private lands that are dominated by natural habitats ranging from fresh water tidal marshes and natural lakes and streams to grasslands and old growth forests. As a result, the city attracts a large variety of breeding and wintering birds. Altogether, almost 300 species of birds occur in the city each year and many of these are species of conservation concern.

The continued survival of Philadelphia’s bird populations will be dependent on our ability to reduce threats that commonly affect birds in cities like development, habitat mismanagement, cats, glass, lights, chemicals, non-native plants, and disturbance. Fortunately, some of these threats have been addressed in Philadelphia through the Urban Bird Treaty (UBT) program and its partners. UBT funding in Philadelphia has been used to increase the amount of early successional habitat, reduce hazards from glass and lights, and educate decision makers about the importance of city parks to migrating songbirds. These projects have in turn helped to stimulate additional work by UBT partners and other conservation organizations to protect Philadelphia‘s bird populations.

For more information about Philadelphia 's UBT activities, contact Keith Russell  keith.russell@audubon.org  

Photo: Philly Lights Out Program logo. Courtesy of Keith Russell

Partners: Audubon Mid-Atlantic, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia Zoo, Temple University, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Delaware Bay Estuary Project and John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, National Audubon Society, U.S. Forest Service, Student Conservation Association

Habitat Conservation: Audubon has been working to improve and increase bird habitat across Philadelphia, while also improving community access to healthy green spaces. This work has included guiding neighborhood greening efforts in community gardens and vacant lots as well as habitat restoration along Cobbs Creek. Approximately 40,000 vacant lots currently exist in Philadelphia, with many remaining unused.

During 2022-2023 UBT partners began creating 50 native plant pollinator gardens on underutilized spaces in neighborhoods in Southwest, West, and North Philadelphia. The gardens are designed with native plant species like milkweed, asters and sunflowers to provide habitat and resources for native insects and the many migratory birds that stop to rest and feed in the city during migration. A total of 23 in-ground gardens and 26 planter boxes were installed in these neighborhoods during this period.

The Cecil Street Garden in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Southwestern Philadelphia, is the largest garden created after several years of collaborative community-driven design and planning. Community volunteers and youth conservation crews helped to install 8 trees, 20 shrubs, and over 800 herbaceous plants and built and installed site furniture such as stone gabion walls, a shade structure, benches and tables. A community ribbon cutting event was held during the fall of 2023.

Partners also worked with various community organizations and volunteers to improve ecological conditions and public accessibility at two five-acre meadows (formerly sports fields) along Whitby Avenue in Philadelphia’s Cobbs Creek Park. Work onsite involved planting native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, removal of invasive species, and reduction of plastic pollution and trash from the creek and surrounding floodplain. Over 100 volunteers were engaged at the meadows to support these efforts. A mown trail was added to improve public access to the site for passive recreation, such as birding, and interpretive signage was installed for residents and visitors, with a map that shows connections to regional and local trails and a panel that discusses the meadow restoration on site.

Community Engagement: In October 2022 Audubon Mid-Atlantic inaugurated a new event in Philadelphia called the Philly Birding weekend (PBW). The PBW was created to help showcase the city as a critical location for birds especially during migration, share the joy of birds with new audiences, and help raise funds for conservation work in the region. During the inaugural event bird walks were conducted at nine locations within the city and 93 species were observed. A total of 83 people participated in the event, including a number of relatively new birders. Some walks also included information about bird photography provided by Unique Photo, one of the event sponsors, and the weekend included a contest for bird photographs taken during the event.

As part of the work to improve ecological conditions at Whitby Meadow in Philadelphia’s Cobbs Creek Park, partners hosted several events at the site to demonstrate its importance as migratory bird habitat. A total of 241 people participated in these events and 115 people volunteered their time to assist restoration work at the site. Events included bird and nature walks, a night hike on the meadow trail with headlamps for local youth, trash removal days, and other activities designed to highlight the ecological importance of the meadow and creek for people and wildlife in the urban neighborhoods surrounding Cobbs Creek.

Hazard Reduction: In response to a mass bird collision event involving hundreds of migratory birds in downtown Philadelphia on October 2, 2020 a collaborative called Bird Safe Philly (BSP) was formed to to protect birds in they city from urban threats, especially collisions with human structures. BSP created  Lights Out Philly  during the spring of 2021 and assumed responsibility for bird collision monitoring activities that Audubon Mid-Atlantic had been conducting. Between the spring of 2021 and the fall of 2023 the number of building participating in LOP grew from 100 to 127, and the number of locations being monitored for collisions in the downtown area increased from 1 to 4 sites. Read more  here . Watch this  Lights Out presentation  that includes information on Lights Out Philly as well as LO programs in Denver and Houston. The passcode is O4X?v*m4

In 2023 BSP worked with the six building owners to add collision preventing patterns to their collision prone windows, including the Sister Cities Café, a popular eatery in downtown Philadelphia. Monitoring prior to retrofitting revealed the Café as highly prone to bird collisions during spring and fall migration. All the building’s glass surfaces were treated with a pattern of white dots to make them visible to birds, which was successful as daily fall monitoring revealed virtually no collisions.

With assistance from Audubon Mid-Atlantic and the University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services, the university’s Gutmann College House dormitory, which opened during the fall of 2021, was designed to include a large area of bird safe glass (Ornilux Mikado A70) on one part of the building’s facade bordering a large courtyard. Subsequent monitoring has not detected any collisions at these windows.  

Based on previous collision monitoring, Audubon Mid-Atlantic installed film and other collision-reducing treatments on the windows of collision prone buildings at the Philadelphia Zoo, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Audubon Mid-Atlantic also constructed new centers in Philadelphia (Discovery Center 2018) and Audubon, PA (John James Audubon Center 2019) that were both designed to be completely bird friendly---non collision prone--- buildings.

Phoenix, Arizona

Designated:  2011  Treaty Signing Event:  October 8, 2022  Status: Active Description: Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the US, and is known for its sprawling structure, diverse neighborhoods, and unique landscape. Over 300 bird species are known to breed in Arizona and many of these face a tenuous future due to water uncertainties and climate shifts. Given this, Arizona’s largest and most populous city needs to be a stronghold for bird-friendly practices and conservation outreach programs. Audubon Arizona’s Urban Hummingbird Program has connected over 5,000 people with Arizona’s smallest, most easy to attract birds in an innovative program that introduces bird monitoring as well as planting native shrubs intentionally to benefit birds.

For more information, contact Nichole Engelmann at  nichole_engelmann@fws.gov  or Cathy Wise at  cwise@audubon.org .

Partners: Audubon Southwest, National Audubon Society, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, City of Phoenix, Animal Welfare Fund, Arizona Community Foundation, Dreyfus Foundation, Wild at Heart, University of Arizona, Arizona State University

Photo: Rio Salado Audubon Center event where high school students and other community volunteers removed trash and debris, pulled out non-native plants, including salt cedar and buffle grass, and trimmed and pruned native trees. Courtesy of Audubon Southwest.

Habitat Conservation: In 2011, Audubon Arizona, in partnership with the City of Phoenix and about 100 local volunteers, installed a bird and pollinator garden in the 600-acre Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area in South Phoenix. The garden continues to be the focus of volunteer workday events that often coincide with “Plants for Birds” plant sales at the Rio Salado Audubon Center. Workday participants learn about native plants while working in the garden and can then purchase plants for their homes at the Audubon Center.

