State College accepted into Birdtown Pennsylvania; borough gets certification, resources for native‑plant and pollinator work

State College Borough was formally recognized as a Birdtown Pennsylvania community at the April 14 work session when Heidi Shiver, a representative of the program, presented the borough with its certification and two street signs.

Jasmine Fields, the borough sustainability officer, introduced the presentation. Birdtown Pennsylvania, run under the Pennsylvania Audubon Council, partners with towns to promote community conservation actions that support birds, wildlife and people. Shiver described the program’s statewide network (79 Birdtowns across 15 counties), training and workshops for local leaders, outreach materials and a four‑tier certification system (green, bronze, silver, gold).

Shiver highlighted common actions for municipalities — native‑plant sales, pollinator and rain‑garden demonstrations, proclamations or resolutions, backyard habitat recognition and citizen‑science activities such as the Christmas Bird Count and Great Backyard Bird Count. She said Birdtown provides resources, a leaders’ page with sample proclamations and an e‑mail list of grant opportunities; she also noted a pending state grant application that could provide mini‑grants for local projects.

Council members asked whether the designation could be leveraged for grants; Shiver said program leaders regularly circulate funding opportunities and that Birdtowns can apply for grants and collaborate regionally. The council thanked the presenters and posed for photos with the certification materials and street signs.