Towamencin named a Bird Town of Pennsylvania; program offers grants and native-plant support

Heidi Schleiber, president of Bird Towns of Pennsylvania, presented the Bird Town program to the Towamencin Board of Supervisors on April 23 and formally presented two street signs recognizing the township as the program's 77th Bird Town in Pennsylvania. Schleiber said the program "works in partnership with local municipalities" to promote conservation actions and community-based steps to support birds, wildlife and people.

Schleiber summarized statewide trends she attributed to habitat loss, cats, window collisions and pesticide use, and cited recent reports showing substantial bird-population declines since 1970, including the statement that "2,900,000,000 birds are gone since 1970." She described practical municipal actions — native-plant demonstration gardens, proclamations, citizen science programs, and window-retrofit grants — and noted Bird Towns of Pennsylvania provides a structured program, training, a private forum for leaders and opportunities to apply for competitive funding.

Schleiber said the program offers access to potential grants (she cited an applied-for DCNR grant and a separate $100,000 window-retrofit opportunity) and training workshops on invasive-plant management and native-plant ordinances. She encouraged the township's Bird Town committee to use Bird Town resources and networking to advance native-planting, reduce pesticide use and engage schools and residents in conservation activities.

The board accepted the presentation and posed no objections; supervisors and residents present thanked Schleiber and the local Bird Town committee for their work.