Burlington Successfully Renews Bird Friendly Certification Awarded by Nature Canada
*Please see below a news release issued by Nature Canada and Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington.
Unceded Algonquin Territory - Ottawa, ON | May 22, 2024For International Day of Biological Diversity, Nature Canada is excited to announce that the City of Burlington has successfully renewed their Bird Friendly City Certification at Intermediate level (over 65% of points received).Birds play essential roles in our environments as indicator species. Their population declines can signal broader ecosystem shifts and represent the negative impacts of urbanization, biodiversity loss and climate change. Canadian municipalities of all sizes need to act now, and with their community, to protect, defend and restore their local bird populations for future generations to come. The City of Burlington has worked alongside Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington to advance bird-friendly practices and policies in the city, such as educating cat owners about the impacts of outdoor cats on birds, promoting Lights Out practices during migration, installing bird-friendly glass at new community centres while also encouraging the public to treat their own windows, and officially declaring the Trumpeter Swan as their Official City Bird! Learn more about their efforts here.
"This is great news for our city and thank you once again to the incredible work by Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington in their efforts to keep us a Bird Friendly City! Burlington continues to work to make our local airspace friendly to our avian community members, such as continuing the growth of our urban tree canopy, maintaining a firm urban boundary to conserve our natural heritage system and implementing bird-friendly design guidelines in our Official Plan and Sustainable Building and Development Guidelines. We will continue to do all that we can to ensure our feathered neighbours are safe and feel right at home in Burlington." -- Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward"As in the past, it is a delight that Burlington is being recognized again by Nature Canada as they renew Burlington's Bird Friendly City certification for another 2 years. Burlington community members, local organizations, schools, businesses, the City of Burlington, along with our Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington team have made this important award possible and will continue to improve the environment for birds." -- Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman, City of Burlington"We are thrilled that Nature Canada has renewed Burlington's Bird Friendly City certification! While there's still much work to be done, we are seeing continual progress each year. We are grateful for the collaborative support from Burlington City Council and city staff, our bird team partners, the community, and Nature Canada, as we continue to work for wild bird conservation and awareness locally." -- Dave Tourchin, Co-chair of Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington
Nature Canada’s Bird Friendly City Certification 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.
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.Nature Canada is Canada's voice for nature. For 80 years, Nature Canada has helped protect over 110 million acres of parks and wildlife areas in Canada and countless species. Today, Nature Canada represents a network of over 175,000 members and supporters and more than 1,200 nature organizations.RELATED LINK: