Urban Bird Treaty Program Guidebook

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Urban Bird Treaty
Program Guidebook V.3

OMB Control No. 1018-####
Expires ##/##/####

Making Cities Healthier Places for Birds and People

January 2020
UBT Program Guidebook | 1

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service alone cannot achieve
the conservation of migratory birds—
it will take the collective and coordinated efforts
of thousands of partner organizations
and communities to do this.
Birds are everywhere
and we all have a responsibility
to act on their behalf.
The more clearly we can focus our attention
on the wonders and realities of the universe
about us the less taste we shall have
for the destruction of our race.
— Rachel Carson

2 | UBT Program Guidebook

Acknowledgements
Gratitude to all the partners working in Urban Bird Treaty cities on projects to conserve urban birds and their
habitats for the benefit of these incredible species, other wildlife, and people, especially future generations
who will be able to enjoy the beauty and wonder of birds and natural areas in their cities.
Gratitude to members of the Urban Bird Treaty Evaluation Team for all their efforts in developing the program
changes that are reflected in this updated guidebook. Thank you to all the Service staff who participated in
the UBT Self-Assessment and to all the UBT partners who participated in the Partner Assessment. Thanks to
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Human Dimensions Branch, the National Wildlife Refuge System Visitor’s
Services and Communication leadership and staff, and DJ Case and Associates for developing the Partner
Assessment tool. Thank you to the Migratory Bird Leadership Team for all their support in helping move the
UBT program forward. Thanks to all the leadership and staff of the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program for
their ongoing support of and collaboration with the Urban Bird Treaty program at all levels. Special thanks to
Nanette Seto for her leadership and support of the UBT Program and its evolution. Special thanks to all the
leadership and staff of the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, especially Angelina Yost, for their ongoing
support of and collaboration with the Urban Bird Treaty program at all levels. Thank you to Kristin Madden
(USFWS), Chelsi Burns (USFWS), Scott Schwenk (USFWS), John Rowden (National Audubon Society), and Bryan
Lenz (American Bird Conservancy) for their helpful comments and edits on drafts of this guidebook. And last
but not least, gratitude to Deb Reynolds, USFWS Migratory Bird Program for her expertise in designing and
formatting this publication.
Author: Roxanne E. Bogart, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Program
CItation: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2020). Urban Bird Treaty Program Guidebook V.3: Making Cities
Healthier Places for Birds and People. Hadley, MA.
Cover photo: Philadelphia hosts an extensive system of urban parks and green spaces. USFWS
Photo to the left: The female Northern Cardinal is one of only a few female North American songbirds that sings, which she does often
while sitting on the nest. Jane Gamble
Back Cover: Children walking in the woods with an adult. USFWS

UBT Program Guidebook | 3

Table of Contents
I. Introduction to the Urban Bird Treaty Program�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5

1. Purpose of the UBT Program������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 5
2. Making a Difference for Urban Birds������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 6
3. The Importance of Birds and Their Habitats to People���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
4. The Importance of Green Space to Urban Communities������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
5. Why Become an Urban Bird Treaty City?������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 8
II. Urban Bird Treaty Designation Program Information��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9
1. How to Apply for UBT City Designation�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9
2. Resources for Implementation Plan Development���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9
3. Signing Ceremonies and Anniversary Celebrations������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10
4. UBT City Network Benefits������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11
5. UBT City Reporting Requirements�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11
III. Urban Bird Treaty Grant Program Information������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 12

1. NFWF Five Star Program Description���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12
2. UBT Grant Program Details������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 12
3. Examples of Funded Activities�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
4. Sources of Additional Funding for Community-based Conservation������������������������������������������������������ 14
IV. Urban Bird Treaty Program Goal Descriptions������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 15
1. Protect, Restore, and Enhance Urban Habitats for Birds����������������������������������������������������������������������� 15
a. The Importance of Urban Habitats to Birds�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15
b. Habitats Urban Birds Need�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15
c. Considering Effects on People���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16
d. Urban Birds to Target for Habitat ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17
2. Reduce Urban Hazards to Birds������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 17
a. Hazards to Birds in Urban Areas������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17
b. Reducing Urban Hazards to Birds ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18
c. Influencing Human Behavior������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 19
d. Urban Hazards to Focus On ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19
3. Educate and Engage Urban Communities in Caring About and Conserving Urban Birds and their Habitats����� 22
a. Why Engage Local Communities������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 22
b. Types of Community Activities �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 23
V. Urban Bird Treaty Program Informational Resources�������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24
1. Conserve Urban Habitats for Birds������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24
2. Reduce Urban Hazards for Birds����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
3. Community Education and Engagement ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 29
VI. Urban Wildlife Conservation Program Standards of Excellence������������������������������������������������������ 33
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I. Introduction to the UBT Program
1. Purpose of the UBT Program
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) created the Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds program
(Urban Bird Treaty or UBT, https://www.fws.gov/birds/grants/urban-bird-treaty.php) to support partnerships
of local, state, and federal government agencies, non-profit organizations, corporations, and local communities
in conserving birds that live in and migrate through urban areas. The program has the dual focus of carrying
out bird conservation while educating and engaging local communities in caring about and conserving birds
and habitats in their neighborhoods and cities. The Service launched the UBT program in 1999 and signed
the first two treaties with New Orleans and Chicago.
Visit the UBT Story Map for example treaties
The treaty is a partnership agreement between a U.S.
city and the Service that promotes the benefits of urban
and information on UBT city activities:
bird conservation to the city and its communities and
https://arcg.is/1CeHPr0
expresses the city’s support for helping achieve the goals
of the UBT program.
The UBT program is administered through the Service’s Migratory Bird Program and is part of the interprogrammatic Urban Wildlife Conservation Program (UWCP), which includes Urban Wildlife Refuges (UWR)
and Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnerships (UWRP) located in urban areas all across the U.S. (see Figure 1).
These programs likewise work to empower local organizations in urban areas to seek innovative communitybased solutions that promote environmental equity and inclusion, and healthy environments for wildlife and
people. The UWCP programs overlap geographically and programmatically and many cities host active UBT
partnerships, UWRs, and/or UWRPs. For more information on the UWCP, visit https://www.fws.gov/urban/.

101 Urban
Wildlife Refuges

30 Urban Wildlife
Refuge Partnerships

30 Urban Bird
Treaty Cities

To engage
urban audiences
with fish and wildlife
conservation and achieve the
Standards of Excellence by
providing experiences that are
compatible with the refuge’s existing
wildlife conservation purposes.

To establish
long-term, place-based
partnerships that engage urban
communities in conservation
issues on lands that the Service
does not own or govern.

To help alleviate
bird population declines
and create connected
conservation communities, by
creating opportunities for people
in urban areas to access and
connect with nature through
bird-related activities.

https://www.fws.gov/urban/
Figure 1. The Service’s Urban Wildlife Conservation Program structure. Sandy Spakoff/USFWS
UBT Program Guidebook | 5

The UBT program’s mission is to help alleviate
bird population declines and create connected
conservation communities through enhanced
opportunities for people living in urban areas to
engage in bird-related recreation, conservation,
education, science, and monitoring.
The UBT program’s vision: Cities where birds and
people can thrive.
The UBT program’s tagline: Making cities healthier
places for birds and people.
The goals of the UBT program are to:
•

Protect, restore, and enhance urban habitats
for birds.

•

Reduce urban hazards to birds.

•

Educate and engage urban communities in
caring about and conserving birds and their
habitats.

The UBT program operates two main program
components:

American Robin is a common urban and suburban bird species
that forages largely on lawns, making it vulnerable to pesticide
poisoning. Becky Matsubara, Creative Commons

1. A grant program administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) through its Five Star
and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program (https://www.nfwf.org/fivestar/Pages/home.aspx), and
2. A designation program whereby the Service designates Urban Bird Treaty cities through a comprehensive
application and reporting process for interested and eligible city partners.
Both program elements are designed to foster and support strong and sustainable partnerships among the
Service, city governments, and other public and private organizations committed to achieving the mission and
goals of the UBT program. The UBT grant program helps to finance community-based conservation projects
designed to protect and conserve urban birds and their habitats while providing opportunities for local
communities to deepen their connection with the natural world by engaging in bird-related activities. Cities are
not required to be UBT cities to be eligible to apply for NFWF Five Star grants.

2. Making a Difference for Urban Birds
In North America, there are 2.9 billion fewer breeding birds than there were in 1970 (https://science.
sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/120) as landscapes across the continent continue to lose their ability to
support bird populations. Urban landscapes and communities have important roles to play in helping reverse
these bird population declines. Cities can become safer, healthier places for birds and other wildlife with
committed partners that are fostering environmentally aware communities dedicated to conserving bird
habitats and reducing environmental hazards.
Community engagement in restoring bird habitats in parks, schoolyards, backyards, places of worship,
roadsides, and right-of-ways can make a big difference for birds. Reducing the threats of building glass and
lights in airspace and the hazards of chemicals, plastics, invasive species, and non-native predators is also
crucial to improving bird survival in cities. Through the UBT program, partners are working hard to enhance
their city’s livability for birds that nest in and migrate through their urban areas. This is not only good for birds,
but also for the health and well-being of people living in and visiting cities.

6 | UBT Program Guidebook

Each of us makes decisions in our daily lives that
have the potential to either help or hinder wildlife.
In the case of helping birds, it can be something as
simple as keeping pet cats inside, turning off the
lights overnight during fall and spring migration,
retrofitting glass windows to make them visible
to birds, participating in community science
programs, buying shade-grown coffee, or choosing
bird-friendly native plants for a schoolyard habitat
restoration site.
The UBT program promotes such beneficial actions
by individuals, groups, and communities at specific
sites as well as at broader landscape scales through
comprehensive planning. It also encourages partners
to work collaboratively toward system changes that
can ensure bird conservation is integral to how cities
operate and urban communities live. All of these
approaches—site, landscape, and system-based
efforts—help to ensure long-term, sustainable
conservation for the benefit of future generations.

3. The Importance of Birds and Their
Habitats to People
Birds are a valuable resource, contributing
aesthetically, culturally, scientifically, recreationally,
and economically to America’s communities. Birds
are integral parts of our landscapes, providing
important—sometimes irreplaceable—functions:
birds pollinate plants, disperse seeds, play critical
roles in food webs as predators and prey, and
provide important functions in pest control. For
the vast majority of people in urban areas, birds
represent their most frequent contact with wildlife.
Birds are indicators of the health of our
environment. Changes in their populations can
provide an indication of changes in the quantity
and quality of the habitats, natural resources, and
environments that people live in, use, and depend
on. Habitats such as forests, meadows, and wetlands
not only support birds but also provide important
societal services such as flood control, groundwater
recharge, pollutant filtration, air and water quality
control, and carbon sequestration.
Bird habitats also provide places for people to spend
time outdoors deepening their connection with
nature, which has been shown to improve people’s
health and quality of life. Birdwatching, for example,

Spending time outdoors walking in the woods can deepen our
connection with nature and improve our health and well-being.
USFWS
UBT Program Guidebook | 7

promotes improved mental and physical well-being as a focused, meditational outdoor activity that involves
physical movement. It also can be a partially, or entirely, indoor activity with similar benefits.
The level of bird-related recreation is a strong indicator of the value of birds to society. Nature-based
recreation is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry. According to the findings of the 2016
National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation produced by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service, more than 45 million people watch birds around their homes and away from home, joining other
wildlife watchers in contributing a total of nearly $80 billion to the U.S. economy.

4. The Importance of Green Space to Urban Communities
Providing more and better access to green space promotes healthier urban communities. These human health
and well-being benefits include psychological relaxation, reduced depression and stress, improved social
cohesion, safer outdoor environments, greater psychological attachment to home, immune system benefits,
and enhanced physical activity. Green space can also provide ecosystem services associated with reduced
exposures to noise, air pollution, and excessive heat. Improving availability of green spaces in ethnically
diverse, underserved, and underrepresented communities can help promote environmental justice and health
equality in urban populations and address deep-rooted inequities in access to parks and other natural areas.
Urban green space may also provide important economic and ecological co-benefits such as reducing fossil
fuel usage through enhanced cycling and walking and supporting wildlife habitat and biodiversity. In addition,
tree canopy and bird species diversity has been shown to benefit property values. Overall, cities that create
and maintain well-connected, attractive green spaces are likely to have healthier and more productive people,
neighborhoods, and communities with fewer demands for health services and reduced crime rates. Green
cities are safer, happier cities.

5. Why Become An Urban Bird Treaty City?
•

The UBT program’s supportive networks of local and national partners can help you achieve your goals for
making your city a healthier place for birds and people.

•

The UBT program gives you opportunities to share and learn from other city partners’ tools, tactics,
successes, and challenges to advance your urban bird conservation efforts.

•

You can strengthen the cohesion and effectiveness of your local partnerships by coming together and
working under the banner of the UBT program.

•

The UBT federal designation gives you improved access to funding through the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundations’ Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant program as UBT cities receive priority in this
program.

•

The UBT federal designation can help you garner additional funds through other urban conservation grant
programs that have shared goals and objectives.

•

By working on UBT habitat conservation and hazard reduction activities you can simultaneously achieve
green building credits, reduced energy costs, green space requirements, environmental equity, and other
sustainability goals.

•

You can promote the livability and sustainability of your city by spreading the word about your city’s UBT
federal designation and all the benefits of a green and bird-friendly city.

8 | UBT Program Guidebook

II. UBT Designation Program Information
1. How to Apply for UBT City Designation
While any city can work to become a bird-friendly city, only a select few are designated each year by the
Service to receive federal status as an Urban Bird Treaty city. The following describes the process for city
partners to apply for UBT city status:
1. Contact the UBT national coordinator, Roxanne Bogart at roxanne_bogart@fws.gov about your intention to
apply for UBT designation and set up a phone call to discuss the application process described below.
2. Submit a letter of intention from the city’s partnership that details its commitment to urban bird
conservation and community engagement in bird-related education, recreation, conservation, science, and
monitoring. Support and involvement by the city government is required.
3. Along with the letter above, submit an implementation plan or “Bird Agenda” that includes the following
components:
a. Detailed description of the importance of the city to migrating, nesting, and overwintering birds,
habitats, population size of the city, and socioeconomic profile of the human communities present
and those targeted for education and engagement programs (see https://headwaterseconomics.
org/tools/usfws-indicators/). Cities must be at least 100,000 in population size but may include the
metropolitan area if activities span that wide a geography. If not, only the municipality’s population size
counts towards designation (see b below).
b. Map of the geographic area that is being nominated for designation; suburban areas around the city
may be included in the nominated area if comprehensive activities are ongoing or planned for those
areas (i.e. metropolitan area).
c. List of individuals and organizations that are active in the partnership that is applying for designation,
and contact information. A core UBT city team must be established and include at least three people
from three organizations.
d. The mission, goals, and objectives of the partnership applying for designation, organized by the
three UBT goal categories (see page 6).
e. Description of accomplishments (e.g., activities, products, outcomes) that have been completed
over the last three years, the audiences and communities reached/engaged through those activities,
and the partner organizations that have achieved them, organized by UBT goal categories.
f. Description of strategies, actions, tools/products that are being planned for the next five years under
the UBT designation, the objectives to be accomplished, the audiences and communities targeted for
engagement, and the partners who will complete the work, organized by UBT goal categories. Include
monitoring and assessment efforts as part of an adaptive management approach.
4. Partners will be notified within three months if their UBT application was accepted. Applications are
approved based on how well the implementation plan addresses the three goals of the UBT program and
the strength and sustainability of the partnership submitting the application. The plan should include both
site-based projects and activities as well as longer-term plans for landscape-level and system changes that
promote the UBT program goals.

2. Resources for implementation Plan Development
Please use the above guidelines to develop the city’s UBT implementation plan. Sections IV and V provide more
in-depth descriptions of the three goals of the UBT program and links to a wealth of resources that can assist
UBT Program Guidebook | 9

partners in developing their Bird Agendas and programs. Please also refer to the UBT program Story Map for
descriptions of existing UBT city programs and activities: https://arcg.is/mDGDz. The Service UWCP’s Standards
of Excellence can be found in Section VI and provide additional guidance for developing UBT plans, activities,
and programs. Also visit https://www.fws.gov/urban/soe.php for more detailed information about these
standards.
Below are links to example UBT city implementation plans that were created before the above UBT application
process was developed and may be helpful for partners currently developing their “Bird Agendas.”
Twin Cities: https://mn.audubon.org/sites/default/files/gubc_03-19-12_pdf.pdf
Chicago: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/doe/general/
NaturalResourcesAndWaterConservation_PDFs/Birds/ChicagosBirdAgenda2006_1.pdf
Portland: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/355002
For specific examples of the kinds of activities to consider including in your Bird Agenda, please visit the
links below to see lists of criteria for the state-based Bird City programs. These are separate programs run by
different organizations but share similar goals to those of the UBT program:
Wisconsin Bird City program: https://birdcitywisconsin.org/application-criteria and
Texas Bird City program: https://tpwd.texas.gov/wildlife/birding/bird-city-texas/birdcitytexas_
applicationcriteria.pdf
U.S. Bird City programs: https://www.environmentamericas.org/working-in-communities-across-the-westernhemisphere/bird-city-americas/bird-city-programs/

3. Signing Ceremonies and
Anniversary Celebrations
Once your city’s application is accepted, city
partners will work with the Service to host an
official signing ceremony where leaders from the
city, the Service, congressional representatives, and
other partners gather to celebrate the city’s UBT
designation by signing a non-binding partnershipbased treaty document. At most events, leaders
from the city, the Service, congressionals, and
other partner organizations speak to attendees,
and present official proclamations or resolutions
regarding the importance of urban bird and habitat
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Wendi Weber
conservation to the city and its communities. Cities
signs the Providence Urban Bird Treaty with Mayor Jorge
often designate one day each year to celebrate birds
O. Elorza and elementary school students from Paul Cuffee
School’s Wild Kids Club at Roger Williams Park. Bridget
at an annual World Migratory Bird Day festival or
Macdonald
similar event. After the formal ceremony, partners
typically host education and outreach events for local students who are involved in the city’s UBT
educational programs. To see example UBT city treaties and proclamations from cities, visit the UBT Story
Map at: https://arcg.is/1CeHPr0.
UBT cities are also encouraged to celebrate 5, 10, or/and 20-year designation anniversaries as a way to
recommit to UBT goals and efforts and reinvigorate city partnerships. These events are typically held on the
city’s annual World Migratory Bird Day or during other yearly nature festivals. A toolkit is in development and
will be made available for planning and organizing ceremonies and celebrations. Contact the UBT national
coordinator for more information.
10 | UBT Program Guidebook

4. UBT City Network Benefits
Once accepted, city partners will be given a high resolution UBT logo to use for outreach purposes and are
invited to become part of a UBT Community of Practice that hosts supportive, informational conference calls,
webinars, and workshops. The UBT program also provides a variety of opportunities for national and regional
promotion of accomplishments through various communication and outreach efforts and products. These
include:
- Urban Bird Treaty Story Map: https://arcg.is/1CeHPr0
- NCTC Urban Wildlife Conservation Program Webinar Series: https://nctc.fws.gov/topic/
onlinetraining/webinars/urban-wildlife-conservation.html
- UWCP News Site: https://www.fws.gov/urban/urbanNews.php
- UBT Cities Network Facebook Group
- UBT National Newsletter Urban Bird Conservation News
UBT designation also increases the likelihood of being awarded funding through the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation’s Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program (see Section III) as active UBT cities
receive extra points in the UBT grant program rating tool.