Community Engagement: In 2011, Audubon Arizona, in partnership with the City of Phoenix and about 100 local volunteers, installed a bird and pollinator garden in the 600-acre Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area in South Phoenix. The garden continues to be the focus of volunteer workday events that often coincide with “Plants for Birds” plant sales at the Rio Salado Audubon Center. Workday participants learn about native plants while working in the garden and can then purchase plants for their homes at the Audubon Center.

Hazard Reduction: Audubon Arizona’s LEED platinum Rio Salado Audubon Center offers observable examples of sustainable building practices that benefit birds. The center sports a solar array, an on-site waste-water treatment system used for irrigation, and “bioswales” that funnel rainwater away from the structure and to the gardens. Audubon Arizona’s latest effort involves treating windows with collision-prevention film and making a consumer packet of the same material available for sale in the Center’s gift shop.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Designated:  2015  Status: Active Description: Pennsylvania is located along the Atlantic flyway—one of the main “highways” for many millions of migratory birds. Every spring and fall these birds migrate through the rural and urban areas of Western Pennsylvania and rely on available habitats to rest and refuel for their long journeys’ south to areas where they overwinter before returning north again to breed. Western Pennsylvania is home to a rich variety of resident birds that live most or all of their lives in and around homes, towns, and natural areas. Habitat loss and degradation, and collisions with building glass are two of the leading causes of bird population declines that UBT partners in the Pittsburgh area are working to address.

In 2016, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, National Aviary, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, Humane Animal Rescue, Allegheny Land Trust, and the American Bird Conservancy joined to form the  Allegheny Bird Conservation Alliance  (ABCA)—a strategic partnership with a formal MOU, focusing on collaborative bird conservation efforts throughout western Pennsylvania. In recent years, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Erie Bird Observatory have also joined ABCA. The ABCA’s goals are modeled after those of the Urban Bird Treaty (UBT) and seek to instill appreciation for birds and the natural world while imparting a sense of stewardship among residents of the greater Pittsburgh region. Partners of the ABCA work to reduce bird mortalities caused by building window collisions, to restore and improve natural habitats within the urban landscape, and to further bird conservation through cutting edge research and education activities. 

The work of these partners—and the many community volunteers they engage—to restore habitats and reduce building collision threats in the greater Pittsburgh area stands to benefit 15 Birds of Conservation Concern for the Appalachian Mountain Region ( Bird Conservation Region 28 ), 10  Partners in Flight Watch List species , and nearly 50 Species of Greatest Conservation Need ( Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan ) including songbirds like Wood Thrush, Swainson’s Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Golden-winged Warbler, Canada Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Kentucky Warbler. 

For more information, contact Luke DeGroote at  DegrooteL@carnegieMNH.org , Jonathon Rice at  ricej@carnegiemnh.org  or David Yeany at  dyeany@paconserve.org 

Partners: Allegheny Bird Conservation Alliance (ABCA), Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC), Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the National Aviary, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, the Animal Rescue League's Shelter and Wildlife Center, the Allegheny Land Trust, and the American Bird Conservancy, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Allegheny GoatScape, Propel Schools

Photo: First grade teacher and student getting ready to hang bagel birdfeeder at Frick Park. Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

Habitat Conservation: In fall 2020, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy was awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to further ABCA's habitat conservation work across a number of protected natural areas managed, including Tom’s Run Nature Reserve (WPC), Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve (WPC/Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania), Frick Park (Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy), Dead Man’s Hollow Conservation Area (Allegheny Land Trust), and Wingfield Pines Conservation Area (Allegheny Land Trust).

WPC has led assessments of bird populations through breeding and migration season surveys and habitat assessments during the growing season. The results of these surveys and assessments are being incorporated into spatially explicit conservation guidance documents for each site which highlight bird conservation priority areas for community-driven habitat restoration events and education. Partners rare conducting habitat restoration activities using the guidance developed during this project.

In spring of 2023, 11 volunteers from FedEx Ground joined staff from the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC) at McKinley Park in the city's Betlzhoover neighborhood to being restoration of this abandoned ballfield nestled into the edge of the forest, and targeted for revitalization as part of a larger park improvement project being taken on by local community organizations. Volunteers carried out site preparation by tackling challenging invasive plants, primarily Japanese knotweed, wineberry, and Japanese stiltgrass, which they cut back, dug out, and consolidated into debris piles onsite. Branches and logs were used to delineate the future meadow planting site.   

In the fall partners and volunteers attended several planting events and all toll planted 50 young woody trees/shrubs (2 species) and 937 perennial plugs (26 species) at two adjacent restoration patches that will become a future meadow and the pawpaw thicket. PPC revisited the site in early winter to spread seed of 20 species of native forbs and grasses to fill in the unplanted gaps onsite.  

Partners will continue to monitor, steward, remove invasives, and support the success of these plants as they begin filling in the site and providing food and homes for a wide variety of wildlife, including birds and the vast web of life that supports them. For more information, visit  https://www.alleghenybirds.org/ongoing-projects 

Community Engagement: UBT partners in Pittsburgh have reached thousands of people through outreach and educational activities and volunteer events involving bird appreciation and conservation, habitat restoration, community monitoring, and Bird Safe Pittsburgh efforts. These include a wide variety of talks, presentations, bird walks, educational programs, and a showing of the film,  The Messenger .

For more information or to volunteer visit  https://www.alleghenybirds.org/ongoing-projects . Visit the Pittsburgh Birding Tour at  https://www.alleghenybirds.org/pghbirdingtour .

In May 2023 UBT partners hosted a World Migratory Bird Day event---with the theme of water---at Frick Park attended by over 100 members of the community from all ages. Activities ranged from early morning educational birding hikes, story hikes that combined birding with stories about the importance of clean water to migratory birds, accessible birding hikes for those who are differently abled to enjoy birds, and activities for kids including: binocular making, a bird scavenger hunt, and bird feeder making. A banding demonstration also took place throughout the morning giving to give people a up-close look at both resident and migratory birds.

Partners will continue to host World Migratory Bird Day events, in 2024 with the theme of Protect Insects, Protect Birds and intend to include entomologists, botanists, and invasive species biologists to talk about how important native plants and insects are to migratory birds---and the negative impacts of invasive plants and insects.

Resident birds play a starring role in the winter sessions of Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s first-grade and high-school educational programs. Both of these multi-visit programs feature the habitats and biodiversity of Frick Park. First grade students in the Habitat Explorers program learn about the winter survival strategies of a variety of local animals then focus on winter resident birds' appearances and characteristic calls. Students make a bagel bird-feeder with black oil sunflower seeds and then go on a short walk to place their feeder in the park and observe and identify birds. In the 2022-23 school year, the first grade program reached 360 students, 278 of them from Pittsburgh Public School partners.

The high school winter program focuses more keenly on bird adaptations through a game that blends aspects of geocaching, competitive physical and mental games, and bird watching. Teams of students complete bird adaptation challenges, such as fishing toy insects from a bin of leaf litter using a variety of tools representing different beaks; a predator-evasion game; search for wild foods; and, of course, looking for and identifying winter resident birds in Frick Park.The high school program had participation by 54 students from Pittsburgh Allderdice, Pittsburgh Westinghouse, and City Charter High Schools.   

Hazard Reduction: BirdSafe Pittsburgh and Lights Out Pittsburgh serve the region by promoting building safety for birds through retrofitted interventions and deterrents, and light pollution reduction. The programs share the newest forms of window collision prevention to the local community and encourage residents and owners and managers of the city's large, iconic buildings to participate in seasonal light pollution reduction measures, especially during bird migration in spring and fall.

BirdSafe Pittsburgh and Lights Out Pittsburgh collaborate with Bird Lab and Carnegie Mellon University Astrophysics Department to educate the public on the many environmental and public health issues that arise from light pollution. Most recently, guest speaking on Pennsylvania Environmental Counsil’s podcast “ Pennsylvania Legacies ” about the intersection of light pollution impacts for migrating birds, astronomy, and public health.

Lights Out Pittsburgh encouraged an additional 50 buildings, ranging in size from residential homes to skyscrapers, to participate in light pollution reduction measures bringing the total to 117 buildings. These locations range from across the region. Populations highly vulnerable to building collisions which are also Birds of Conservation Concern at the regional and national level include Wood Thrush, Golden-winged Warbler, Canada Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Kentucky Warbler—species that will benefit the most from Pittsburgh’s collision reduction efforts.

Partners also engage volunteers in monitoring buildings in downtown Pittsburgh, including both low-rise commercial buildings and residential homes, for dead or stunned birds that have collided with building glass. Effort and collision data are entered via a customized  ESRI Collector app  or online.  GIS software  is being used to model high-risk collision areas and identify sites for future collision mitigation. Partners are also using the community science data to elucidate the efficacy of v arious treatment options  and disseminate findings to local and national audiences, allowing homeowners and business owners to weigh bird mortality reduction against cost and aesthetics of different collision reduction methods.  

For more information, visit  https://birdsafepgh.org/ 

Portland, Oregon

Designated:  2003  Treaty Signing Event: May 10, 2003 Status: Active Description: The City of Portland is a city of three-quarters of million people in an urban area of 2.5 million people. The City sits at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers and is home to an astonishing 220 native bird species. Portland is also situated along the Pacific Flyway, a broad migration front that brings millions of birds into our airspace each spring and fall. A city that is known for its green image and its urban wildlife, Portland is part of the Biophilic City network and became one of seven pilot UBT cities in 2003.

Oregon Bird Alliance has led the UBT partnership work with an eye to public engagement, awareness raising, and advocacy in both long and short term planning processes. Our UBT partner projects have most recently centered around Oregon Bird Alliance's Bird Safe and Lights. These projects have included community science collision monitoring, development of high profile demonstration projects, and scientific publications on the importance of dark skies. Working with our education team, Oregon Bird Alliance has integrated bird safe curriculum into camps and classroom programs, and hosted collaborative star parties to help people fall in love with the night and the night sky.

Oregon Bird Alliance has also worked with the City to develop a Resource Guide to Bird-friendly Building Design, integrated Bird Safe Exterior Glazing requirements into the Central City Plan, and incorporated Bird Safe Design into the City's Green Building Policy. Partners have also supported the development of a Dark Skies Report that outlines the issue of light pollution globally and locally, and presents concrete steps that the City can take to help reduce the growth of light pollution--measures which simultaneously meet climate resilience goals and equity goals. 

In addition, Oregon Bird Alliance developed a Take the Pledge to Go Lights Out program, which raises awareness about the impacts of light pollution on entire ecological systems as well as on human health. The program asks residents to do a simple home audit of their lighting, use best practices to reduce unnecessary light every night, and sign up for an action alert list to help improve lighting practices to make the city more livable for both people and wildlife. For more information, see the city's Bird Agenda at  https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/355002 

For more information, contact Mary Coolidge at  mcoolidge@audubonportland.org  or Nanette Seto at  nanette_seto@fws.gov 

Partners: Portland Bird Alliance, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the City of Portland Bureaus of Planning and Sustainability, Environmental Services, and Parks and Recreation, American Bird Conservancy, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Rose City Astronomers, the International Dark-sky Association, Lloyd EcoDistrict, the Intertwine Alliance, and two bird-safe savvy architects.

Photo: Interpretive sign at the Water Pollution Control Lab that describes why birds hit windows and how to prevent these collisions by making buildings safe for birds. Courtesy of Portland Audubon.

Habitat Conservation: In 2022-2023 partners have worked in partnership with Clean Water Services, an agency that is leading a multi-year, 115-acre restoration of the Portland Community College Rock Creek floodplain and adjacent forest. Overarching project goals include protecting a healthy urban stream, restoring a degraded floodplain, improving the ecological function of Rock Creek, and creating programs for onsite community science and community engagement.

Oregon Bird Alliance helps evaluate restoration impacts by providing professional avian monitoring (both presence and species richness), and coordinates community science trainings and volunteer bird monitoring as well as providing classroom presentations and field training for PCC students who are engaging in data collection on their campus. The Wetlands Conservancy provides trainings and coordination of community science amphibian egg mass monitoring as another means of evaluating restoration effectiveness. We have integrated Bird Safe and Dark Skies messaging into both the bird and amphibian monitoring programs.

Community Engagement: In 2022-2023 partners worked with staff at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge (an urban refuge) to develop a bi-weekly monitoring protocol for windows on the refuge’s high profile Visitor Center. Partners held several training sessions with Tualatin River NWR refuge staff and volunteers to get them trained to conduct the window collision protocol and data entry. The goal is to train all of the on-site Visitor Center volunteers so that they could complete a building survey each time they were scheduled for a Visitor Center shift. Partners simultaneously worked with Refuge staff to develop a new interpretive sign to complement the bird-safe window treatment on the entrance facade of the Visitor Center. which was installed in September 2023.

Hazard Reduction: In 2022-2023 partners worked with the City of Portland on a window retrofit project at the City’s Water Pollution Control Lab. This building sits adjacent to the Willamette River waterfront along the Eastbank esplanade at a high-traffic location. The building is a demonstration site for green infrastructure, very glassy, and has had a well-known collision issue for over a decade. Partners worked with City personnel to identify the highest risk areas of the building and those with the most collision prone windows. The City has completed the first phase of a two-phase project to retrofit these areas with a full coverage vinyl window film that effectively reduces window collisions.

The high visibility of the Eastbank Esplanade and the demonstration site-character of the building provide a unique opportunity for public awareness-raising about bird friendly windows. Partners co-created an interpretive sign with the City to describe the perils of window glass, why this building has been retrofitted, and what people can do at home to their own windows to reduce collision risk and reduce light pollution. The sign was installed in late October 2023 and will be seen by tens of thousands of Eastbank Esplanade users annually.

Partners also collaborated with the Wetlands Conservancy to develop a Wetland-friendly Lighting brochure for use in wetland-related dark skies messaging and to educate their volunteers in monitoring wetland health at PCC Rock Creek restoration site. The Wetlands Conservancy describes light pollution as a factor impacting wetland health and creating survival pressure for birds and other wetland ecosystem wildlife. The Conservancy also has cross-posted Oregon Lights Out Red Alerts to help raise awareness about the impact of light pollution on migrating birds.

