City Council celebrated the birds and the bees, literally, when it passed resolutions on Sept. 28, further illustrating the city’s ongoing commitment to Open Space and supporting the city’s vision as “a community of safe neighborhoods and beautiful open space that is sustainable and inclusive.”

In the first resolution Councillors proclaimed Saturday, Oct. 10, as the city’s World Migratory Bird Day Celebration. Since the city was already a leader in sustainable practices and prioritizing protection of open spaces, it naturally followed that the city would earn the Bird City America designation.

The Bird City Americas program, modeled after Tree City USA, encourages municipalities to become more bird-friendly in the hopes to connect diverse people to birds and nature and inspire the next generation of conservationists.

Receiving the Bird City America designation shows the city’s dedication to protecting wild habitats and cultivating biodiversity in plants, animals, and microorganisms, thus improving the health of our ecosystems and general wellbeing. It will also improve nature programming like World Migratory Bird Day with residents visiting our parks and open spaces and developing a sense responsibility to preserve and protect these areas.

Building on this commitment to the environment, the council passed a second resolution designating the city as a Bee City USA Affiliate thereby dedicating itself to creating sustainable habitats for native pollinators, which are vital to feeding the planet.

Similar to Bird City America, these buzzing commitments hold municipalities accountable for maintaining sustainable practices and educating their communities to benefit wildlife, specifically pollinating insects.

The benefits of Bee City USA include increased biodiversity, a cleaner environment, better food yield, and lowering the heat given off due to being an urban area.

The designation will help the city ensure the survival of vital animal species crucial to our planet’s complex food web, raise awareness of how our food grows, and improve local food production through expanded pollination.

Parks, Recreation and Libraries Department Intern Shelby Piper compiled resources to complete the Bee City USA application before finishing her intern position in January 2020. Trails Specialist Hans Reichgelt and Park Naturalist Lexie Martinez helped finalize the applications.

Birds and bees continue to enhance life in the city and with these designations make Westminster a more desirable place for people to call home.