Twin Cities Urban Bird Treaty, Minnesota Audubon, FWS funding and policy

Minnesota Audubon
mn.audubon.org
1/20/2012
Guide to Urban Bird Conservation for the Twin Cities
and Surrounding Seven County Area
downloadable pdf file: http://mn.audubon.org/sites/default/files/documents/twin-cities-urban-bird-guide_01-20-12.pdf

[excerpts - as always, read documents in entirety]

The preparation of this guide involved multiple agencies and individuals who are, and will continue to, further urban bird conservation through their various activities. ...

Project funding provided by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service ...

Priority Actions: There are five priorities which, if undertaken in the next five years, will improve bird conservation in the metro area and increase or protect bird populations.

1) Integrate Bird Conservation Activities
2) Improve Bird Habitat
3) Reduce Hazards to Birds
3.1) Bird-building Collisions
3.2) Aircraft Strike Hazards
3.3) Utility Infrastructure Hazards
[apparently a typo in the original document, there are two 3.3's!]
3.3) Unrestrained and Feral Cats - Unrestrained cats - including stray, feral, and free-roaming domestic cats – adversely impact birds and other small wildlife. Bird species most vulnerable to cat predation include: ground-nesting birds, tree nesting species during the fledging period, and birds en-route during migration when they are exhausted and unfamiliar with an area.
Actions: Discourage the practice of Trap, Neuter and Release Programs and promote a Cats Indoors program.
3.4a) Contaminants - Pesticides
3.4b) Contaminants - Lead
4) Increase Public Awareness
5) Support Research and Citizen Science Monitoring

[end excerpts]


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10 new cities were named Urban Bird Treaty cities [as AnimalResources shared with leading animal and cat advocates in July 2011, and recounted from my 2007 and/or earlier files that the Urban Bird Treaty of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Program requires:


"The city and their partners will not financially or through any ordinances support any Trap-Neuter Release programs for cats."]


There are impactful Trap-Neuter-Return programs or efforts in a number of these cities!

[excerpt from the July 2011 FWS Press Release]
The cities of Phoenix, Arizona; Kennedale, Texas; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Indianapolis, Indiana; Opelika, Alabama; Hartford, Connecticut; Ogden, Utah; Lewistown, Montana; San Francisco, California; and Washington D.C. have been named new Urban Bird Treaty Cities. These cities each will receive a challenge grant of up to a $70,000 from the Service. In addition, each existing Urban Bird Treaty city (Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; Portland, Oregon; St. Louis, Missouri; Nashville Tennessee; Anchorage, Alaska; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and New York, New York) will receive a grant of $10,000.00.

The Urban Bird Treaty cities and their partners develop and implement bird conservation projects and provide matching dollars and in-kind support. The Service provides the challenge grants and technical assistance.
[end excerpt]