City Leverages Partnerships to Notch Up 28 Action Points
The City of Brunswick renewed its status as an official Bird City, a recognition program of Bird City Maryland. Brunswick exemplifies a community committed to strong partnerships to help birds flourish. The city is recognized at the High Flyer level with 28 action points. In addition to its Bird City recognition, Brunswick is also a silver-level Sustainable Maryland city.
Brunswick completed actions in four categories: Habitat, Threats to Birds, Education and Engagement, and Sustainability.
A Brunswick family attends garden-inspired picnic and gets up close and personal with the native plants.
Brunswick Branch Library applied decals to their windows to prevent bird collisions.
They have expanded their Food Bank Garden consisting of fruit and nut trees and vegetables to include an herb garden as part of their Bird City renewal. The garden, which was installed as part of their original Bird City Maryland application, provides food for birds, insects, and the local community. Wild Potomac, a local non-profit, partners with the city in the garden’s maintenance. Wild Potomac also hosted an educational event at the garden in which community members learned tree and shrub care as well as the benefits of each plant for wildlife and humans. After caring for the plants, attendees enjoyed a food picnic complete with native plants such as cookies baked with acorn flour, roasted nuts, and sumac lemonade.
Bird City Brunswick, the local community group formed to support Brunswick’s Bird City application, partnered with Wild Potomac to secure a grant to fund 110 native trees in a free Brunswick community give-away. Bird City Brunswick and Wild Potomac members helped community members pick out appropriate locations for their trees, provided mulch, and assisted with the planting. In addition, Wild Potomac has planted two residential food forests and Bird City Brunswick hosts annual native plant swaps and seed exchanges.
The Brunswick Branch of Frederick County Public Libraries, which is silver LEED certified, routinely presents environmental programming focused on birds and native plants as well as hosting bio blitz tutorials and leading bio blitz for young people. The branch has installed bird safe glass decals to prevent collisions.
The City of Brunswick’s Food Bank Garden provides food for birds, insects, and the local community.
The Bird City Maryland program, an initiative of Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership, was started in 2019 as a way to encourage communities in Maryland to enhance the environment for birds and educate the public about the contributions birds make to a healthy community. Communities must complete three actions in the Habitat category and at least one action each in the other three categories, as well as pass a resolution committing to becoming a Bird City. In 2023, Bird City Maryland joined the National Bird City Network, a joint venture of the American Bird Conservancy and Environment for the Americas. The Network unites and connects independent Bird City programs throughout the hemisphere who work directly with local communities to envision and complete bird-friendly actions. Together we form a powerful collaborative force–connecting people and helping birds across the hemisphere.
To see all of Brunswick’s achievements visit their webpage: https://birdcity.org/maryland/brunswick