Halton Hills earns Nature Canada’s “Bird Friendly City” designation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Unceded Algonquin Territory – Ottawa, ON, 24 May, 2022 – Nature Canada is proud to announce Canada’s next certified Bird Friendly City, Halton Hills, ON. Halton Hills becomes the 14th municipality in Canada to earn the designation.
The Town of Halton Hills has worked in collaboration with Nature Canada’s partners including Halton Hills Nature, POWER, Credit Valley Conservation, along with many other community organizations to make their communities a safe haven for wild birds.
The Town of Halton Hills has implemented bird friendly policies and actions to help birds thrive in the municipality. These actions include:
- Establishing a “no-roam” by-law to reduce the impact of cat predation on wild bird population;
- Developing municipal strategies to protect natural features, biodiversity and key habitat, while implementing actions to achieve goals identified in the strategies;
- Providing opportunities to view, learn about, and appreciate wild birds around the city and get involved in activities for bird conservation.
The Bird Friendly City designation has been developed by Nature Canada to encourage Canadian cities and municipalities to become safer and better places for birds.
Birds play an essential role in maintaining healthy and resilient ecosystems in our communities and on our planet. But there are three billion fewer birds in North America today than 50 years ago. Much of these losses are caused by human activities. As urban expansion continues, cities must act quickly to ensure that North America’s bird populations are protected and supported. Nature Canada’s Bird Friendly City program encourages communities to take action to:
- reduce the number of human-related threats to birds such as roaming cats, the use of pesticides, and glass treatment on buildings with large windows,
- create safe environments for birds by promoting stewardship and ensuring that natural habitats are protected and restored,
- engage and educate citizens about the benefits of Bird Friendly Cities and celebrating birds in our communities.
In each municipality seeking to become Bird Friendly certified, Bird Teams are created and residents are actively engaged in protecting, monitoring and celebrating their local bird populations.
Nature Canada is pleased to acknowledge the support of Environment and Climate Change Canada for the Bird Friendly City program and World Migratory Bird Day. As part of the Bird Friendly City program, Bird Teams are encouraged to host World Migratory Bird Day events to celebrate welcoming migratory birds back into our neighborhoods each spring!
Quotes:
Aaron Keating, local birder and Halton/North Peel Naturalist club member
“I’m so excited that Halton Hills has qualified for Bird Friendly certification. I’m proud to be a member of the Bird Team and to share my passion for birds while raising awareness and being a part of protecting the birds that live in and migrate through our area. Birds inspire us, connect us to nature and are a critical part of our ecosystem. It’s great to see our community taking steps to foster an environment where birds can be protected and admired by our residents.”
Chantal Garneau, local nature meditation teacher, and director of community engagement of POWER (Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources)
“This certification highlights and celebrates years of collaborative community efforts to preserve, protect, and restore the natural heritage and ecosystems in Halton Hills. From town council and staff, to grassroots community groups and volunteers we all make a difference. In particular I’d like to acknowledge and thank Leslie Adams and Christine Upton, mentors of mine, who were early champions of town policies that reflect the importance of protecting and enhancing biodiversity in Halton Hills.”
“Being bird friendly is positive and actionable. Maybe we can’t do everything, but each of us can do something. And right now positive actions that make a difference are really needed.”
“Julie Power, an amazing local woman committed to supporting pollinators, shared a link to the certification in a Facebook group and there was a lot of interest so I stepped up and said “let’s do this”. The support and enthusiasm for this project is encouraging and we hope more and more residents and community groups get involved.”
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