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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 06/21/2022 - RESOLUTION 2022-061 SUPPORTING THE CELEBRATION OF Agenda Item 13 Item # 13 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY June 21, 2022 City Council STAFF Katie Donahue, Natural Areas Director Zoe Shark, Natural Areas Public Engagement Manager Ingrid Decker, Legal SUBJECT Resolution 2022-061 Supporting the Celebration of World Migratory Bird Day and the City's Application to be Certified as a Bird City to Help Bird Species Recover. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to adopt a Resolution expressing Council’s priority to help bird species recover by confirming the City's commitment to celebrating World Migratory Bird Day in 2022 and in the future. The Resolution also strongly supports the City organization and community partners in applying for Bird City certification. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION This item acknowledges the importance of avian life and the immense value that the community has for birds and the habitats that support bird populations. It documents that the Fort Collins community has invested in creating a network of conserved natural areas and parks that provide important habitat for birds. The community has also provided for the restoration and maintenance of these community treasures. The community’s existing work that supports birds includes efforts to preserve dark skies through best practices in outdoor lighting, model lighting codes, and night sky monitoring. The Resolution recognizes that community members who are enthusiastic about birds, and who are informed about the threats they face, can be empowered to help address those threats. The Bird City designation is a prestigious award given by Environment for the Americas, a Boulder, Colorado- based non-profit organization. Their mission is to connect diverse people to birds and nature and inspire the next generation of conservationists. The Bird City application consists of 64 questions/criteria, across six categories: Habitat Creation, Protection and Monitoring, Community Forest or Grassland Management, Limiting or Removing Threats to Birds, Public Education and Inclusion, Climate, Energy, and Sustainability, and World Migratory Bird Day. At least eight criteria/questions must be achieved. The collaborative team working on the application believes “High Flyer” Status, an even more rigorous certification, is likely due to the strength of the community’s bird conservation actions. In addition to written responses to the Bird City application questions/criteria, a resolution and celebration of World Migratory Bird Day are required application components. World Migratory Bird Day is officially the second Saturday in May, however its observance is not limited to a single day, and planners are encouraged to schedule activities on the dates best suited to the presence of both Agenda Item 13 Item # 13 Page 2 bird migrants and celebrants. In 2022, the City of Fort Collins celebrated World Migratory Bird Day on May 14 with a successful series of activities that included: • Bird Banding and Birding Walks at Pineridge Natural Area Eighty-six people enjoyed seeing birds up close with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies as they banded birds. Community members also participated in bird walks led by Fort Collins Natural Areas Volunteer Naturalists. • Bird Box Decorating at Primrose Studio at Reservoir Ridge Natural Area Twenty-nine residents joined the Northern Colorado Wildlife Center and City of Fort Collins Natural Areas to decorate a bird box of their very own to provide additional habitat for local birds. • Night Sky-Friendly Lighting and Owling Walks at Bobcat Ridge Natural Area Forty-two community members learned how to help local bird life and other wildlife with night sky friendly lighting with the City of Fort Collins and Fort Collins Audubon Society. Then they a night hiked with expert Volunteer Naturalists and ecologists to look for owls and other birds. World Migratory Bird Day 2022 events were made possible by a collaborative between these partners: ▪ Bird Conservancy of the Rockies ▪ City of Fort Collins Natural Areas ▪ City of Fort Collins Utilities ▪ Fort Collins Audubon Society ▪ Northern Colorado Wildlife Center CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS The Bird City certification application has been collaboratively developed by existing staff and community volunteers who contributed their time free of charge. The application fee of $200 will be paid by the Natural Areas Department. World Migratory Bird Day celebratory activities were offered in May, 2022 free of charge. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION The Land Conservation and Stewardship Board recommended support for the resolution at their May 11, 2022 meeting. PUBLIC OUTREACH This resolution reflects City Council’s priority and thus the will of their constituents. ATTACHMENTS 1. Land Conservation & Stewardship Board Minutes (excerpt) (PDF) Land Conservation & Stewardship Board May 11, 2022 Regular Meeting – Excerpt 05/11/2022 – MINUTES Page 1 Zoë Shark, Public Engagement Manager is requesting support for a resolution that is scheduled to be considered by City Council on June 21, 2022. The resolution would help bird species recover by supporting the celebration of World Migratory Bird Day and applying to be certified as a Bird City. Zoë described the application as a lengthy process that includes four City departments (Natural Areas, Environmental Services, Gardens on Spring Creek, and Parks) and several community organi zations (Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Audubon Rockies, and Fort Collins Audubon). Required application elements are celebrating World Migratory Bird Day and a resolution by City Council. The Bird City application is on track to be submitted by the July 1 deadline. Member Cunniff made a motion that the LCSB support City Council in approving a resolution and related actions to help bird species recover by