5. UBT City Reporting Requirements
City partners are required to report on accomplishments every two years based on objectives laid out in
the city’s implementation plan. If no implementation plan exists, activities and accomplishments should be
organized by UBT goal categories. These reporting requirements supplement any reporting that cities are doing
through the NFWF Five Star grant program. Reporting is used for accountability and storytelling purposes
and is required to maintain an active UBT status. Implementation plans must be updated every five years and
resubmitted to maintain active status.
Questions? Please contact Roxanne Bogart, UBT Program National Coordinator, with any questions you may
have about the application process, program benefits, or reporting requirements.
Roxanne Bogart, Wildlife Biologist/Urban Bird Treaty Program Coordinator
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Migratory Bird Program
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, MA 01035-9587
413-253-8582 (phone)
413-253-8424 (fax) roxanne_bogart@fws.gov, https://www.fws.gov/urban/urbanBirdTreaty.php

The Bird The Preserves initiative was launched in 2016 to promote Chicago’s Forest Preserves as a world-class destination for
birding—and to expose new audiences to this popular activity. Forest Preserves of Cook County
UBT Program Guidebook | 11

III. UBT Grant Program Information
1. NFWF Five Star Program Description
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant program (Five Star
program) funds community-based conservation projects in U.S. cities. The Service’s Migratory Bird Program
contributes funds every year to this competitive grant program to support partnerships working on urban
bird conservation in both UBT and non-UBT cities. The Five Star program includes funding from several other
partner programs and organizations, including the Service’s Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnerships program, the
U.S. Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and various corporate and private donors. Funds from
these various partners total over $1 million annually and are leveraged with one another to collaboratively
fund projects.

2. UBT Grant Program Details
The UBT grants are awarded every year to a handful of high quality proposals that are submitted by nonfederal partners to the NFWF Five Star grant program. Grants range in size from $30k to $50k with a partner
match requirement of 1:1, and are either one or two-year awards. Projects funded through the grant program
should include habitat restoration, hazard reduction, and community education and engagement activities
that meet the goals of the UBT program. The NFWF Five Star Request for Proposals is typically released in early
November with a proposal deadline of the end of January. For more information, please visit the NFWF Five
Star program web site at https://www.nfwf.org/fivestar/Pages/home.aspx.
Projects are ranked based on their UBT designation status, the scale and quality of project activities, the
number of UBT goals addressed by activities, budget appropriateness, the number and diversity of contributing
partners, and the sustainability of the partnership and programs. Partners from non-UBT cities are eligible to
apply. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sponsor is required. If you do not have a sponsor, visit https://www.fws.
gov/offices/ to find an office near you or contact the national coordinator at Roxanne_bogart@fws.gov.

The Barn Swallow uses both urban and farmland areas for breeding and build their cup-shaped mud nests almost exclusively on human-made structures. Loren Chipman, Creative Commons
12 | UBT Program Guidebook

3. Examples of Funded Activities
The Urban Bird Treaty program offers a great deal of flexibility to incorporate project activities that are
appropriate for each city and its local issues and communities, This allows cities to be creative and develop
projects that will have the greatest benefits to birds and people and meet UBT program goals. The following
are examples of the kinds of activities typically funded as a part of successful proposals:
•

Engage volunteers in restoring a city park or vacant lot by planting native grasses, shrubs, and trees and/or
removing non-native, invasive species.

•

Work with the local planning department to develop a habitat conservation and management plan that
over time will increase the quality and connectivity of natural areas throughout the city to improve wildlife
movement and community access.

•

Work with the local parks department to switch to non-lethal deterrents to protect plants from
overabundant or nuisance animal species and/or reduce chemical fertilizers and pesticides in a
demonstration garden and other park settings.

•

Create a program that engages building owners in voluntarily retrofitting hazardous building glass and
participating in a Lights Out/Dark Skies program.

•

Engage students in planning, developing, monitoring, and maintaining a schoolyard bird habitat.

•

Engage local ornithologists and birders to lead bird walks, monitor restoration sites, or carry out a bird
collision monitoring program.

•

Hire a local printing company and ethnically diverse artisan community to develop and produce
educational products on reducing bird hazards from building glass, free-roaming cats, pesticides, and
hazardous trash.

•

Host an annual World Migratory Bird Day Festival, adopt a city bird, create a city birding trail, and announce
a city proclamation supporting bird conservation.

Bird banding event in Hartford, CT. Joan Morrison

Volunteers working together to plant trees along the West
River in Hartford, CT. Park Watershed
UBT Program Guidebook | 13

Questions about the NFWF Five Star program? Please contact:
Carrie Clingan or
Program Director
Community Stewardship and Youth
NFWF
202-595-2471
carrie.clingan@nfwf.org

Roxanne Bogart
National Coordinator
Urban Bird Treaty Program
USFWS
413-253-8582
Roxanne_bogart@fws.gov

4. Sources of Additional Funding for Community-based Conservation
National Park Service Community Assistance Programs: https://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/communities.htm
Sustainable Forest Initiative Community Grants: http://www.sfiprogram.org/communitygrants/
Begin with Habitat Conservation, Improvement, and Planning Funding Opportunities: https://
www.beginningwithhabitat.org/pdf/Funding_12.27.07_Final.pdf
Environmental Conservation and Justice Funders: https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/grants-for-conservation
Society for Non-profits Environmental Funding: https://www.snpo.org/publications/fundingalert_bycategory.
php?cs=ENVI
Watershed Funding Opportunities: https://allaboutwatersheds.org/library/general-library-holdings/
Watershed_Funding_Opportunities_AllaboutWatersheds.pdf
National Education Association Urban Grants: http://www.nea.org/grants/39362.htm
National Environmental Education Foundation: https://www.neefusa.org/grants

The Urban Bird Treaty Story Map provides a wealth of information about UBT city partners and their conservation programs and
activities for urban birds and their habitats. Roxanne Bogart
14 | UBT Program Guidebook

IV. UBT Program Goal Descriptions
The following sections provide more detailed information, guidance, and resources to assist interested and
existing UBT city partners in developing UBT city implementation plans that address the three UBT city goals.
Submission of an implementation plan is required as part of the UBT designation program application process
(see page 9). Section V provides links to additional on-line information and resources.

1. Protect, Restore, and Enhance Urban Habitats for Birds
a. The Importance of Urban Habitats for Birds. The widespread loss and degradation of habitat is the
biggest driver of bird population declines. Human development of the natural landscape has resulted in the
destruction and degradation of habitat for many species of birds and the trends in urban sprawl continue.
Over 80% of the U.S. population is urbanized and over half of the land area in the U.S. is occupied by humans.
For this reason, conserving, restoring, and managing urban habitats for birds is a major goal of the Urban Bird
Treaty program.
b. Habitats Urban Birds Need. Bird use a wide variety of habitats for feeding, nesting, roosting, resting,
and protection from predators. Habitats in urban areas are important for birds that nest and overwinter in
cities and especially for birds that move through urban areas during their fall and spring migrations. Large
concentrations of birds migrate along four major North American flyways or routes (i.e., Atlantic, Mississippi,
Central and Pacific flyways) on which many large urban centers are located. Important migratory bird habitat is
often found in and around these metropolitan areas. Stopover habitats are particularly important for birds to
rest and refuel during their long migratory journeys.
Birds will use small patches of urban habitat—and even street trees—for shelter, foraging, and sometimes
nesting. Therefore, efforts to restore vacant lots to pocket parks and incorporate green roofs on buildings
can benefit many species of birds. Likewise, restoring, enhancing, and managing habitat in local parks,
schoolyards, places of worship, corporate building lots, backyards, rights-of-way, sidewalks, road islands, and
other “leftover areas” can add up to significant urban habitat for birds. Providing artificial and natural nesting
and roosting sites is important for chimney swifts, purple martins, wood ducks, wrens, nuthatches, and other
cavity nesting species. Riparian areas along rivers and lake fronts are particularly important for migrating birds
that follow and cross these water systems and when restored and managed can serve as buffer areas helping
improve water quality for local communities in addition to benefiting many other wildlife species. Acquiring or
protecting natural areas, or other unprotected open space, through easements often may be the first step.
The most important facet of restoring urban bird habitat is ensuring that native plants, including trees, shrubs,
grasses, and perennial flowers, are planted as part
of the restoration effort. Native plants are of value
not only for the shelter and direct resources they
provide but for the higher insect populations that
these plant species support compared to nonnative plants. Food-rich vegetation—even on small
lots—can make a difference for birds. All kinds of
habitats are important for birds, including forests,
woodlands, wetlands, grasslands, meadows,
prairies, and riparian areas.
Green roofs—roofs covered in soil and a variety
of native plants —are a great solution to creating
bird habitat in cities where ground space is limited.
Studies have shown that a variety of birds use