Providence, Rhode Island

Designated: 2017 Treaty Signing Event:  May 6, 2019  Status: Active Description: Providence, the capital and most populous city in Rhode Island, is located at the head of Narragansett Bay. As a coastal city with a diverse network of city parks, Providence is home to a wide variety of wildlife and serves as a vital stop-over point for migrating bird species. The Providence River runs into the bay through the center of the city, and is formed by the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket Rivers. These rivers and bay provide valuable habitat for the conservation and protection of birds and other wildlife. 

The city’s park system spans over 100 parks in twenty-six neighborhoods throughout the city. All Providence Schools are within a half-mile of a city park, and many parks are on a bus stop or are already used by the schools as recreation and recess areas and outdoor nature classrooms. This green infrastructure provides opportunities for urban communities to explore, appreciate, and care for nature in their own neighborhoods and beyond.

Providence’s UBT partnership promotes healthy habitats for birds and engaged local communities that understand their role within the city’s urban ecosystem. Through UBT projects, people living in and around Providence are helping improve their urban green spaces and gaining an understanding of the importance of these natural areas to the health and well-being of the city’s larger ecosystem, human communities, and birds and other wildlife. Engagement opportunities help people deepen their connection to nature and understanding of their role as conservation stewards.

Urban forests play a critical role in every area of Providence’s sustainability by affecting energy savings, water quality, wildlife benefits, pedestrian friendly streets, air quality, food production, land use and economic development, and urban heat island effect. Large trees achieve more substantial benefits, and all trees must be trimmed and maintained in order to reach maturity and remain viable green infrastructure. UBT partners are supporting this effort and guiding its bird conservation benefit.

For more information, contact Alison Schwartz at  alison_schwartz@fws.gov .

Partners: Department of Providence Parks, The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Providence Schools Teachers, Woonasquatucket River Watershed, Rhode Island Department of Management, Parks Friends Groups, Roger Williams Park Zoo, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Groundworks Rhode Island

Photo: Northeast Regional Director Wendi Weber signs Urban Bird Treaty with City of Providence as Mayor Jorge Elorza and students from the Paul Cuffee School’s Wild Kids Club celebrate. Courtesy of Bridget Macdonald, USFWS.

Habitat Conservation: Conservation partners are working to restore habitat and revitalize Providence’s many parks and green spaces where wildlife can rest and refuel and the community can visit to rejuvenate their spirits. Providence youth and community members are taking part in this effort by helping Providence Park’s Friends Groups to plant native shrubs in their local neighbor parks. 

Providence UBT staff and partners planted over 2,500 native seedlings at the newly renovated Amtrak Station Park in October 2022. Amtrak Station Park is a major gateway between Providence and other cities – welcoming visitors and locals to experience native species as they enter and leave Providence. An interpretive sign teaches visitors the importance of providing food and shelter for native and migrating urban birds, while creating a relaxing place for visitors to enjoy “nature in the city.” This urban park will be a valuable community asset for environmental education programs while creating urban wildlife habitat.

Shrubs were planted at Blackstone Park, on the East Side of Providence, that encompasses a 45-acre woodland with two ponds and open meadow-space overlooking the Seekonk River. The Park serves as a green buffer between city streets and the river by reducing the amount of runoff that enters the water. With its varied topography, it supports a rich diversity of plants and wildlife habitats and is part of a larger regional wildlife corridor that includes the Blackstone River watershed and Narragansett Bay. Migrating birds rest and refuel throughout this corridor in spring and fall and are frequently sighted by the local residents. In 2003, the park was rezoned a Conservation District through the creation of a new zoning category to protect environmentally sensitive open spaces.

To achieve its goal of a 30% tree canopy by 2020, the City will grow and protect the tree canopy in Providence neighborhoods, which range from less than 6% to more than 40% tree canopy. With a priority on planting in low canopy neighborhoods, UBT partners are supporting this effort in selected Providence parks with funding and technical assistance that promotes bird conservation. 

The Southern New England-New York Bight Coastal Program, in partnership with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, released a new  Schoolyard Habitat Educator’s Resource Guide . This guide provides educators in Rhode Island with age-appropriate interactive activities linked to core subjects, as well as tips for outdoor education and safety. It complements the  Service’s Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide , which focuses on project design and implementation, by giving educators the tools they need to effectively use their new schoolyard habitat and help ensure the sustainability of the project.  

Community Engagement: Partners are offering bird-related resources and support to local Friends Groups and community outreach programs that foster greater engagement between communities and their local urban green spaces within Providence. Partner support ranges from birding experts and nature walk guides to facilitating outdoor programming to providing equipment such as field guides and binoculars for program attendees. Programs include, but are not limited to, birding walks and public bird banding programs, boating tours along the coastline of the city, and instillation of native plant species to provide food sources for birds within city parks.

The Providence Urban Partnership staff collaborated with the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) to provide programs that addressed the importance of supporting native bird habitats, particularly along waterways, like the Woonasquatucket ("Woony") River, which runs through the heart of the city. The Birds of the Woony: Practicing Mindfulness through Birds program encouraged learners to engage in a year-long hands-on activities and gain observation skills by watching birds. WRWC education staff visited students at two elementary schools (D’Abate Elementary School and Paul Cuffee Elementary School) every month to teach about different aspects of conservation and local bird species and their life cycles.

The program culminated in a Birds of the Woony celebration event that focused on revisiting and practicing all the lessons learned about birds and bird habitat in hands-on activities. Students received a free field trip to Riverside Park, where they put all their new found skills to action and advocated for the health and well-being of birds and their habitats along the Woonasquatucket River. By the end of the program, students were able to identify birds using their physical and vocal features, dress up as parts of a bird, and understand the various adaptations birds have to survive and the importance of habitat conservation.

The  Providence Urban Partnership  hosted a Bird Banding Event in one of the city parks with the Audubon Society of RI. Participants learned the process of bird banding with a live demonstration and helped release the captured birds. Twelve birds were banded, including Black-capped Chickadee, Gray Catbird, Carolina Wren, Blackpoll Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Cardinal, and White-breasted Nuthatch. “We were excited to find one of the black-capped chickadees already had a band on its leg and we discovered that the band was from our banding team back in 2019 during the very same program!” said Apri Alix, Urban Partnership Coordinator.

Partners also are hosting professional development programs and workshops for teachers to encourage them to blend their school-day curricula with community science projects, such as Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Celebrate Urban Birds program. In addition, the  Urban Partnership ’s Teacher Institute provides teachers with the opportunity to bring their students to one of Rhode Island’s National Wildlife Refuges. Students are introduced to the Service’s conservation projects, such as the Piping Plover and Saltmarsh Sparrow population assessments, and learn about the role each species plays in the larger context of our local ecosystem. Students will also learn about how they are connected to these species and discuss ways they can become part of the solution to preserving local bird habitats.

Hazard Reduction: Working with Groundworks Rhode Island and Moses Brown High School students, UBT partners are identifying and mapping the locations of invasive species (Norway Maple, Oriental Bittersweet, Multifloral Rose, Japanese Knotweed, Purple Loostrife, and Swallow-wort) within Blackstone Park and Neutaconkanut Hill, which is home to Providence’s only natural forest. Emphasis is on monitoring for early detection species, enabling the eradication of new invaders before they become established, and monitoring for invasive species growth patterns throughout the park. 

