BSBO's Bird-safe / Birder-friendly Community Initiative
Northern Parula image courtesy of Brian Zwiebel
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In order to help make northwest Ohio communities safer for birds and more appealing to birders, BSBO has developed a new Bird-safe / Birder-friendly Community program. This long-term, multi-phased initiative will address numerous threats to birds, including:
1) Building collisions 2) Feral and free-roaming cats 3) Balloon and lantern releases 4) Discarded fishing line * The initiative will also include promotion of the use of native plants It is the hope of the BSBO Conservation Committee that working with the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative, we can build a model that can be used to support similar programs across Ohio. |
Bird-safe / Birder-friendly Toledo
Building collisions are a leading cause of bird fatality during migration in North America, estimated to kill 550 million birds each year. So, in Toledo we began by partnering with the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative (OBCI) to encourage Toledo and Lucas County officials to become part of OBCI’s statewide “Ohio Lights Out” program. This program helps tall buildings downtown to turn off upper-story and decorative lighting during the spring and fall migration seasons.
The Lucas County Commissioners and the County Sustainability Commission already have endorsed the BSBO Bird-safe / Birder-friendly initiative through a resolution that passed unanimously on March 27. On May 22, 2018, Toledo City Council unanimously passed a similar resolution to reduce the number of bird fatalities that take place in Ohio each year during peak spring and fall migratory periods.
BSBO continues to partner with other organizations to grow this initiative.
The Lucas County Commissioners and the County Sustainability Commission already have endorsed the BSBO Bird-safe / Birder-friendly initiative through a resolution that passed unanimously on March 27. On May 22, 2018, Toledo City Council unanimously passed a similar resolution to reduce the number of bird fatalities that take place in Ohio each year during peak spring and fall migratory periods.
BSBO continues to partner with other organizations to grow this initiative.
Bird-safe / Birder-friendly Oak Harbor
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After months of effort, the BSBO Conservation Committee is thrilled to announce that on October 15, the Oak Harbor Village Council voted unanimously to approve legislation banning roaming cats and outdoor feeding stations.
In June 2017, the BSBO Conservation Committee convened a working group to address the disturbing number of roaming cats in the Village of Oak Harbor, Ohio. While the effort focused primarily on the risk to human health and the rights of property owners in the village, banning roaming cats has the important added benefit of saving native birds and wildlife.
BSBO presented the initial draft legislation and brought an impressive range of experts and community leaders to the working group, including a local veterinarian, attorneys, village administration and council members, local cat shelter directors, and the director of the Chamber of Commerce. The group researched legislation passed by other cities and municipalities, and presented a reasonable, well-researched, and enforceable legislation to village council. The law forbids providing a “regular” outdoor feeding or watering area, and lists persistent howling, noxious odors from defecating and urinating, and damage to vegetation among possible complaints to legally address.
This is a huge victory for bird conservation! We hope the legislation will serve as a model for other areas dealing with this serious problem.
Domestic cats make wonderful companions when kept indoors or allowed outside only when confined. When allowed to roam, they are nonnative predators that kill billions of birds each year. (Yes, billions with a B.) The more we can work towards a reasonable solution the more it benefits birds, people, and the cats, too! We hope the legislation will serve as a model for other areas dealing with this serious problem.
CLICK HERE to read the legislation in its entirety.
In June 2017, the BSBO Conservation Committee convened a working group to address the disturbing number of roaming cats in the Village of Oak Harbor, Ohio. While the effort focused primarily on the risk to human health and the rights of property owners in the village, banning roaming cats has the important added benefit of saving native birds and wildlife.
BSBO presented the initial draft legislation and brought an impressive range of experts and community leaders to the working group, including a local veterinarian, attorneys, village administration and council members, local cat shelter directors, and the director of the Chamber of Commerce. The group researched legislation passed by other cities and municipalities, and presented a reasonable, well-researched, and enforceable legislation to village council. The law forbids providing a “regular” outdoor feeding or watering area, and lists persistent howling, noxious odors from defecating and urinating, and damage to vegetation among possible complaints to legally address.
This is a huge victory for bird conservation! We hope the legislation will serve as a model for other areas dealing with this serious problem.
Domestic cats make wonderful companions when kept indoors or allowed outside only when confined. When allowed to roam, they are nonnative predators that kill billions of birds each year. (Yes, billions with a B.) The more we can work towards a reasonable solution the more it benefits birds, people, and the cats, too! We hope the legislation will serve as a model for other areas dealing with this serious problem.
CLICK HERE to read the legislation in its entirety.