U.S. Fish, Wildlife Service to Designate New Haven as Urban Bird Treaty City

From the City of New Haven:

The city of New Haven has announced the official designation by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an Urban Bird Treaty city. Mayor Toni Harp and community partners will sign an Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds. The designation ceremony is part of a day-long celebration of International Migratory Bird Day and the centennial anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The celebration is scheduled for Saturday, May 14 from noon to 1 p.m. The International Migratory Bird Day festival will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the College Woods Green near East ROck Park Ranger Station, 41 Cold Spring St.

Remarks and treaty signing with elected officials, neighborhood partners and Common Ground students participating in the program, as well as live birds of prey, will serve as opportunities for press availability and photo opportunity.

With this designation, New Haven will become one of 26 urban bird treaty cities in the country and the second in Connecticut. The Urban Bird Treaty program is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and participating U.S. cities that brings together private citizens, federal, state and municipal agencies as well as non-governmental organizations to conserve migratory birds.

This designation is a result of efforts to create “Urban Oases” in schools, parks and yards across New Haven. Audubon Connecticut was awarded an Urban Bird Treaty grant of $49,993 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in support of work it is undertaking with project partners to implement the programmatic elements of this forthcoming designation. Project partners include Audubon Connecticut, Common Ground High School, Urban Farm and Environmental Center, Yale Urban Resources Initiative, the City of New Haven Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees, Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New England Coastal Program, Yale Peabody Museum, Menunkatuck Audubon Society, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven Land Trust and New Haven Public Schools. Together, we are connecting people and habitats, restoring open spaces, improving water quality in Long Island Sound and inspiring the next generation of conservation leaders.

In 2012, the Urban Oases program was designated by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as one of the first Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership Programs in the country, officially titled “The New Haven Harbor Watershed Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership.”

Attending figures are as followed: U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (invited); U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (invited); U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (invited); Mayor Toni Harp (confirmed); U.S. State Senators Martin Looney, Gary Winfield, Marilyn Moore, Ted Kennedy and Clark Chapin (invited); U.S. State Representatives Patricia Dillon (confirmed); James Albis (invited); David Arconti (invited); John Shaban (invited); Toni Walker (invited); Robyn Porter (invited); Lou Esposito (invited); Juan Candelaria (invited); Phil Miller (invited); Roland Lemar (invited); Robert Megna (invited); USFWS Chief of Migratory Birds, Pam Toschik (confirmed); CT DEEP Wildlife Biologist, Jenny Dickson (confirmed); USFWS Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, Audubon Connecticut, Common Ground High School, Environmental Center and Urban Farm; Menunkatuck Audubon Society; New Haven Department of Parks, Recreation & Trees; Yale Urban Resources Initiative; Yale Peabody Museum; New Haven Land Trust; Friends of Beaver Ponds Park and other community partners.