In addition, partners are supporting the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council with annual clean-up days to remove trash and large debris and enhance bird habitats at three of their parks: Riverside, Merino and Donigian.

San Francisco, California

Designated:  2011  Status: Active Description: San Francisco Bay is an important stopover area for migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway and is listed as a  wetland of international importance  by the Ramsar Convention. It hosts more wintering and migrating shorebirds than any other estuary along the U.S. continental coast. Annual waterfowl counts average more than 200,000 birds, and the Bay provides a seasonal home to more than half of all Pacific Flyway wintering ducks such as scaup.

Yet today’s San Francisco Bay wetlands amount to only 10 percent of what existed prior to European settlement. Bay Area residents treasure their closeness to the Bay, its stunning vistas, and its wildlife, and residents and local governments are working together to preserve and restore this natural heritage.

For more information, contact Glenn Phillips at  gphillips@goldengatebirds.org 

Partners: City and County of San Francisco, Golden Gate Bird Alliance, California Academy of Sciences, Port of San Francisco, Port of Oakland, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Literacy for Environmental Justice, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Photo: San Francisco Conservation Corps members working at Pier 94 Wetlands. Courtesy of GGBA.  

Habitat Conservation: Partners are working to restore shoreline and inland habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Partners, including both nonprofit conservation organizations and local agencies, offer multiple habitat restoration opportunities for communities each month. Volunteers and local experts remove invasive plants, plant natives, and remove trash and debris from important bird habitats around the San Francisco Bay.

At Pier 94, a former dump site along the city’s southeastern waterfront, partners have been working with the Port of San Francisco since 2002 to restore wetlands, uplands, and a transition zone. More than 5,000 volunteers have planted over 5,000 native plants and removed over 1,600 30-gallon bags of weeds and trash.

To support threatened Western Snowy Plover and other shorebirds, partners sponsor shoreline maintenance at Ocean Beach and Crissy Field. Partners also collaborate to monitor bird populations around the coasts, including sensitive and protected species like Western Snowy Plovers at Ocean Beach and Crissy Field, Burrowing Owls in Berkeley, and Least Terns in Alameda.

Beginning in 2019 Golden Gate Bird Alliance partnered with the University of California, San Francisco to perform an ongoing survey of birds and butterflies on Mount Sutro Open Space Preserve, researching how recent changes in vegetation impact wildlife. The site was recognized as an Outstanding Environmental Project of 2019 by the San Francisco Estuary Project.

In Golden Gate Park, volunteers restore habitat for White-crowned Sparrows and other coastal scrub birds, and conduct community science monitoring of Tree Swallow and Western Bluebird nest boxes each spring. At Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island, volunteers participate in habitat restoration focused on native plants for birds.

Golden Gate Bird Alliance hosts four conservation committees that work on education and advocacy protecting birds around the Bay Area. Projects include commenting on developments and policies affecting birds and wildlife and creating guiding documents such as the  San Francisco Bird Species of Conservation Concern .

In 2016, voters in San Francisco and eight other Bay Area counties approved  Measure AA , a parcel tax that will raise $500 million over 20 years to restore San Francisco Bay wetlands for wildlife habitat, flood protection, and community recreation. 

Community Engagement: Golden Gate Bird Alliance hosts over 20 free field trips, serving over 4,000 members of the public per year, all around the Bay Area. Field trips are led by volunteer naturalists and experts who teach participants how to identify birds, their important roles in the ecosystem, and inspire our communities to care about birds and their conservation efforts.   

Each October the UC Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, California Institute for Community, Arts, and Nature, the Bears for Birds UCB campus Audubon Chapter, and Golden Gate Bird Alliance partner on the annual Berkeley Bird Festival, celebrating birds. Over 10,000 members of the public joined in the festivities which included lectures, field trips, performances, chalk art, and arts and crafts all inspired by our Bay Area birds.

Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s award-winning  Eco-Education program  offers nature education to third and fourth grade students in Title One schools. Over the course of a school year, students learn about birds, plants, and human impacts on the environment through field trips and classroom time, all through the lens of the watershed. In the 2022-2023 school year over 550 students participated in multiple visits by our educator and participated in field trips to creeks, marshes, and the ocean.  

GGBA and California Academy of Sciences co-sponsor a year-long Master Birder class for adults, training a cohort of expert birders to serve as community educators and conservation leaders. GGBA hosts three Christmas Bird Counts each year in San Francisco, Oakland, and Richmond. Over 500 participants identify and count every bird species they can find in their areas to contribute to this important Community Science effort.

Partners also mobilize corporate groups to take part in habitat restoration at sites like Pier 94. These corporate “work days” always include birdwatching and education about the wildlife that benefit from restored habitat.

In 2017, GGBA launched the Bay Area’s first live  Osprey nest cam , introducing tens of thousands of viewers to the intimate life of an Osprey pair raising their young on a retired crane along the Bay shoreline. 

Hazard Reduction: In 2023 Golden Gate Bird Alliance worked with the City of Berkeley to pass their first Bird Safe Building Ordinance. This ordinance will require certain size buildings and glass panes to meet bird safe standards, reducing collisions and preventing mortality. Even before this ordinance was passed, advocates worked with a Berkeley developer to install bird safe glass in a new building adjacent to Aquatic Park, a prime habitat for wintering water birds.

In 2011, the City of San Francisco approved the nation’s first  Bird-Safe Building Standards , which require certain new construction projects and remodels to reduce the risk of bird-window collisions through proven remedies such as window treatments, lighting design, and lighting operation. These standards have served as a model for similar laws in other Bay Area cities, including Oakland, Richmond, Alameda, Berkeley, and Emeryville.

Golden Gate Bird Alliance (GGBA) worked with the City to provide educational materials about Bird-Safe-Building to architects and developers, and has led professional development seminars for architects on Bird-Safe Building. In addition, UBT partners have co-sponsored seasonal  Lights Out for Birds  educational campaigns, encouraging building managers and residents to dim lights during fall and spring migration.

Addressing other hazards to birds, GGBA has partnered with San Francisco Animal Care and Control to promote keeping cats indoors as part of the cat adoption process. GGBA also worked with the Port of San Francisco to build an Osprey nesting platform as an alternative to dangerous nest sites on working cranes. GGBA has produced  educational materials for tree care professionals  in both  English  and  Spanish  on protecting birds and nests during tree trimming. Staff participated in an arborist continuing education program, teaching safe tree care for birds practices.

Responding to the danger of secondary poisoning of raptors by rodenticides, GGBA has worked with the San Francisco Department of the Environment to promote  alternative methods of pest control  that don’t endanger birds. In 2022 and 2023 volunteers removed 1,470 pounds of trash from shoreline habitats around the San Francisco Bay.

Seattle, Washington

Designated: 2017 Treaty Signing Event:  May 5, 2017  Status: Active Description: The City of Seattle is home to at least 75 species of breeding birds and an additional 34 that likely breed within city limits. There are as many as 109 bird species in the city that rely on a healthy urban environment to sustain them in addition to many migratory visitors. Seattle’s most populous neighborhood, Capitol Hill, is the focus of Seattle's Urban Bird Treaty city partners’ bird conservation efforts.

