HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem VI. 2026 Bird City ResolutionMARCH 10, 2026 26-xx RESOLUTION
(CARRIED_______DENIED_______LAID OVER_______WITHDRAWN_______)
PURPOSE: RENEWAL OF BIRD CITY WISCONSIN DESIGNATION;
DESIGNATE MAY 9, 2026 AS WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY
INITIATED BY: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATION:
WHEREAS, migratory birds are some of the most beautiful and easily observed
wildlife that share our communities, and
WHEREAS, many citizens recognize and welcome migratory songbirds as
symbolic harbingers of spring, and
WHEREAS, these migrant species also play an important economic role in our
community, controlling insect pests and generating millions in recreational dollars
statewide, and
WHEREAS, migratory birds and their habitats are declining throughout the
Americas, facing a growing number of threats on their migration routes and in both their
summer and winter homes, and
WHEREAS, public awareness and concern are crucial components of migratory
bird conservation, and
WHEREAS, citizens enthusiastic about birds, informed about the threats they face,
and empowered to help address those threats can directly contribute to maintaining
healthy bird populations, and
WHEREAS, since 1993 World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD and formally
International Migratory Bird Day) has become a primary vehicle for focusing public
attention on the nearly 350 species that travel between nesting habitats in our
communities and throughout North America and their wintering grounds in South and
Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the southern U.S., and
WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of people will observe WMBD, gathering in
town squares, community centers, schools, parks, nature centers, and wildlife refuges to
learn about birds, take action to conserve them, and simply to have fun, and
WHEREAS, while WMBD officially is held each year on the second Saturday in
May, its observance is not limited to a single day, and planners are encouraged to
schedule activities on the dates best suited to the presence of both migrants and
celebrants, and
WHEREAS, WMBD is not only a day to foster appreciation for wild birds and to
celebrate and support migratory bird conservation, but also a call to action, and
WHEREAS, the City was granted membership to ‘Bird City Wisconsin’ in 2011,
and desires to apply to renew its application membership for 2026.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of
Oshkosh that the proper City officials are hereby authorized and directed to submit an
application to renew its ‘Bird City Wisconsin’ designation and to execute any and all
documents necessary for purposes of same.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that should the City’s application to renew its Bird
City Wisconsin designation be approved, the City hereby designates May 9, 2026 as
World Migratory Bird Day.