[wisb] Bird City Wisconsin Reaches Out to North Woods Communities in Aug. 16 public meeting

From: "Carl Schwartz" <cschwartz3@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Wisconsin Birding Network" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:50:37 -0500
Aug. 16 Talk in Rhinelander Will Feature Live Birds, Raptor Educator, Wildlife 
Rehabilitator in Effort to Encourage Urban Bird Conservation
The Bird City Wisconsin recognition program will hold an informational meeting 
in Rhinelander on Thursday Aug. 16 to outline its unique statewide program to 
encourage urban bird conservation. The program already has honored 51 cities, 
villages, towns and counties in Wisconsin for their commitment to making their 
communities a better place for people, birds and other wildlife.

BCW state coordinator Carl Schwartz will be scouting out potential supporters 
for Bird City recognition efforts in communities throughout Vilas, Oneida, 
Forest, Florence and Langlade counties. The public presentation will be at 7 
p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16 in James Williams Middle School Auditorium, 915 Acacia 
Lane, Rhinelander.  

The state's birders will be especially welcome!

The program is being coordinated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural 
Resources and also will feature Marge Gibson of the Raptor Education Group in 
Antigo, who is bringing several educational birds as well as a display on lead 
poisoning and window strikes. Also on hand will be Mark Naniot from Wild 
Instincts, the only wildlife rehab center in northern Wisconsin licensed to 
handle all species of animals.

Marge and Don Gibson founded the Raptor Education Group in 1990. Marge has 
worked with wildlife for over 30 years, including on the California Condor 
Recovery Team and the Bald Eagle Capture and Health Assessment Program in 
Alaska after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. 

Thursday's program hopes to attract both public officials and interested 
citizens who belong to the area's nature centers, nature preserves, bird clubs, 
natural history museums, conservation organizations and agencies, garden clubs, 
eco-minded businesses, and chambers of commerce that can be effective partners 
for developing and implementing Bird City strategies.

Schwartz said his talk would outline the program's 22 diverse conservation 
criteria and suggest how communities can win recognition by meeting at least 
seven of them.

Participating in Bird City Wisconsin results in (1) improved habitat conditions 
for breeding and migrating birds; (2) sound management of urban forests; (3) 
reduced hazards for birds; (4) improved public understanding and appreciation 
of birds and their needs; (5) broad recognition of International Migratory Bird 
Day and the annual life-cycle of neo-tropical migrant birds; (6) active and 
coordinated engagement in conservation activities by organizations, 
individuals, schools, local government, and businesses; and (7) a strong sense 
of community pride in its conservation accomplishments and ethic.   

Noel Cutright, BCW Steering Committee member and founder of the Western Great 
Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory, says the BCW program, which is modeled on the 
Arbor Day Foundation's "Tree City USA" project, "provides an excellent vehicle 
for communities to harness the human connection with birds -- reaching beyond 
bird watchers to new and essential audiences."  

Kent Hall, another steering committee member and vice president of the Bluebird 
Restoration Association of Wisconsin, adds: "The Bird City Wisconsin initiative 
has done more to awaken municipal officials to the importance of bird 
conservation than any program I have been associated with in my 44 years in 
Wisconsin."

Bird City communities each receive a special Bird City Wisconsin flag, plaque 
and street signs to be erected at their boundaries. 



Carl Schwartz
Coordinator, Bird City Wisconsin
http://www.birdcitywisconsin.org
1111 E. Brown Deer Rd.
Bayside, WI 53217
414-416-3272
cschwartz3@xxxxxxxxx

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[wisb] Bird City Wisconsin Reaches Out to North Woods Communities in Aug. 16 public meeting

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