Seattle’s most populous neighborhood may seem like an unusual place to practice avian conservation since it doesn’t have the best habitat and it isn’t the “birdiest”. But with nearly 30,000 residents, Capitol Hill projects are highly visible to thousands of people—and if UBT partners can succeed at projects there, they believe they can succeed anywhere. Located in Capitol Hill, Cal Anderson Park is one of the best-loved and most-visited parks in the city. While decidedly urban, Cal Anderson still provides food and nesting opportunities for birds. At least 30 bird species have been observed from the park. Bushtits and Anna's Hummingbirds nest in the trees. Mallards swim in the reflecting pool. American Robins hunt worms in the grass. And if people look up—they might see a Bald Eagle or Red-tailed Hawk soaring.

UBT partner projects centered at Cal Anderson Park and beyond are providing Capitol Hillers with opportunities to directly contribute to bird conservation right in their own neighborhood. The projects have important equity components as well since public spaces, like parks and rights of way, are critical components of resilient communities. People rely on them for exercise, fresh air, meeting people, and more—and are most critical for people with fewer resources. In Capitol Hill, where most people are renters without access to yards, healthy public spaces are essential, especially now as people work to stay physically and mentally healthy through the pandemic. 

Learn more at the partnership's  Nature of Your Neighborhood web site , created to foster connections to urban nature, inspire stewardship, and provide resources to help people make the neighborhood more hospitable for birds and other wildlife.

For more information, contact Josh Morris at  joshm@birdsconnectsea.org .

Partners: Seattle Parks and Recreation, Urban Raptor Conservancy, PAWS, Birds Connect Seattle, Capitol Hill EcoDistrict, Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Center, Seattle Green Spaces Coalition, Heron Habitat Helpers, and Seattle University.

Photo: The Nature of Your Neighborhood Program provides workshops to strengthen the community’s connection to Capitol Hill’s green spaces and growing urban habitat for wildlife. Courtesy of Birds Connect Seattle.

Habitat Conservation: Partners are drafting a vegetation plan to guide future habitat enhancement efforts along the 11th Ave East corridor in Capitol Hill. The end goal is to improve habitat connectivity between more than 60 acres of habitat and open space that birds are already using, from Seattle University up to Volunteer Park with Cal Anderson and the Lowell Elementary Campus in between. The vegetation plan will identify underused planting strips and other plantable spaces along the corridor, make bird- and pollinator-supporting plant recommendations, and outline steps for implementation and maintenance. Engaging residents, property owners, businesses and institutions is critical to achieve this objective.

Partners are promoting many options for enhancing urban environments and creating healthier spaces for birds and people. In the more concrete dominated sections, success will require creative solutions and collaboration with businesses, residents, city agencies and more. For example, raised planter boxes are a great way to add vegetation along city streets and sidewalks where space constraints, soil conditions, or buried utilities prevent planting directly in the ground. In addition, sidewalk vegetable gardens can promote better human nutrition and foster a sense of community. Mixing in a few pollinator-supporting plant species can help the butterflies, bees, and bird pollinators, too. Goldfinches and other species can use rooftop bird feeders. Moreover, green roofs and rooftop gardens can help increase greenery in neighborhood sections dominated by less plantable surfaces. There is evidence that birds make good use of green roofs, which also help manage energy use and rain runoff, too.

A variety of vegetation is important for supporting many kinds of birds and pollinators. Partners are encouraging the selection of a wide array of plants to line sidewalks, provide ground cover, and give structure to the understory and canopy of larger spaces so that they are most beneficial to birds and other wildlife. Maintaining older and larger trees, often classified by the city as "Exceptional Trees," can slow stormwater runoff, reduce air pollution, provide habitat for birds and beneficial insects, and shade streets on hot days. If lost, these trees and their services can't be replaced for decades. So partners are urging stronger, simpler, and smarter regulations for trees in Seattle, such as those proposed by the Urban Forestry Commission.

Community Engagement:  Partners are engaging the Capitol Hill community in habitat stewardship events and developing a vegetation plan to enhance habitat for birds and pollinators. These enhancements will help connect more than 60 acres of habitat patches that birds are already using through this most densely populated urban village in the Pacific Northwest. By encouraging communities to attract birds with feeders, backyard and rooftop gardens, and planters, people can deepen their connection with birds and appreciate them up close. 

Intensely developed neighborhoods like Capitol Hill can be hazardous to birds — so partners are creating opportunities for community engagement in helping to create safer spaces that are free of glass, pesticides, and other hazards. Partners also are encouraging people to keep their bird feeders clean, keep cats inside, and help birds avoid colliding with windows.

Partners are also encouraging people to go explore. To walk through the project area at Cal Anderson Park or take a virtual tour, and then send in pictures of the urban birds they see, keeping an eye out for rodent bait boxes. People can also submit an eBird checklist for Cal Anderson Park. There will be many way for people to get involved when partners advertise volunteer opportunities as soon as it is safe to gather together again.

Hazard Reduction: Though not intentionally used to harm birds, many pesticides end up killing them, reducing their food resources, or disrupting their normal behavior. In cities, pesticides are often used to control pest populations and can have lethal consequences for raptors that feed on poisoned prey.

At Cal Anderson Park, rodents are the biggest pest problem. Poisons are usually deployed in bait boxes which are designed so that rodents can get inside, but cats, dogs, and children can't. However, rodents don't die inside the box and thus may become prey for a hawk or owl. If these raptors eat too many poisoned rodents, they may themselves become sick and die. So partners are encouraging the city to pilot non-toxic rodent control solutions at Cal Anderson Park that are safer for birds and more humane for rodents. Partners are also working with volunteers to help maintain Cal Anderson with fewer pesticides and to report sanitation or public safety concerns.

Windows are a serious hazard to birds, estimated to kill up to one billion birds each year in the U.S. The good news is that making windows safer for birds is cheap and easy to do. So partners are working on a project to make Seattle Metro bus shelters in Capitol Hill bird-safe. Replacing these clear, translucent surfaces with beautiful patterns help birds (and people!) see them.

St. Louis, Missouri

Designation: 2003 Status: Active Description: Habitat loss is one of the primary threats to birds and other wildlife species in Missouri and the St. Louis Region. Ninety percent of the state’s historic wetlands and over ninety-nine percent of its tallgrass prairie have been eliminated with human settlement. The St. Louis metropolitan area’s mosaic of prairie, savanna, woodland, and forest has undergone conversions to farmland and urban development, with little pristine habitat remaining. What natural areas do exist tend to be planted or second growth forest, some of which has matured into hardwood forest with some relict pre-settlement oaks and “old-growth” forest in city parks.