Students planting native shrubs at their schoolyard habitat in
New Haven, CT. Audubon CT
UBT Program Guidebook | 15

green roofs for feeding, breeding, nesting, and
resting. Green roofs also reduce stormwater run-off,
decrease heating and cooling costs, reduce flooding,
can be used as amenity spaces, and their costs are
often mitigated by their benefits.
Considerations of habitat conservation in the short
and long-term and at both the site and larger
landscape scales are all important. Enlarging the
extent of an existing park or other natural areas
to increase connections among habitats is vital
for allowing birds and other wildlife to move
more safely among sites and promotes urban
biodiversity. Likewise, working collaboratively to
establish greenways, corridors, and other largescale greenscapes, and to offer broad-scale habitat
certification programs are effective strategies to
foster connectivity among city natural areas.
Working collaboratively toward system changes
that promote bird habitat conservation, through
government actions and participation by large
segments of the community, can make a big
difference in providing habitat over larger areas
and for the long-term. This requires targeting
education and outreach to engage communities
and governments in promoting sustainable
behaviors and actions that benefit birds and their
habitats. Green infrastructure planning, design
and management, native plant requirements, and
designation of no mow zones are examples.
Undertaking pre- and post-restoration site
monitoring of plant, bird, insect, and other wildlife
species to establish baseline data and determine
responses to actions is important to adaptively
improve conservation efforts over time. These
assessment activities also provide opportunities for
community education and engagement. (Removal
and control of invasive species prior to restoration
is covered in the Goal 2: Reduce Urban Hazards
section.)
c. Considering Effects on People. Both the positive
and adverse effects of habitat conservation
projects on communities need to be considered.
Working to ensure that low income, underserved
communities have equal access to green space while
preventing “green gentrification” should be a critical
component of projects. Engagement of residents
and local organizations as co-creators, designers,
managers and users of greenspace—not as passive
16 | UBT Program Guidebook

HABITAT CONSERVATION HIGHLIGHT
Many migratory birds arrive to find city
habitat destroyed by development, overrun by exotic species, or polluted and
depleted by human use. Led by Atlanta
Audubon, Atlanta’s Urban Bird Treaty
projects engage communities in creating
and enhancing bird-friendly habitat by
eradicating invasive, exotic plants and
installing native plants in urban green
spaces to provide quality bird foraging,
nesting, and stopover habitat. This work
has occurred at places such as Emma
Wetlands at Blue Heron Nature Preserve
and The Confluence of Peachtree
Creek— Atlanta Audubon’s initial birdfriendly habitat restoration projects
which now serve as models for future
projects. Project sites—which engage
the local community in restoration and
monitoring and involve multiple partners
around Atlanta—have attracted nearly
125 species of birds, indicating the
importance of Atlanta’s urban habitats
to birds and other wildlife.

Atlanta Youth Corps crew working on a habitat
restoration project at Emma Wetlands. Adam Betuel,
Atlanta Audubon

consumers—is key to helping prevent gentrification.
When creating greenspaces, concomitant efforts are
often needed to ensure low income housing and job
opportunities are retained or developed to promote
both economic and environmental equity.
d. Urban Birds to Target for Habitat Conservation.
Many bird species live in and migrate through
urban areas, especially many common species (see
https://celebrateurbanbirds.org/learn/birds/fs/
us/). Some common birds are in decline such as
Eastern Meadowlark, Chimney Swift, Field Sparrow,
Common Grackle, and American Tree Sparrow and
may occur in cities during all or some part of the
year (see http://www.partnersinflight.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/08/pif-continental-plan-finalspread-single.pdf).

Eastern Meadowlark is a Partners in Flight Common Bird in
Steep Decline that is a frequent visitor of backyard bird
feeders. Kelly Cogan-Azar

Be sure to consider the benefits of urban areas to
Birds of Conservation Concern and Watchlist species that may overwinter or journey through the city during
fall and spring migrations. Lists of these species can be found at https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/
managed-species/birds-of-conservation-concern.php and http://www.stateofthebirds.org/2016/resources/
species-assessments/. Species that are of priority in your state and Migratory Bird Joint Venture region can be
found by visiting https://www.fishwildlife.org/afwa-informs/state-wildlife-action-plans and http://mbjv.org.
Evaluation and adaptive management are key to success: visit Prism’s toolkit
at https://conservationevaluation.org/ and the U.S. Department of Interior’s
Adaptive Management Technical Guide at https://www.fwspubs.org/doi/
suppl/10.3996/082012-JFWM-069/suppl_file/10.3996_082012-jfwm-069.
s9.pdf.
Please see Page 24 in Section V for a comprehensive list of resources for
conserving urban habitats for birds.

2. Reduce Urban Hazards to Birds
a. Hazards to Birds in Urban Areas. While cities can provide important bird habitats, which give people
places to deepen their connection with nature, human development and activity in urban areas pose many
threats to birds. As a result, cities will never be totally safe environments for birds and other wildlife. These
threats include direct bird mortality from free-roaming cats, building glass and lights, communication towers,
hazardous trash, invasive plants and animals, and pesticides. The last two threats also contribute to indirect
mortality through reduced habitat quality and prey populations. The degree of bird mortality caused by
human-made structures in airspace habitat (e.g., building glass, lights, towers, wind turbines, and power lines)
and by human-introduced objects and animals (e.g., contaminants, invasive plants, plastics, fish netting, and
free-roaming cats) have had a devastating cumulative impact on bird populations, especially migratory birds.
Migration exposes birds to these and many other dangers and is considered to be the most hazardous life
stage so ensuring safe migration airspace and ground habitat is critical to conserving migratory birds. For this
reason, reducing urban hazards to birds is a primary goal of the UBT program.

UBT Program Guidebook | 17

b. Reducing Urban Hazards to Birds. The good news
is there are many ways city partners can reduce
urban hazards and make their cities safer for all
birds, both migratory and resident. There are many
ways to adapt lifestyles and behaviors to make city
environments safer, friendlier places for birds to live
in and pass through by reducing the risks of bird
injury and mortality.
Actions by individuals to reduce these threats can
make a big difference to bird populations especially
when entire neighborhoods are engaged. Individual
actions that are beneficial to birds include making
windows safer by retrofitting them to reduce
Creating green spaces--such as green roofs--in urban
transparency and reflectivity, keeping cats indoors,
environments is good for birds and people. Stacy Jean
reducing lawns and planting native species, and
avoiding pesticides and single-use plastics. Other actions that people in urban areas can take to promote
bird conservation include drinking coffee that is shade-grown and good for birds and sharing birdwatching
skills and data through community recreation, science, and monitoring programs. Working with partners and
communities to create widespread awareness of urban hazards to birds and then strategically reduce their
threat and occurrence are critical steps to achieve success.
System changes to reduce these threats through government actions and widespread community participation
can make a big difference by addressing these threats over larger areas and for the long-term. This requires
targeted education and outreach to shift how communities envision their roles and impacts in relation to birds
and their habitats. Efforts to promote increased social responsibility can “move the needle” toward sustainable
behaviors and policies that benefit birds, other wildlife, and the environment of which we are all a part. For
example, by working collaboratively with city, county, and state governments, partners can create lasting
change through bird safe building and lighting standards, recycling programs, and limits on pesticide use.
c. Influencing Human Behavior. The general approach to address the human-induced hazards listed above
involves reducing threats as much as possible in the short-term with the goal of removing them totally from
the environment in the long-term.
In general, strategies should take a three-pronged approach that includes: (1) promoting knowledge,
awareness, and motivation through communications, education, and outreach with effective social marketing
messaging, tools, and vehicles designed for specific target audiences; (2) facilitating individual and community
action by reducing barriers and creating opportunities for engagement, and (3) planning for and working
toward long-term system change by working collaboratively with city leadership and other organizations
through on-going communications and concrete demonstrations of urban bird conservation solutions and
success. These strategies form a positive feedback loop of human dimension-related activities that can lead to
long-term system changes. When barriers to actions are high and stakes are high, strategies that address the
human dimensions of conservation are imperative and form the foundation of a social marketing approach.
See the following article for information on stakeholder-specific messaging for urban bird conservation:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11252-015-0442-z
By using the steps of social marketing it is possible to move individuals, communities, cities and states—even
the entire country— to a new system of norms where consideration of urban bird safety and sustainability is
ingrained in all levels of behavior, and policies and regulations promote and reinforce these new standards.
Visit the sites below to learn more about the human dimensions of conservation and social marketing for
environmental sustainability. These strategies can be used to address all the bird hazards described in the
following sections.
18 | UBT Program Guidebook

Learning for Sustainability: https://
learningforsustainability.net/social-marketing/
Community-based Social Marketing: https://www.
cbsm.com/
Social Marketing : Influencing Behaviors for
Good—Quick Reference Guide: https://www.
socialmarketingservice.com/site/assets/files/1010/
socmkt_primer.pdf
Human Dimensions of Natural Resource
Management: https://my.usgs.gov/hd/team/usfws
d. Urban Bird Hazards to Focus On. Since there are
many hazards to birds in the urban environment
and partner capacity is limited, the UBT program
encourages partners in cities to focus on the
following five main urban birds hazards:
• Building glass—responsible for an estimated
annual bird death of up to one billion
individuals in the U.S.
• Lighted structures —contributes to the
above estimate by drawing in, confusing, and
exhausting birds.
• Free-roaming cats—responsible for an
estimated annual bird death of 2.4 billion
birds in the U.S.
• Pesticides– harm birds directly through
poisoning and indirectly by reducing their
food supply; one study estimated 2.7 million
bird deaths in Canada alone.
• Hazardous trash—such as plastics and fishing
line can result in significant bird deaths as a
result of ingestion and entanglement.

