Guelph is officially seeking recognition as a bird friendly city. City council unanimously approved a motion earlier this week in favour apply for the designation through Nature Canada.
The vote ratified a unanimous decision from council’s committee of the whole from earlier this month.
In order to be recognized as a bird friendly city, Nature Canada officials require municipalities to show they’re working to reduce human-related threats to birds; they’re taking steps to protect and restore bird habitat, with climate resilience in mind; and have undertaken community outreach and education efforts.
City staff feel Guelph meets those requirements, largely through natural heritage system policies and the city’s official plan, states a report to council.
The city also has urban design guidelines that aim to prevent bird-window collisions and has undertaken a variety of tree-planting efforts.
Following two rounds of public voting that ended on April 22, Guelph’s official bird was declared to be the black-capped chickadee. It received 1,656 votes, followed by 715 for the chimney swift and 407 for the green heron.
