Restoring Habitat for Bird Nesting, Overwintering, and Migration Stopover

The Town of Chestertown renewed its status as an official Bird City, a recognition program of Bird City Maryland. Restoring habitat important to bird nesting, overwintering, or migration stopover is a critical action taken as part of their Bird City renewal. In partnership with The Natural Lands Project at Washington College's Center for Environment & Society, 28 acres of former corn fields at the Chestertown Wastewater Treatment Plant has been converted into wildflower habitat, which supports pollinators and many bird species including Grasshopper Sparrows. Chestertown has used community partnerships to help them complete 19 bird-friendly actions for their renewal.

Chestertown completed actions in four categories: Habitat, Threats to Birds, Education and Engagement and Sustainability.

Signage for The National Lands Project in Chestertown.

In cooperation with the Town of Chestertown, the nonprofit Sultana Education Foundation has created the Lawrence Wetlands Preserve and Nature Center. The Preserve is located on 8.5 acres of land obtained from the Town of Chestertown and Washington College in downtown Chestertown. The Preserve consists of a trail network with more than 400 native trees around the property’s perimeter and a system of wetland pedestrian boardwalks.
The Town of Chestertown has a Night Skies Ordinance that requires the use of night sky-compliant fixtures for all commercial and institutional building projects.
Chestertown has publicly accessible art with relevance to the Town's designation as a Bird City, including “Sentinel,” a welded steel sculpture of a stylized owl on a ring atop a long stem by American sculptor Don Rambadt; and “Strength of Community,” a welded bronze sculpture of a curved diamond shape with several abstract birds on it, also by Don Rambadt. “Freedom,” a painted metal sculpture of a butterfly fashioned from bicycle parts was created by Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, a Ghanaian artist.
The Town of Chestertown installed a 1.3 MW photovoltaic array at its wastewater treatment plant in 2014. The array provides approximately 1,800 MWh per year, which offsets 80% of the Town's electrical needs for the operation of the treatment plant, streetlights, and municipal buildings, including maintenance, police, and fire station. Groundbreaking has started on the existing field to double the capacity to 2.6 MW, which would provide a surplus of energy to the town that will allow them to create a community solar program, targeted to low-income residents.

The Bird City Maryland program, an initiative of the 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 Chestertown’s achievements visit: https://www.birdcity.org/maryland/chestertown