HAZARD REDUCTION HIGHLIGHT
Led by Michigan Audubon, partners
in Lansing, MI are hosting Lights Out
events to teach local communities
about the hazards migratory birds
face from light and untreated glass
surfaces on businesses and homes
to reduce bird injury and death due
to collisions. Educational brochures,
window tape samples, and collision
tape demonstrations at events are
reaching businesses and homeowners
across the Greater Lansing area. In
addition, volunteer collision monitors
are gathering data through scientifically
sound survey protocols to understand
where the greatest threats to migratory
birds are and to generate a map of
collision risk across the Greater Lansing
area. The map will help identify high risk
structures and target buildings for highly
publicized “bird-friendly renovations”
that will be used as demonstration sites
to inspire existing building owners and
influence new construction projects.

• Invasive species— non-native, invasive
plant species can adversely impact birds by
outcompeting native species resulting in the
loss of food and habitat provided by natives.
See the sections below for more information on
each hazard.
Building Glass and Lighted Structures. A large
proportion of migrating birds affected by humanbuilt structures are songbirds, apparently because of
their propensity to migrate at night, their low flight
altitudes, and their tendency to be attracted to,
trapped, and disoriented by artificial light, making
them vulnerable to collisions. These collisions
result in the mortality of up to a billion birds each

Bird-window collision monitoring is an important activity
that community volunteers can engage in to contribute
to conservation. Michigan Audubon.

UBT Program Guidebook | 19

year in North America, including many that are not
songbirds.
Collisions with glass result from issues of reflectivity
and transparency—birds see the sky or other natural
features reflected in the window or do not see them
at all and may only see plants that may be located on
the other side of the window due to its invisibility.
Even windows in low-rise and single-story buildings
can kill birds. Solutions entail retrofitting existing
buildings with exterior applications that enable
birds to see windows and to design and construct
new bird-safe buildings and additions that are
bird-friendly. Making sure replacement windows
are bird-friendly is also important. Working with
UBT partners in Portland, OR run a Lights Out program to save
homeowners, building owners and associations,
birds and promote energy savings and the enjoyment of dark
architect and design firms, local governments and
skies./ Portland Audubon
planners, and academic organizations is key to
success in both the short and long-term. Engaging a diverse network of audiences is key to success.
Lights Out programs encourage home and building owners and managers to turn off or dim interior and
decorative lights to reduce the total light emitted from 11pm until sunrise during fall and spring migratory
seasons. In addition to saving birds, building and home owners realize direct benefits, including decreased
energy and maintenance costs. Extinguishing or dimming exterior or decorative lighting on homes and
buildings and ensuring lighting is oriented downward, including spotlights, logos, lighted clock faces,
greenhouses, antennae lighting, are important strategies to reduce adverse lighting conditions. Eliminating the
brighter, bluer LED lights also will help reduce negative bird and other wildlife impacts.
For more information on other collision hazards, including communication towers, vehicles, utility lines, and
wind turbines, and best practices and guidelines to address them, visit the Service’s Migratory Bird Program
web site at https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds/collisions.php.
Free-roaming Cats. Cats, including both house and feral cats, are non-native predators of birds and can cause
excessive mortality in local bird populations. Scientists estimate that cats kill 2.4 million wild birds and 12
billion small mammals each year in the U.S. Wildlife in the Western Hemisphere did not evolve in the presence
of a small, abundant predator like the domestic cat, and thus did not develop defenses against them. Cats were
introduced to North America by European immigrants only a few hundred years ago. Once caught by a cat,
few birds survive, even if they appear to have escaped. Infection from the cat’s teeth or claws or the stress of
capture usually result in death. Cats also have safer, healthier lives by staying indoors. In addition, cats transmit
many serious diseases to humans. Solutions exist for
keeping cats happy indoors, from building “catios”
to walking cats on leads and harnesses to working
with municipalities on effective solutions to freeroaming cats.
Hazardous Trash. Fishing line left around ponds,
creeks and rivers in urban areas can entangle birds
and result in mortality. In addition, lead fishing
tackle and lead shot for hunting, plastic objects
(e.g., straws, cups, lighters, bags, other disposable
items, six-pack rings from beverage cans) and other
debris pose debilitating hazards to birds. This is
especially true for marine birds that live in waters
20 | UBT Program Guidebook

Each year, over 1,500 volunteers join the River Rangers to clean,
beautify, and restore the Woonasquatucket River Greenway in
Providence, RI. Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council

where plastics and other trash are dumped or find their way there after careless disposal. Birds can swallow
these objects or become entangled in the plastic rings.
Partners can work to encourage recreationists and organizations to place trash in proper receptacles and enlist
local volunteers to conduct regular trash clean-ups of beaches, parks, and other popular areas for both birds
and humans. Most importantly, partners can strategically encourage people and organizations to buy reusable
items and reduce waste and, thereby, the hazardous trash that results. Removing the driver of the hazard—
and not just the symptom—is key to success and long-term change.
Pesticides. Birds can be exposed to pesticides directly through ingestion of seeds or other items that have
been treated with pesticides, or indirectly through consumption of prey that have ingested the pesticides
themselves, leading to secondary poisonings of birds through biomagnification. Birds can also be indirectly
affected through declines in insect prey populations caused by poisonings. When insect populations are
reduced, this natural food source for birds is also reduced which negatively impacts bird populations.
Pesticides have been shown to cause rapid death and debilitating effects to birds in urban areas. A 1992
study conservatively estimated that 65 million birds die per year from pesticide poisoning or effects. Annual
mortality is probably in the hundreds of millions, but deaths are very difficult to document. Most of the
active ingredients known to be toxic to birds belong to one of three classes of chemicals: organochlorines,
organophosphates, and carbamates. Methods such as integrated pest management can be effective in
significantly reducing and eventually completely eliminating pesticide use depending on the context and
requirements. Working collaboratively with city governments and other organizations to reduce pesticide use
is critical to success.
Non-Native, Invasive Plant Species. As the U.S.
population has grown, native plant and animal
communities have been adversely impacted by
the purposeful and accidental introduction of nonnative plant species. Non-native species are those
plant species that were not present at the time of
European settlement. Because of very aggressive
growth habits many non-native species become
invasive and out-compete native plants. Not only
are native plants at risk, but also the native wildlife
species that depend on them, especially insect
populations that birds depend on for foraging. This
Volunteers work to restore forest habitat in Gwynn Falls Leakin
Park in Baltimore by removing invasive species and planting
can be manifested as direct loss of plant food or loss
native trees and shrubs. Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition
of native habitat as non-native species out-compete
native plants. Native plants support greater and more diverse insect populations so restoring native habitat is
vital for restoring a healthy ecological community for birds.
Controlling invasive species is an important component of maintaining the ecological integrity of natural areas
and is very often a restoration priority for land managers and conservationists. However, invasive species
control is labor and resource intensive and requires long term effort. Addressing invasive species needs to be
done in a focused way and is generally more successful in smaller, more manageable, areas where volunteers
can help manage and monitor these species.
Evaluation and adaptive management are key to success: visit Prism’s toolkit at https://
conservationevaluation.org/ and the U.S. Department of Interior’s Adaptive Management Technical
Guide at https://www.fwspubs.org/doi/suppl/10.3996/082012-JFWM-069/suppl_file/10.3996_082012jfwm-069.s9.pdf.
Please see Page 27 in Section V for a comprehensive list of resources for reducing urban hazards to birds.
UBT Program Guidebook | 21

3. Educate and Engage Urban
Communities in Caring About and
Conserving Urban Birds and Their
Habitats
a. Why Engage Local Communities. Promoting
public enjoyment, awareness, knowledge, and
concern are crucial to achieving urban bird
conservation in the short-term and for long-term
sustainability. Communities that are enthusiastic
about and appreciate birds, informed about
their benefits and threats, and empowered to
become involved in conservation, can make a
significant contribution to maintaining healthy bird
populations. Likewise, local individuals, families,
and communities benefit tremendously by spending
time in nature and watching birds near their homes
and in their cities. Thus, creating opportunities
for local communities to engage in bird-related
education, recreation, science, monitoring, and
conservation activities is a major goal of the UBT
program. Collaborative programs and activities that
are community-directed and led can achieve the
greatest results for both birds and people.
Community education and engagement can
support the achievement of the first two UBT
program goals—conserving urban habitat for birds
and reducing urban hazards to birds— by giving
people the chance to learn, become motivated,
and get involved in these activities. It also can
affect the daily choices individuals and families
make in support of bird conservation from buying
bird-friendly coffee to turning off lights and
retrofitting windows to keeping pet cats indoors.
Engagement in bird education, recreation, and
community science and stewardship opportunities
also help deepen people’s connection to nature
in their neighborhoods, which not only benefits
birds but also improves the health and well-being
of people, families, and entire communities.
These activities also promote natural resource
and wildlife conservation career awareness and
job skill development for young people by giving
them opportunities to participate in and even lead
bird-related education, science, and stewardship
programs.
It is critical to ensure that all people,
especially ethnically diverse, underserved, and
underrepresented communities, have access to
22 | UBT Program Guidebook

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT &
EDUCATION HIGHLIGHT
Chicago’s Bird the Preserves is an
initiative designed to connect diverse
communities to the preserves, expand
birding programs and activities, and
establish the Forest Preserves of Cook
County (FPCC) as a premiere birding
destination in the Chicago Wilderness
region. The FPCC’s nearly 70,000 acres
provide abundant opportunities to see
365 types of resident and migrant birds,
both common and unusual, that depend
on forest preserve habitat. Committed
to ensuring that all people feel welcome
at the preserves, the FPCC works
with Chicago Audubon Society and
other partners to reach out to diverse
communities to introduce them to all
that the forest preserves have to offer.
Birding can serve as a gateway activity
to a greater connection to the natural
world by providing a positive and fun
experience in nature.

Chicago’s Bird the Preserves Initiative. FPCC

safe places to relax and recreate in natural settings. These efforts foster environmental justice and equity as
well as a community conservation ethic. All the efforts described above have the long-term and critical benefit
of fostering conservation constituencies that support healthy urban environments and sustaining wildlife
conservation into the future. Please refer to the Service’s Urban Wildlife Conservation Program’s Standards of
Excellence for guidance in developing community education and engagement programs and activities: https://
www.fws.gov/urban/soe.php.
b. Types of Community Activities. Partners develop and carry out three main groups of community programs,
activities, and other opportunities as described below. Priority audiences include youth, ethnically diverse,
underrepresented, and underserved communities, especially those with limited access to green space and
neighborhoods where priority bird conservation efforts are targeted. The beauty of the UBT program is the
achievement of all three program goals simultaneously through coordinated planning and priority-setting to
achieve both biological goals for birds and human dimension goals for communities, especially those in need of
clean air and water and places to safely spend time in nature.
Bird-related educational and recreational programs, festivals, celebrations, and birding trails help foster
a deeper understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of birds and their conservation needs. Partners can
develop and use a wide variety of creative communications, education, and outreach tools to promote and
support these activities, including articles, videos, websites, brochures, curricula, and many other products—
even geocaches! Partnering strategically with organizations with venues that draw large numbers of people—
such as nature centers, national wildlife refuges, museums, and zoos and aquaria—is an efficient and effective
approach to reach many people with messaging, education, and program engagement.
Community science and monitoring programs can support the goals of the UBT program by improving our
understanding of the status of urban bird populations, their habitat and threats, and their responses to
conservation efforts. Community science programs typically involve partnerships between the public and
professional scientists who cooperate to conduct large-scale monitoring and research. Community scientists
make up the world’s largest research teams, gathering data to better understand and conserve biological
diversity. Community science and stewardship can go hand-in-hand by involving local people and community
organizations, for example, in bird collision monitoring, annual bird counts, or pre- and post-habitat restoration
monitoring of birds, plants, and other indicators of conservation success. These effects can be vital to
adaptively learn from and improve conservation effects over time.
Community stewardship programs that engage people in hands-on conservation efforts include invasive
species removal and control, trash removal, restoration and planting efforts, and other conservation actions,
including student job training and work experiences. Community stewardship programs are an important
part of the UBT program. Partners can engage entire communities in enjoying and protecting birds and other
wildlife where they live, work, learn, play, and worship by creating opportunities to remove invasive species,
restore habitat with native plants, and create healthy spaces that benefit resident and migratory species—
whether it’s small window boxes or vast habitat corridors that connect city green spaces.
Evaluation and adaptive management are key to success: visit Prism’s toolkit
at https://conservationevaluation.org/ and the U.S. Department of Interior’s
Adaptive Management Technical Guide at https://www.fwspubs.org/doi/
suppl/10.3996/082012-JFWM-069/suppl_file/10.3996_082012-jfwm-069.
s9.pdf.
Please see Page 30 in Section V for a comprehensive list of resources for
community education and engagement.

UBT Program Guidebook | 23

V. UBT Program Information Resources
1. Resources for Conserving Urban Habitats for Birds
Native Plants for Birds and Habitat Certification
and Restoration Programs:
Follow these link for more information on using
native plants in bird and wildlife habitat restorations
and what plants to use in your area:
Audubon’s Plants for Birds: https://www.audubon.
org/plantsforbirds
Audubon Native Plants Database: https://www.
audubon.org/native-plants
National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Garden for
Wildlife: https://www.nwf.org/garden-for-wildlife
NWF’s Native Plant Challenge to Cities: https://blog.
nwf.org/2019/09/native-plant-challenge-calling-allcities-to-plant-native/

Illustration from the Greater Hartford Plant Palette poster that
depicts migratory and resident birds and the native plants and
seasonal food sources they need to survive. Park Watershed
http://www.parkwatershed.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/
BackGraphic_5_1_14.pdf

Audubon Rockies Habitat Hero Program: https://rockies.audubon.org/habitat-hero
Houston Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Community Program: www.birdfriendlyhouston.org/
Portland Audubon’s Backyard Habitat Certification Program: www.backyardhabitats.org/
St. Louis Audubon Society’s Urban Habitat Restoration Program: www.stlouisaudubon.org/conservation/BCH/
index.php
NWF’s Tree Equity Efforts: https://blog.nwf.org/2019/08/tree-equity-in-broward-county/
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (UFWS) Pacific Southwest Region’s Schoolyard Habitat Program (CA, NV and
Klamath Basin): https://www.fws.gov/cno/conservation/Schoolyard.html
USFWS Schoolyard Habitat Guide: https://www.fws.gov/cno/pdf/habitatguidecolor.pdf
Audubon Connecticut’s Schoolyard Habitat Knowledge Network:
https://ct.audubon.org/schoolyard-habitat
Plant Conservation Alliance: https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/native-plant-communities/
national-seed-strategy/pca
Audubon Connecticut’s Urban Oases site selection tool for the New Haven Harbor Watershed that integrates
bird habitat conservation and environmental equity: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.
html?id=b7b53a9ad6b848e49f18df7a853e19e0
Habitat Conservation and Restoration:
Follow these links to learn more about conserving and restoring specific habitat types to benefit birds and
other wildlife.
Bird Habitat Information:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology and The Nature Conservancy’s Habitat Network: Articles on how to cultivate habitat
for birds and other wildlife.
24 | UBT Program Guidebook

http://content.yardmap.org/learn/category/birds/
Conserving Habitat on Private Lands:
Land Trust Alliance: https://www.landtrustalliance.
org/find-land-trust
USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program:
https://www.fws.gov/partners/siteMap.html
Forest Restoration:
U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) Urban and Community
Forestry: https://www.fs.fed.us/managing-land/
urban-forests/ucf
USFS’s Urban Tree Canopy Assessments: https://
www.nrs.fs.fed.us/urban/utc/
American Forest Foundation’s My Land Plan: https://
mylandplan.org/content/create-healthy-bird-habitat

Student Conservation Association interns planting trees to
restore habitat in Charles H. Milby park in southeast Houston.
Valeria Casas, SCA

NYC Parks and Recreation’s Guidelines for Urban Forest Restoration:
https://www.nycgovparks.org/pagefiles/84/guidelines-to-urban-forest-restoration.pdf
Prairie Restoration:
University of MN Extension Service: https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/planting-andmaintaining-prairie-garden
Katy Prairie Conservancy: http://www.katyprairie.org/buildpocketprairies
Practical articles on Midwest urban prairie restoration: http://melissagaskill.blogspot.com/2010/07/restoringurban-prairie.html and
https://e360.yale.edu/features/in_us_midwest_restoring_native_prairie_ecosystems_kessler
Urban Habitats article on seed source selection for prairie habitat restoration:
http://www.urbanhabitats.org/v05n01/seedsource_full.html
Wetlands Restoration:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) site with basic information on wetland restoration: https://www.epa.
gov/wetlands/basic-information-about-wetland-restoration-and-protection
Association of State Wetlands Managers: https://www.aswm.org/wetland-science/wetland-restoration
Coastal Habitat Restoration:
USFWS Coastal Program: https://www.fws.gov/coastal/about.html
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Community-based Strategic Habitat Restoration
program: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/strategic-habitat-restoration
Habitat Management Practices:
Follow these links to learn more about specific management practices that benefit birds and other wildlife:
No Mow Zones:
Yardmap, Must We Mow? How to Increase Wildlife Value of Working Landscapes:
http://content.yardmap.org/learn/must-we-mow/
Creating Habitat Connectivity:
American Society of Landscape Architect (ASLA), Green Infrastructure: Wildlife Habitat and Corridors: https://
www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=43534
UBT Program Guidebook | 25