The area encompassing the city’s parkland is designated as the St. Louis Urban Oasis Important Bird Area (IBA) because of its location along the Mississippi Flyway and its importance to both migratory and breeding birds. All of the landholdings in the IBA are publicly-owned, including Creve Coeur Park, Forest Park, and Tower Grove Park. Oxbow lakes formed from the Missouri River remain in and near Creve Coeur Park, providing wetland habitats of open water and marshland. The wetlands at Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park provide habitat for many migrating wading birds, waterfowl, and shorebirds. All three parks provide stopover habitat for many migrant passerine species in spring and fall as well as breeding habitats for many birds, such as hawks and owls. Tower Grove Park is a renowned location for St. Louis birders during spring migration due to the amazing numbers and diversity of migrating songbirds that stopover on the site, especially warblers.

The City’s Office of Sustainability launched an Urban Vitality & Ecology Initiative in 2013, which aims to connect people to urban natural resources in ways that maximize ecological, social, and economic benefits. This initiative involves a multifaceted collaboration of urban ecology stakeholders who work on citywide efforts to foster an enhanced connection between people and urban nature on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. For more information, visit the UVE initiative's  web site . 

As a Biophilic Cities member also active in the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, St. Louis joined with Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, and San Francisco to orchestrate a grant project that resulted in the development of an Urban Biodiversity Inventory Framework (UBIF). Several cities joined again to enhance the data collection aspects of UBIF, including the use of  iNaturalist  to help record, analyze, and assess biodiversity information in the urban environment. Cities are increasingly being recognized as important locations for local biodiversity, endangered species, and/or for providing key stopover sites for migratory species, especially birds. The UBIF methodology assists cities in monitoring species response to actions, such as restoration activities, designed to enhance urban biodiversity. The UBIF structure also allows cities to record changes in urban biodiversity over time. Birds are used as indicator species for specific habitats, along with other wildlife species, that the City most encourages community scientists and researchers to monitor for their presence/absence over time. Visit this  site  for the full list of indicator/surrogate species.  

For more information, contact Matt Barton at  matt@stlouisaudubon.org 

Partners: St. Louis Audubon Society, Saint Louis Zoo, the City of St. Louis

Photo: Courtesy of St. Louis Audubon Society and BirdSafeSTL

Habitat Conservation: When St. Louis was first designated as a UBT city, partners carried out three habitat restoration projects, totaling over 60 acres. The projects at Tower Grove Park and University City are part of much larger green spaces—equivalent to nearly 375 acres of potential migratory bird habitat. The third project occurred at the McKelvey Woods Nature Park, which is part of an urban wildlife corridor that extends at least two miles east into the suburban core and west to the Missouri River floodplain and the Creve Coeur Park IBA. Thus, these project areas have benefited the nearly 200 species of birds that use these urban habitats.

Tower Grove Park is an open green space amid the most densely populated and built up portion of the St. Louis metropolitan region. Over 200 species have been recorded in the park, which is widely known by the community as a Neotropical migratory bird magnet. Partners worked with volunteers to plant a variety of species native to the state of Missouri that provide food and shelter for birds and other wildlife species. These native plant species include: Virginia Snakeroot, Passion Flower Vine, Dutchman's Pipe, Ninebark, Paw Paw, Wafer Ash, American Beautyberry, Indian Cherry, Strawberry Bush, Flameleaf Sumac, Eastern Wahoo, Pasture Rose, Vernal Witch Hazel, Elderberry, Winterberry, Rusty Blackhaw, and Eastern red Cedar.

Partners also worked with the City of Maryland Heights to carry out a prairie restoration and interpretation plan for the McKelvey Woods Nature Park. The project involved removing the invasive Bush Honeysuckle and exotic vines, clearing out underbrush, and planting native grasses, shrubs, and trees. Incorporating boardwalk overlooks, interpretive signage, and nature trails was done to increase educational and recreational use and appreciation by the community. Community and school group volunteers helped with invasive vegetation removal and installation of trails which provided a sense of ownership and stewardship. In addition, partners restored a wet prairie just south of Hwy 364 and west of the large marsh pool known as Little Lake. In total, 20 acres was planted with a mix of native prairie grasses and forb species and an additional five acres was planted with mesic woodland species of bur, pin, and swamp white oak.

With the help of community volunteers, partners enhanced a Heman Park Bird Sanctuary and Garden located in an open courtyard space of University City’s Centennial Commons Recreational Complex. They incorporated a water feature that bubbles year-round and provides migrating birds with drinking water and a place to bathe. Partners further enhanced the garden by planting additional native trees, shrubs, and perennial flowers and feeders to attract migratory birds. Summer camps and other educational programs offered at the complex incorporate migratory bird education and awareness as part of the curriculum.

Community Engagement: Partners have engaged students and other community members in many habitat restoration activities, including those at Tower Grove Park, and park natural areas in Maryland Heights and University City. These volunteers and school groups helped carry out invasive species removal and native species plantings to restore woodlands, prairie, and wetland habitats. By creating such opportunities for community involvement, partners are helping to instill a sense of stewardship for these natural areas, increasing park access and aesthetics as well as improving people’s overall recreational experiences as they deepen their connections with nature.

Partners also are working to engage children and adult visitors to University City’s Centennial Complex in observing and tracking migratory birds. A bird registry was added that gives visitors an opportunity to record bird species sighted in the sanctuary. The registry is categorized by types of birds, gender, month and year so that students and other community members can understand more about the species that pass through the Complex at different times of year and those that occur at their own home ground. Along with sighting information from placards, bird scrap books, and interpretive signage, partners created educational literature that is available at the Complex for developing home bird gardens and record keeping techniques.

Partners have enhanced educational curricula offered through the Centennial Complex’s ongoing adult education and children’s summer camp programs. For example, partners developed specific programs that focus on creating your own home bird sanctuary and birdwatching as a hobby to enrich summer camp curricula. The youth summer camps reach over 500 school aged children each year. A key partner is the Green Center, an arts and environmental education organization dedicated to helping people understand and appreciate the natural world through hands-on experiences, restoring native habitats, and encouraging artistic expression.

For resources that provide information on birds and birdwatching in St. Louis, visit the city’s Urban Vitality and Ecology Initiative  web site . Here you will find tips and other information on birding in the St. Louis area, a bird checklist for the city, information on the St. Louis Urban Oasis IBA, and other resources to foster bird appreciation and recreation. 

Hazard Reduction: A recent study by Cornell Lab of Ornithology scientists examining a combination of geography and light pollution ranks St. Louis as the fifth most dangerous city during spring migration and the 6th most dangerous city during the fall migration. Another problem is that birds can’t see the glass as we do. When foraging during the day, birds can strike glass that reflects the trees or shrubs nearby when they seek shelter. Or they may try to fly through areas that are actually surrounded by glass barriers. In response to these stark realities, the St. Louis Audubon Society initiated the  BirdSafeSTL  project.

Starting with the fall migration period of 2020, a team of volunteers will survey an area of downtown St. Louis looking for dead or injured birds. This will help us identify and focus on areas of the downtown causing problems for birds. Working with the local business owners and tenants in the problem areas we will identify lighting, glass, or landscaping features likely tied to bird deaths. We will make specific recommendations to address the identified issues and guide them to additional resources to mitigate the identified problems.

By unanimously passing a resolution on April 6th, 2021 that was proposed in partnership by St. Louis Audubon Society and Lights Out Heartland, the county has taken an important step to protect migrating birds from the dangers of bright lights and skyglow. See resolution  here .

