PRESS ROOM

ROYAL OAK, Mich., 

Partners in the Metro Detroit Nature Network will flock together to sign an Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds, designating Metro Detroit an Urban Bird Treaty area. The signing ceremony – including representatives from the City of Detroit, Detroit Audubon, the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS), the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Midwest Regional Office and Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge – will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 22, 2017, at the Michigan DNR’s Outdoor Adventure Center, 1801 Atwater St., in Detroit.

The Urban Bird Treaty will recognize Metro Detroit’s migratory bird conservation and education initiatives, and celebrate the renewed commitment of partners to develop programs to protect birds and their habitats, as well as connect people to the natural world.

“The Urban Bird Treaty will encourage citizens of Metro Detroit to connect to nature through birding opportunities and conservation,” said John H. Hartig, Refuge Manager, USFWS Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. “This program is a win for both people and wildlife.”

Launched in 1999, the Urban Bird Treaty program is a collaborative effort among federal, state and municipal agencies, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions to create bird-friendly environments and provide citizens, especially youth, with opportunities to connect with nature through birding and conservation. The program emphasizes habitat conservation through invasive species control, native plant restoration, bird-safe building programs, bird and habitat monitoring and education programs. Metro Detroit becomes the 29th Urban Bird Treaty area in the United States.

The DZS encourages the community through educational literature to take preventative measures to protect migratory birds from window strikes, which occur when a bird collides with a window and dies. An estimated 365-988 million birds in the U.S. are killed from window collisions each year.

“Conservation of species is part of the mission of the DZS,” said DZS Chief Life Sciences Officer Scott Carter. “Partnering in the Urban Bird Treaty program reinforces our commitment to protect wildlife and conserve habitats outside of our 125 acres.”

The Metro Detroit Nature Network is a voluntary partnership of conservation and outdoor recreational organizations working to bring conservation to cities and make nature part of everyday urban life. Other partner organizations include Oakland County Parks, University of Michigan-Dearborn, The Nature Conservancy, Friends of the Detroit River, International Wildlife Alliance, Six Rivers Land Conservancy, Michigan Recreation and Park Association, Greening of Detroit, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and Macomb County Parks.