NWF’s Wildlife Corridors: https://www.nwf.org/OurWork/Habitats/Wildlife-Corridors
Yardmap, Habitat Connectivity in the Yard:
http://content.yardmap.org/learn/habitatconnectivity-2/
Article on Best Management Practices (BMPs) for
Corridor Design—Section III Practices for urban
development in corridors:
http://corridordesign.org/dl/docs/corridordesign.
org_BMPs_for_Corridors.pdf
Retaining Deadwood:
Yardmap, Snags: http://content.yardmap.org/learn/
habitat-feature-snags/
and http://content.yardmap.org/learn/snags/
Yardmap, Logs: http://content.yardmap.org/learn/
logs/
Providing Food and Water:
Yardmap, Food: http://content.yardmap.org/learn/
category/food/

Chimney Swift tower construction at Hartrick Park in Lansing
MI. Michigan Audubon

Audubon, Bird Feeders: https://www.audubon.org/news/bird-feeding-tips
Yardmap, Water: http://content.yardmap.org/learn/category/water/
Nest Boxes and Roosting Sites:
Audubon: https://www.audubon.org/news/build-nest-box-welcome-spring-birds
USFWS: https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/backyard/homes-for-birds.php
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/attract-birds-with-roost-boxes/
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/will-birds-use-nest-boxes-to-roost-in-for-warmthduring-the-winter/
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Chimney Swift Towers.: https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/
nonpwdpubs/media/dwa_chimney_swift_information_2005.pdf
Green Roofs:
Green Roof Information and Resources: https://greenroofs.org/
Green Roof Ideas: https://content.yardmap.org/learn/green-roof/
Green Roof Research Alliance, NYC: https://www.greenroofsnyc.com/about-us
Article on how urban green roofs provide habitat for migrating and breeding birds and their arthropod prey:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0202298
Article on bird response to green roofs in urban landscapes in the Midwestern USA:
https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wsb.566
Audubon article on bird friendly green roofs designs:
http://www.audubon.org/news/roofing-revolution-how-gorgeous-green-roofs-benefit-birds
Green Roof Resources: https://www.greenroofs.com/projects/
EPA document on how to apply green roofs to the local level: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/
26 | UBT Program Guidebook

files/2014-07/documents/implementing_green_roof_projects_at_the_local_level-neelampatel.pdf
Incentives: My Plant Connection http://myplantconnection.com/green-roofs-legislation.php
ASLA classroom curriculum: The Roof is Growing: American Society of Landscape Architects https://www.asla.
org/greenroofeducation/teacher-resources.html
Environmental Sustainability and Human Health
Follow these links to learn more about why bird and habitat conservation is important for overall
environmental sustainability and human health and well-being and for more information on positive actions.
U.S. Forest Service’s report Urban Nature for Human Health and Well-being:
https://www.fs.fed.us/sites/default/files/fs_media/fs_document/
urbannatureforhumanhealthandwellbeing_508_01_30_18.pdf
USFWS and Land Trust Alliance’s Investing in Nature:
https://www.fws.gov/cno/conservation/pdfFiles/Investing-In-Nature.pdf
North American Bird Conservation Initiative brochure on benefits of bird conservation to people: http://nabcius.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/NABCI-linking-bird-conservation-to-human-benefits-1.pdf
Article, Watching birds is good for you:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170225102113.htm
7 Actions to Make a Bird-Friendly Planet: https://www.3billionbirds.org/
National Audubon Society’s Bird Friendly Communities program:
https://www.audubon.org/conservation/bird-friendly-communities
National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Management Plan Challenge to Cities: https://blog.nwf.org/2019/06/
cities-need-urban-wildlife-plans-to-combat-the-extinction-crisis/
The Nature Conservancy’s Outside Our Doors: https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/
documents/Outside_Our_Doors_report.pdf
University of Washington’s 7 Benefits of Nature to Cities:
https://www.conservationmagazine.org/2014/02/7-benefits-bringing-nature-back-cities/
Biophilic Cities: Connecting Cities and Nature: https://www.biophiliccities.org
Articles on preventing gentrification from park and green space creation:
https://www.citylab.com/life/2019/10/urban-parks-gentrification-city-green-space-displacement/599722/
and https://www.greenbiz.com/article/can-we-green-cities-without-causing-gentrification
2. Resources for Reducing Urban Hazards to Birds
Why Birds Collide With Glass And Mortality Rates:
American Bird Conservancy:
https://abcbirds.org/program/glass-collisions/why-birds-hit-glass/
Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/why-birds-hit-windows-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it/
Article on bird–building collisions in the United States and estimates of annual mortality and species
vulnerability: http://www.audubon.org/sites/default/files/documents/loss_et_al_bird-building_collisons_
condor_2014.pdf
UBT Program Guidebook | 27

Article on factors influencing bird-building collisions in the downtown area of Minneapolis: https://journals.
plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0224164
Bird Safe Building Guidelines, Standards, And Solutions:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Reducing Bird Collisions with Buildings and Building Glass Best Practices:
https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/pdf/management/reducingbirdcollisionswithbuildings.pdf
American Bird Conservancy (ABC), Bird-friendly Building Design:
https://abcbirds.org/program/glass-collisions/bird-friendly-design/ and
Solutions at Home:
https://abcbirds.org/program/glass-collisions/bird-friendly-window-solutions/
ABC list of products shown to reduce bird collisions on glass, options for: www.birdsmartglass.org
Minnesota Audubon: http://mn.audubon.org/sites/default/files/05-05-10_bird-safe-building-guidelines.pdf
Portland Audubon: https://audubonportland.org/our-work/protect/habitat-and-wildlife/urban/reducingwildlife-hazards/bird-safe-building/
New York City Audubon: http://www.nycaudubon.org/pdf/BirdSafeBuildingGuidelines.pdf
Bird Friendly Chicago: https://birdfriendlychicago.org/mission-2
Lights Out Programs And Dark Skies Initiatives:
Fatal Lights Awareness Program: https://flap.org/
(Canada)
National Audubon Society’s Light Out program:
https://www.audubon.org/conservation/project/
lights-out# and Existing City Lights Out Programs:
https://www.audubon.org/conservation/existinglights-out-programs
Portland Audubon’s Lights Out Program: https://
audubonportland.org/our-work/protect/habitat-andwildlife/urban/reducing-wildlife-hazards/bird-safebuilding/lights-out/
Lights Out Chicago: https://www.chicago.gov/city/
en/progs/env/lights_out_chicago.html

Keeping cats indoors is one of the best ways to help cats and
birds. Petsafe

International Dark Skies Initiative: https://www.
darksky.org/ and information on certified light fixtures: https://www.darksky.org/our-work/lighting/
Keeping Cats Indoors For The Safety Of Cats, Birds, And Other Wildlife:

American Bird Conservancy’s Cats Indoors program: https://abcbirds.org/program/cats-indoors/ and https://
abcbirds.org/program/cats-indoors/cats-and-diseases/
Green Stewards’ 20 Reasons to Keep Cats Indoors: http://www.globalstewards.org/cats-indoors.htm
The Humane Society’s 10 Tips to Keep Your Cat Happy Indoors: https://www.humanesociety.org/
28 | UBT Program Guidebook

resources/10-tips-keep-your-cat-happy-indoors
Village of Oak Harbor’s Bird Safe/Bird Friendly Cat Roaming Program and Ordinance: http://www.
biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/michael-hutchins-memorial-conservation-fund.html
Reducing Hazardous Trash And Its Impacts On Birds:
Birdwatching Daily article on how to reduce the hazards of plastic trash: https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/
beginners/helping-birds/help-birds-cleaning-up-trash-plastic/
The Spruce’s article How Litter Hurts Birds: https://www.thespruce.com/how-litter-hurts-birds-386484
Audubon article on threats of plastics to shorebirds: https://www.audubon.org/news/plastic-threatens-evenour-common-shorebirds-study-warns
American Bird Conservancy on the threat of plastics to birds: https://abcbirds.org/plastics-pose-an-enduringthreat-to-seabirds/
Article, Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing: https://www.pnas.org/
content/112/38/11899
Article on reducing plastic trash: https://jaymiheimbuch.com/articles/conservation-photography/90-percentof-sea-birds-have-eaten-plastic-here-are-9-ways-you-can-reduce-plastic-use-today/
World Migratory Bird Day 2019 theme, Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution: https://www.
migratorybirdday.org/#
Reducing Pesticide Use And Its Impacts On Birds:
Beyond Pesticides: Protecting Health and the Environment with Science, Policy and Action: How pesticides
impact birds and what communities can do to reduce pesticide use:
https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/wildlife/birds
EPA’s Tips for Reducing Pesticide Impacts on Wildlife: https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/tips-reducingpesticide-impacts-wildlife
EPA’s Pesticide Program: Protecting pollinators through regulatory, voluntary, and research programs: https://
www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/what-you-can-do-protect-honey-bees-and-other-pollinators
Removing And Controlling Invasive Plants:
FWS information on invasive species, including contacts, frequently asked questions, activities, partnerships
and grants, and injurious wildlife information: http://www.fws.gov/invasives/
Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health: state species lists, how to control invasive species, and facts
on invasive species. http://www.invasive.org/species.cfm
USDA Invasive Species Information for: grants, identification, curriculum, invasive species events and
information on invasive species:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/index.shtml
The Nature Conservancy on how to prevent and control the spread of invasive species in all 50 states that
focuses on prevention and early detection:
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/invasivespecies/
Pennsylvania Land Trust Alliance’s guide to assist landowners and land managers in developing and
implementing a management program for controlling invasive species:
UBT Program Guidebook | 29

https://conservationtools.org/guides/31-invasivespecies-management-program
3. Resources for Community Education and
Engagement
Education and Recreation Programs and Activities:
Nature of American Study: an initiative to
understand and connect Americans to nature:
https://natureofamericans.org/
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s educational resources
for all ages:
https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/education/
Flying WILD, a program of the Council for
Environmental Education:
http://www.flyingwild.org/involved.htm