supporting the celebration of World Migratory Bird Day and applying to be certified as a Bird City. Member Lopez seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved 8-0 ATTACHMENT 1 -1- RESOLUTION 2022-061 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS SUPPORTING THE CELEBRATION OF WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY AND THE CITY’S APPLICATION TO BE CERTIFIED AS A BIRD CITY TO HELP BIRD SPECIES RECOVER WHEREAS, birds are an essential part of natural ecosystems: pollinating plants, dispersing seeds, and keeping populations of insects, rodents and other small animals in check, mitigating damage to crops and ornamental plants without the use of pesticides; and WHEREAS, migratory songbirds are celebrated as symbolic harbingers of spring; and WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, over 40 million people in the United States participate in birdwatching as a form of outdoor recreation that is inexpensive, appropriate for all ages, and provides a connection to and appreciation of the natural world; and WHEREAS, recent studies show that migratory bird populations are declining globally due to loss and degradation of natural habitats and increasing threats along their migration routes, with bird populations declining by nearly 3 billion in the last fifty years in North America alone; and WHEREAS, the City Council has identified “Help Bird Species Recover” as a priority; and WHEREAS, the Fort Collins community supports natural habitat conservation and restoration and has invested in creating and maintaining habitat through the City’s Open Space Yes dedicated sales tax for acquisition and conservation of open lands by the City’s Natural Areas Department, as well as the City’s network of parks, and the Nature in the City program; and WHEREAS, community members who are enthusiastic about birds, informed about the threats faced, and knowledgeable on ways to help, can directly contribute to the City Council’s priority to help bird species recover; and WHEREAS, the City’s Natural Areas Department has been collaborating with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, the Northern Colorado Wildlife Center and Fort Collins Audubon Society (“Community Partners”) on applying to Environment for the Americas to have Fort Collins certified as a “Bird City”; and WHEREAS, Environment for the Americas is a Boulder-based nonprofit whose mission is to connect diverse people to birds and nature and inspire the next generation of conservationists by connecting diverse people to nature and to the protection of birds and their habitats; and WHEREAS, Lafayette, Colorado became the first official “Bird City” in Colorado in 2019; and -2- WHEREAS, becoming a designated Bird City demonstrates a commitment to conserve native bird species and their habitats; and WHEREAS, to be certified as a Bird City, a community must complete a written application consisting of 64 questions/criteria, at least eight of which the applicant must show have been achieved, across six categories: Habitat Creation, Protection and Monitoring, Community Forest or Grassland Management, Limiting or Removing Threats to Birds, Public Education and Inclusion, Climate, Energy, and Sustainability, and World Migratory Bird Day; and WHEREAS, the Bird City application process requires that the City Council has adopted a resolution to recognize World Migratory Bird Day (“WMBD”); and WHEREAS, WMBD is an annual campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats, raising global awareness of the threats faced by migratory birds, their ecological importance, and the need for international cooperation to conserve them; and WHEREAS, every year people around the world organize public events such as bird festivals, education programs, exhibitions and bird-watching excursions to celebrate WMBD; and WHEREAS, while WMBD is officially held each year on the second Saturday in May, its observance is not limited to a single day, and planners are encouraged to schedule activities on the dates best suited to the presence of both migrant birds and celebrants; and WHEREAS, the theme for the WMBD 2022 campaign is light pollution, as artificial light is increasing globally at least 2% per year, and is known to adversely affect many bird species, posing an especially significant threat to migratory birds; and WHEREAS, in 2016 the City Council adopted Resolution 2016-074 expressing the Council’s intent and general policy considerations regarding night sky objectives, and the City is already working to preserve dark skies through best practices in outdoor lighting, model lighting codes, and night-sky monitoring; and WHEREAS, the Natural Areas Department recognized WMBD on May 14, 2022, with various birding activities in collaboration with the Community Partners and Fort Collins Utilities; and WHEREAS, at its regular meeting on May 11, 2022, the Land Conservation and Stewardship Board voted to support City Council in approving a resolution and related actions to help bird species recover by supporting the celebration of World Migratory Bird Day and applying to be certified as a Bird City; and -3- WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to support World Migratory Bird Day and the application to designate Fort Collins as a Bird City. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. Section 2. That the City Council recognizes and supports the celebration of World Migratory Bird Day in 2022 and each year in the future, and encourages all City residents to support efforts to protect and conserve migratory birds and their habitats in our community and the rest of the world. Section 3. That the City Council strongly supports night sky protection for both wildlife and people. Section 4. That the City Council supports the Fort Collins community’s application to be designated as a Bird City and authorizes the Interim City Manager or their designee to sign such application on behalf of the City. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 21st day of June, A.D. 2022. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk