Here is the current status of our Bird City efforts.
The City of Houston, under Kelli Ondracek’s leadership as Natural Resources Manager, is applying to be a Bird City. Bird City Texas is a new program offered by Texas Parks and Wildlife and Audubon Texas. The program outlines a rigorous set of criteria incorporating three key areas: habitat enhancement and protection, community engagement, and safer spaces for birds. Because of Houston’s important location for birds and because of the widespread activities of many partners in these three areas, our application shows significant current impact and success. We have also identified areas for improvement that will require broad alignment and effort including outdoor cats, city plant lists, and the lights out initiative. We also believe that biodiverse, green infrastructure needs to be a key part of the City’s resilience and sustainability plans.
As partners and stakeholders, we invite you to learn more about Bird City and to help Houston achieve success.
We will be submitting our application this month, containing current accomplishments and future objectives. In early 2019, we plan to hold a Bird City Stakeholder Meeting to highlight community accomplishments and gather ideas on plans for the future. In the meantime, we welcome input and would be glad to share details with anyone interested in learning more.
Bird City Houston…it has a nice ring to it!