Pride Week Bird Walk sponsored by NYC Audubon.
NYC Audubon

USFWS Junior Duck Stamp - Annual Junior Duck Contest information, rules, entry forms (English/Spanish),
frequently asked questions and art tour information:
http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/
USFWS list of other resources to connect people with birds:
https://www.fws.gov/birds/education.php
Urban Bird Sounds Project by and for students that teaches students to recognize bird sounds in the city:
http://urbanbirdsounds.org/UBSP_website/Urban_Bird_Sounds_Project.html
The Schoolyard Birding Challenge, a monthly birdwatching contest open to students in all public, private, and
home schools; participants work together to observe, identify, and record bird species found on their school
grounds:
https://www.poweredbybirds.com/the-national-schoolyard-birding-challenge/
National Audubon Society’s Audubon Adventures, environmental education curriculum for grades 3 - 5 with
science content about birds, wildlife, and their habitats:
http://www.audubonadventures.org/
Journey North, a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change, and includes lesson plans and
background materials for classes to enter their own data, track and learn about migratory species: http://
www.learner.org/jnorth
Earth Force, a program engages young people as active citizens to improve the environment and their
communities through civic experiences in solving tough environmental problems. https://earthforce.org/
about/
The Children & Nature Network, encourages and supports people and organizations working nationally
and internationally to reconnect children with nature, and provides a critical link between researchers
and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children’s health and well-being: http://www.
childrenandnature.org/
The Fledging Birders Institute, a non-profit environmental education organization that brings the joy and
benefits of birding to others to promote healthy development and bird conservation, and home of the
Schoolyard Birding Challenge: http://fledgingbirders.org/
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center education programs:
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/school-programs
30 | UBT Program Guidebook

Shorebird Sister Schools Program, a science-based environmental education program that engages
participants in learning about and conserving shorebirds and their habitats and connecting people along
flyways: http://www.fws.gov/sssp/
Watchable Wildlife Inc., an organization that provides strategies for positive wildlife viewing experiences
and helps local communities realize the economic potential of wildlife and nature-related recreation and
conserving: http://www.watchablewildlife.org/about/default.htm
Environment for the America’s World Migratory Bird Day, organization that provides resources for and
coordinates a global theme-based bird conservation education campaign:
https://www.migratorybirdday.org/about-wmbd/
eBird Young Birder Clubs: https://ebird.org/about/resources/for-young-birders/young-birder-clubs
Birding Trails by State: https://www.traillink.com/activity/birding-trails/
National Park Service Community Assistance Programs: https://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/communities.htm
Community Science and Monitoring Programs:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology coordinates multiple projects for community scientists of all ages, including
Celebrate Urban Birds, eBird, NestWatch, Project FeederWatch, and Great Backyard Bird Count: https://www.
birds.cornell.edu/citizenscience/
Partners In Flight, a coalition of public and private agencies that focuses resources on improving monitoring
and inventory, research, management, and education programs involving birds and their habitats: https://
www.partnersinflight.org/what-we-do/build-public-support/
North American Breeding Bird Survey, an annual survey run by the U.S. Geological Survey that engages
volunteer birder participation: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pwrc/science/north-american-breeding-birdsurvey?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, a community monitoring program that engages volunteers
to survey for birds in December/January each year:
https://www.audubon.org/conservation/join-christmas-bird-count
NAS’s Climate Watch: https://www.audubon.org/conservation/climate-watch
NAS’s Great Backyard Bird Count: https://www.audubon.org/conservation/about-great-backyard-bird-count
and Hummingbirds at Home: http://www.hummingbirdsathome.org/
Bird Banding Lab of the North American Bird Banding Program, jointly administered by the U.S. Department
of the Interior and the Canadian Wildlife Service with banding offices have that use the same bands, reporting
forms, and data formats. www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s Neighborhood Nestwatch, program that provides opportunities for
people to learn about birds in their own backyards and help scientists solve critical questions regarding the
survival of backyard bird populations:
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/migratory-birds/about-neighborhood-nestwatch
Audubon’s Chimney Swift Sit and Hummingbirds at Home, community monitoring programs that engage
people in watching and surveying these species: https://www.zumbrovalleyaudubon.org/chimney-swifts.html
and hummingbirdsathome.org/
Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, program that engages volunteers during fall and spring migration in
monitoring bird collisions, bird rescue, bird transport, public outreach, or fundraising: https://www.
birdmonitors.net/Volunteer.php National Geographic Society’s BioBlitz, a community science program where
scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to get a snapshot of an
UBT Program Guidebook | 31

area’s biodiversity using the iNaturalist app: https://
www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/bioblitz/
Stewardship Program Opportunities:
National Audubon Society’s Bird Friendly
Communities, program that helps people make
their communities more sustainable by restoring
wildly habitat and reconnecting with nature:
www.audubon.org/conservation/bird-friendlycommunities
National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Garden for
Wildlife, program that educates and empowers
people to turn their own small pieces of Earth into
thriving habitat for birds and other wildlife while
deepening their connections to the natural world:
https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife

Flyer promoting opportunities for community members to
engage in prairie and  pollinator science and conservation in
Houston.

NWF’s Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, program that
engages mayors and other local and tribal
government chief executives in U.S. cities to commit
to creating habitat for the Monarch butterfly and other pollinators and to educating communities:
https://www.nwf.org/MayorsMonarchPledge
FWS Pacific Southwest Region Schoolyard Habitat program:
https://www.fws.gov/cno/conservation/Schoolyard.html and
planning guide https://www.fws.gov/cno/pdf/habitatguidecolor.pdf
Connecticut Audubon Schoolyard Habitat Network:
https://ct.audubon.org/schoolyard-habitat
National Park Service Community Assistance Programs:
https://www.nps.gov/getinvolved/communities.htm

Student Job Training and Work Experiences: Connect with these organizations to hire students or find
volunteers to work for conservation projects in your community:
Student Conservation Association (SCA): https://www.thesca.org/about
Youth Conservation Corps: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/youthprograms/index.htm
Groundwork USA: https://groundworkusa.org/
Green Job Corps: https://greencorps.org/index.html
4-H Clubs: https://4-h.org/
Hispanic Access Foundation: https://www.hispanicaccess.org/get-involved
Greening Youth Foundation: https://gyfoundation.org/Urban-Youth-Corps
American Conservation Experience: http://www.usaconservation.org/hire-a-crew/

32 | UBT Program Guidebook

VI. UWCP Program Standards of Excellence
The Standards of Excellence is the framework for
the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program. The
Standards give guidelines and objectives for urban
refuges and urban partnerships, including Urban
Bird Treaty cities, to plan for the future, to measure
success, and to take advantage of extraordinary
opportunities to build a conservation constituency
with their immediate neighbors.
The future success of conservation lies ultimately
in our ability to inspire Americans to connect with
the outdoors and nature, and to become stewards
of the environment. With over 80% of Americans
living in urban areas, spending less time outdoors,
and becoming more ethnically and racially diverse,
our challenge is to become relevant in their daily
lives. Without public awareness and support, our
conservation mission will not succeed.

Students learning the basics of birding -- a great way to help
people deepen their connection to nature. USFWS

Below is a link to find more details and objectives for the Standards of Excellence:
https://www.fws.gov/urban/soe.php.
STANDARD 1: Know and Relate to the Community
STANDARD 2: Connect Urban People with Nature via Stepping Stones of Engagement
STANDARD 3: Build Partnerships
STANDARD 4: Be a Community Asset
STANDARD 5: Ensure Adequate Long-Term Resources
STANDARD 6: Provide Equitable Access
STANDARD 7: Ensure Visitors Feel Safe and Welcome
STANDARD 8: Model Sustainability

NOTICES
Paperwork Reduction Act
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collects information necessary to designate Urban Bird
Treaty cities or municipalities, and to respond to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974. Information requested in this
form is purely voluntary. However, submission of requested information is required in order to consider applications for designation as an Urban Bird Treaty city.
Failure to provide all requested information may be sufficient cause for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to deny the request. According to the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned Control No. 1018-####.
Estimated Burden Statement
We estimate public reporting for this collection of information to average 3 hours to 80 hours per response, depending on activity, including the time for reviewing
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send
comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Service
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg
Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803, or via email at Info_Coll@fws.gov.
UBT Program Guidebook | 33

“If a child is to keep alive his/her
inborn sense of wonder, s/he needs
the companionship of at least one
adult who can share it, rediscovering
with him/her the joy, excitement,
and mystery of the world we live in.”
--Rachel Carson

34 | UBT Program Guidebook