The City of Jefferson has become a Bird City.
At a meeting of the Common Council on July 6, 2021, Charles Hagner, director of Bird City Wisconsin, applauded the City for steps it had taken to make the community more bird-friendly.
“I am pleased to be here to recognize the efforts of the City of Jefferson, its public officials, and its conservation-minded residents to make this community a better place for birds — and for people,” Hagner said.
He commended the City for taking many bird-friendly actions, including the following:
- Converting a 5.4-acre parcel in the floodplain into the Scott Fischer Memorial Rivers Edge Nature Preserve, a natural area along the Rock River
- Planning the development of a 20-acre nature conservancy on five holes of the former Meadow Springs Golf Club
- Working, as an Energy Independence Community, to reduce by 25 percent the City’s municipal energy and fuel consumption by the year 2025
- Being the home of Jefferson Marsh State Wildlife Area and Jefferson Tamarack Swamp State Natural Area, both of which are listed in the Southern Savanna Region of the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail
“Actions like these benefit birds and other wildlife and help build a connection to nature that will show current and future decision makers just how important it is to protect the natural world,” said Hagner.
Cyndi Keller, the director of Jefferson’s Recreation Department, spearheaded the City’s successful application.
In recognition of Jefferson’s accomplishment, it was awarded two street signs and a 3'x5' flag bearing the colorful Bird City logo, a framed, signed commemorative plaque, and a copy of Owen Gromme’s classic book Birds of Wisconsin. Hagner presented the plaque to Mayor Dale W. Oppermann at the council meeting.
A narrative describing the City of Jefferson’s bird-friendly accomplishments, along with a complete list of all communities that have earned recognition as Bird Cities, can be found on the Bird City Wisconsin website.
Bird City Wisconsin was founded in 2009. Modeled on the successful Tree City USA program of the Arbor Day Foundation, it encourages Wisconsin communities to implement sound bird-conservation practices by rewarding those that enhance the environment for birds and educate their citizens about the contributions that birds make to healthy communities.
Bird City Wisconsin is a program of the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory in Port Washington.
Read more:
See a list of all Bird Cities.
Read how your community can become a Bird City.