St. Louis County now joins the international community and other cities including Minneapolis, Chicago, Kansas City, and Indianapolis in sponsoring Lights Out projects to protect birds during migration. As St. Louis County is the most populous county in Missouri, the county’s commitment to reducing bird mortality by encouraging St. Louis County businesses, organizations, and residents to turn off exterior lighting during the high migration intensity months of May and September will provide safe passage for many migrating birds in our region.  

Springfield, Massachusetts

Designated: 2015 Treaty Signing Event: May 5, 2017 Status: Active

Description: Springfield is located along the eastern bank of the Connecticut River in southwestern Massachusetts, within the southern half of the 7.2 million acre Connecticut River Watershed. It is the urban core of the 5th largest metropolitan area in New England. Springfield is located along the Atlantic Flyway—the pathway that millions of migratory birds follow during their long-distance journeys north to breeding grounds in the spring and south to wintering areas in the fall. Many of these migrants follow rivers like the Connecticut and need safe places to rest and refuel along the way, especially those drawn into the lights of urban areas such as Springfield.

Located within the watershed is the legislated project area for the  Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge , where an  Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership for Springfield  is actively engaging local communities in bird-related conservation and science activities to not only ensure safe, healthy urban spaces for birds but for other wildlife and people as well. The partnership’s public education and engagement efforts are promoting a legacy of conservation to help ensure that local communities have opportunities to deepen their connection to local, wild places and are motivated to conserve and protect these natural areas for generations to come.

Springfield’s long history of industrialization and dense development have contributed substantially to its current level of environmental degradation. The Abbey Brook Conservation Area is the focus of the partnership’s habitat restoration and community monitoring projects. Abbey Brook is one of the most significant, intact stream systems in Springfield and feeds into the Chicopee River, which flows into the Connecticut River. The Brook suffers from impacts commonly associated with urban streams—uncontrolled storm water inputs, bank erosion, simplified structure, invasive plants, and litter. So conservation work benefitting Abbey Brook can have implications for the entire watershed and the wildlife it supports.

For more information, contact David Bloniarz at  dbloniarz@regreenspringfield.org .

Partners: Regreen Springfield, Springfield Science Museum, Springfield School Department, Springfield Parks Department, Gardening Community, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station, University of Massachusetts, Springfield ConCom, Pioneer V Planning Commission, Springfield Department of Public Works, MassAudubon, Allen Bird Club, Mount Holyoke College, Keep Springfield Beautiful, Springfield Conservation Commission, Friends of Fort River and Silvio O. Conte Refuge, Renaissance School, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Regenerative Design Group, Chicopee 4Rivers Watershed Council, Focus Springfield, Springfield School Department

Photo: Summer birding programs sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge staff and Springfield Department of Parks and Recreation. Courtesy of Springfield Dept. of Parks and Recreation.

Habitat Conservation: Springfield’s Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership is restoring ‘Neighborhood Habitat Refuges’ across the metropolitan area. These refuges provide small but important stopover habitats for migratory birds and places for community members to enjoy birds and engage in bird conservation and monitoring. Partners are promoting the long-term stewardship of these areas by engaging students and other community members in habitat restoration and monitoring and in learning about birds and other wildlife and ecological processes ongoing in their natural environments.

Partners are training and engaging students and other community members in removing invasive plants, such as garlic mustard, from more than 80 acres at Abbey Brook Conservation Area as well as from habitats in Forest Park and Van Horn Park. Partners and volunteers then work together to plant native berry-producing shrubs and trees to create important food and shelter for birds. Monitoring for early detection of invasive species is helping to eradicate new invaders before they became established.

Partners also are involving student interns in water quality monitoring of Abbey Brook, Van Horn Reservoir, and Porter Lake in Forest Park following riparian habitat restoration, erosion control, and stream stabilization. These restoration projects support overall ecosystem health, improving habitat for macroinvertebrates, reptiles, and amphibians, and enhancing stream bed resiliency, and water quality.

The Silvio O. Conte Refuge staff designated three Neighborhood Habitat Refuge areas— at the Springfield Science Museum, the Renaissance School, and STEM Middle Academy, churches, and other locations— where partners and community members worked together to plant wildlife gardens. These gardens host native plants that provide food and shelter, a water feature, and nestboxes. The museum’s garden demonstrates how people can create bird habitats at home, while the schoolyard habitats provide students with opportunities to learn about and connect with nearby nature and wildlife. More than 75 trees have been planted among all the bird habitat sites. Long term community monitoring of birds in these restored habitats are providing a metric of the success of each site.

As part of the Smithsonian’s  Neighborhood Nestwatch  program, staff, students and other community scientists are monitoring changes in the backyard and schoolyard bird communities, including annual survival and nest success. This monitoring information will allow an evaluation of the effectiveness of the habitat project and highlight areas that require additional habitat improvements as sites mature.

Partners also are utilizing the U.S. Forest Service urban forest assessment tool called  i-Tree  LANDSCAPE and ECO to conduct urban tree canopy assessments of six Neighborhood Habitat Refuge sites and the surrounding landscapes. Scientists conduct classroom and outdoor training and then host students and other community members on site visits to collect data. The models allow people to explore tree canopy, land cover, and basic demographics to learn about forest functions and values, including minimizing the urban heat island effect, providing bird and other wildlife habitats, reducing flooding, and improving water and air quality. Reports of analyses are provided to the community as part of the outreach and engagement components.

Community Engagement: Springfield partners sponsor a variety of educational programs for children such as 'Ecology of Urban Songbird' workshops, which engage 6-9th grade students at nine Springfield public schools. Each workshop includes 18-25 students and consists of three integrated 45-minute lessons on bird biology, including a banding demonstration, and exercises in population dynamics modeling and bird habitat planning. More than 250 students have participated in these workshops, held in Forest Park—Springfield’s largest 700-acre open space—following an introduction to program topics in the classroom.

In addition, partners are providing educational activities to students at several schools during after-school, summer, and vacation programs using Abbey Brook Conservation Area as an outdoor classroom for experiential learning. Partners also expanded birding and wildlife programming into Van Horn Park and Forest Park via the development of ‘outdoor adventure’ scavenger hunts that utilize the smartphone app called  ActionBound , which creates an interactive path for discovering bird, other wildlife, and habitat features in the parks. Over 850 acres of habitat are now being used for outreach education and experiential learning activities.

Partners have created the  Great Springfield Birding Trail  made up of 'birding hotspots' where people can participate in birdwatching. Partners developed and installed trail signage at each site and provide online information on how to access each site, travel directions, birds likely to be encountered, and linkages to other birding websites, and to the crowd-sourcing project eBird. Visit this  site  to view the online map. Partners also developed a logo for the Great Springfield Birding Trail, composed of a realistic skyline of Springfield with a Chimney Swift in flight. 

Hazard Reduction: Trash, recyclables, and large debris can pose significant harm to wildlife, and their removal creates an overall aesthetically pleasing natural area that is more welcoming to the visiting public and safer for birds and other wildlife. On April 21, 2018, partners coordinated with Keep Springfield Beautiful to sponsor an Earth Day Clean Up at Abbey Brook Conservation Area, where nearly 2,700 lbs of trash, recyclables, and debris were removed from the Abbey Brook Watershed. Thirty residents participated in this program along with many partners.