Chadds Ford Township is considering becoming a Bird Town Pennsylvania municipality. Heidi Shiver, president of Bird Town Pennsylvania, made a Zoom presentation to the board during its Feb. 25 workshop meeting.
Bird Town Pennsylvania works in partnership with local municipalities and like-minded organizations to promote community-based conservation actions to create a healthier, more sustainable environment for birds, wildlife, and people,” she said in explaining what Bird Town does.
She said the group has been working in the state for more than 14 years and has developed 99 programs in 17 counties. Municipalities such as Concord are already part of Bird Town Pennsylvania.
Shiver said there are major threats to bird populations, including loss of habitat, cats, window collisions, pesticides, and several more. She said Bird Town addresses these issues by holding native plant pop-up gardens, sales and swaps, installing demonstration native plant, pollinator, and rain gardens, supporting and running citizen science programs, and educating about invasive plants and running workshops for their removal.
Shiver went on to say that Bird Town provides municipalities with a “framework for community networking with other Bird Towns and conservation partners that includes avenues of communication. Events, volunteer opportunities, community science projects and more.”
There are also training workshops for Bird Town leaders and backyard habitat recognition programs.
To get involved with Bird Town, municipalities should set up a meeting to review the process, form a committee of at least three people, pay a one-time application fee of$100, submit an application form, and pass a municipal resolution in support of Bird Town.
Following Shiver’s presentation, Supervisors Chairman Timotha Trigg questioned her about some things on Bird Town’s website. Specifically, she mentioned the group suggests passing ordinances regarding native plants, weed ordinances, dog-leash ordinances, and cat ordinances requiring cats to be kept inside, on a leash, or in an enclosure.
Shiver responded, saying, “These are all recommendations. These are just suggested activities and actions. These are things you don’t have to do.”
Supervisor Samantha Reiner said the Open Space Committee has recommended taking part.
“The Open Space Committee believes this initiative aligns with the township’s open space plan,” she said.
Helene Badeau, the vice chair of the Open Space Committee, said later that any effort with regard to Bird Town would be voluntary but added that there are some suggestions that are ordinance-related.
But Trigg asked a specific question: “What exactly are you asking from the township…What are you going to come to us for next year? What are you looking for?”
Badeau responded, saying, “The initial step in the process is the adoption of the municipal resolution. Any sort of go-forward activities that would require support from the municipality would be something that, you know, is volunteer-led. If we had an idea to pursue that would require municipal support, we would pursue that.”
She said most of the efforts they’ve considered are all volunteer-led.
After several other residents spoke, Trigg said she was torn. She said she would like to support the idea because it’s worthwhile, but added, “Bird Town is a municipal program and, as a municipality, our responsibilities are really different than what you’re trying to do.”
She said she’s trying to see how the township can support the effort in a responsible way, but has a problem with teaming up with an organization that calls for municipalities to change ordinances.
Supervisors’ Vice Chair Kathleen Goodier said this was the first time the board had seen the concept and that “This is a lot to chew on.”
The board made no decision on the suggested resolution but will consider it at a later date.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
