DEPARTMENT: Sustainability
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Douglas Melnick, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Resolution recognizing World Migratory Bird Day
SUMMARY:
This item will approve a Resolution annually recognizing World Migratory Bird Day. This item will also show support to local organizations in their efforts toward a acquiring a Bird City Texas Designation from the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Migratory birds are some of the most beautiful and easily observed wildlife that share our communities. Most citizens recognize and welcome migratory songbirds as symbolic harbingers of spring and fall.
The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center created World Migratory Bird Day in 1993 as an educational campaign to emphasize migratory bird conservation and raise public awareness of the nearly 350 species that travel between habitats throughout North America and their wintering grounds in South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the southern U.S.
One of the North American migratory flyways cuts through San Antonio, providing special opportunities for residents and tourists alike to witness and appreciate bird migration, the varied bird species it brings through our community, and the value of conservation efforts. The City’s location at the confluence of the Post Oak Savannah, South Texas Plains, Blackland Prairie, and Edwards Plateau ecoregions enables important nesting habitat for migratory birds, including two highly endangered species: the Black-capped Vireo and the Golden-cheeked Warbler.
Bird migration is interconnected with delicate local ecosystems, serving to control insect pest populations, support pollination, and foster seed dispersal. Migratory birds face the challenges of diminishing migratory habitats in the Americas and increased dangers on their migration routes. Our City and community have a proud of history of conservation efforts and the City of San Antonio’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan prioritizes biodiversity and healthy ecosystems and protecting vulnerable species through active conservation efforts is a fundamental strategy for urban resilience and natural resource regeneration.
Educational campaigns and public awareness for migratory birds are essential elements of migratory bird conservation, and it would be impactful for San Antonio to add its voice to the global conversation surrounding this celebration of and urgent need for migratory bird conservation. Migratory bird conservation efforts help protect the birdwatching industry in our community and across the U.S., which generates millions in recreational dollars annually.
A Resolution recognizing WMBD will assist local community organizations such as Bird City Texas - San Antonio and the Bexar Audubon Society in acquiring a Bird City Texas Designation for San Antonio, elevating our profile for conservation and birdwatching and catalyzing birding tourism.
While WMBD officially is held each year on the second Saturday in May, its observance is not limited to a single day, and community planners are encouraged to schedule activities on the dates best suited to the presence of both migrants and celebrants. WMBD is not only a day to foster appreciation for wild birds and to celebrate and support migratory bird conservation, but also it is a call to action for the community to understand, recognize, and care for our migratory bird life
ISSUE:
A Resolution recognizing WMBD will assist local community organizations such as Bird City Texas - San Antonio and the Bexar Audubon Society in acquiring a Bird City Texas Designation for San Antonio, elevating our profile for conservation and birdwatching and catalyzing birding tourism.
ALTERNATIVES:
The City could explore other ways to recognize World Migratory Bird Day; however, it would lose an opportunity to support migratory bird conservation.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of this Resolution annually recognizing World Migratory Bird Day and to support to local organizations in their efforts toward a acquiring a Bird City Texas Designation from the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife