Nature Canada celebrates World Migratory Bird Day 2022 with 12 Bird Friendly Cities
The Bird Friendly City certification encourages Canadian municipalities to protect bird populations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Unceded Algonquin Territory – Ottawa, ON, May 13, 2022 – Nature Canada is celebrating World Migratory Bird Day tomorrow by announcing that a dozen Canadian cities have earned the Bird Friendly City designation.
The Bird Friendly City program, which became available in 2020, is a certification program with the goal of making Canada’s cities safer for birds. With populations of North American birds dropping 25 percent in the last 50 years, steps must be taken to reverse the decline. The first to take them on a city or municipality-wide basis are:
- Toronto, ON
- Vancouver, BC
- London, ON
- Calgary, AB
- Regina, SK
- Hamilton, ON
- Burlington, ON
- Edmonton, AB
- Saanich, BC
- Lions Bay, BC
- Peterborough, ON
- Strathcona County, AB
“Protecting birds has always been a core value of Nature Canada.” says Aly Hyder Ali, lead organizer for the Bird Friendly City program. “This bird day we want to applaud and thank these cities and the local teams that continue to work hard for their birds. We are delighted with the growth of the Bird Friendly City program and anticipate many more municipalities will join this list soon. ”
Each city or municipality in the program is led by their own Bird Team to take initiatives to protect nature, mitigate threats to birds, and put policies in place to protect birds. Residents in these communities take part by following the policies and taking action, like monitoring and admiring local bird populations.
Some of the policies in place are:
- Protecting and restoring natural habitat
- Commitment to mitigating climate change
- Educational campaigns to raise awareness
- Providing opportunities to residents to learn about birds and get involved with their conservation
- Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day
World Migratory Bird Day is officially celebrated twice a year. In Canada and the U.S., it’s on the second Saturday of May (May 14th, 2022). In Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, it’s on the second Saturday of October (October 8th, 2022). World Migratory Bird Day brings awareness to the importance of birds and defending their populations, and encourages people to mitigate threats to birds and to protect their habitat. Their website provides resources for bird education and for celebrating this special day, along with steps individuals can take to follow the yearly conservation theme. This year, the theme is “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night,” and focuses on reducing the impacts of light pollution on migratory birds.
Additional Resources:
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For more information contact:
Scott Mullenix
media@naturecanada.ca
