Sioux City recently received the Bird Friendly City Designation, and I thought it would be a good time to talk about the work we’ve put in to earn this prestigious designation and what initiatives we should look at to maintain it. It’s worth noting that Sioux City stands alone in this regard, as we are the only city on the western side of Iowa that has been able to accomplish this. Being positioned along a major migratory route makes it imperative that we work to maintain this designation and help protect our feathered friends for future generations.
As a city, we’re continuing to invest in environmentally conscious approaches and try to return our green spaces to a more natural state by investing in native plants and sustainable practices for filling those spaces. We continue to diversify our canopy. We’ve expanded our trail system and the number of parks, working towards a goal of having every resident be within a 15-minute walk away from a green space—a goal we are getting closer to every year!
Although many of these initiatives are aimed at residents’ quality of life, they have the unintended benefit of improving the lives of wildlife, as well. They also cut down on the amount of watering we need to do and increase the biodiversity in our area. Simply put, caring for our environment and developing our green spaces enriches everyone’s lives, including our feathered friends.
Now that we have this designation, how do we maintain it? We need to focus on more bird-friendly efforts. Many of these things are priorities we’ve already identified, like installing thoughtful downfacing lighting. Streetlights and lighting that point upward make it hard for birds to navigate and harm birds’ circadian rhythm. The type of light we use influences this, too, and that is detrimental to our circadian rhythm as well. So, this is an initiative that can lead to better public health.
We can also look at how we fill windows. Window collisions account for approximately 599 million bird deaths annually (median) in the United States. Putting up curtains or blinds can help birds identify windows more easily and help prevent needless deaths. Keeping our cats indoors, at least during migrations, can have a huge impact, too. Cats account for an average of 2.4 trillion bird deaths per year. At the bottom of the list, at 234 thousand bird deaths a year, are wind turbines. Despite the misconception that they are a leading cause, they are dwarfed by every other category.
If we continue to invest in our green spaces, protect our birds, and focus on healthier living for all, we’ll be sure to protect our city for future generations. We have a lot to be proud of in our city. Our designation as a Bird Friendly City is just one of our most recent accomplishments. Let’s keep up the good work of putting and keeping Sioux City on the map.
https://birdcity.org/iowa/siouxcity
By Matthew O’Kane
