FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Story County was designated a Bird Friendly Community by Bird Friendly Iowa (BFI) in 2020, the first county to be officially designated as such. The BFI program focuses on educating and engaging the public about birds, reducing threats to birds, and protecting, restoring and enhancing the habitats that birds rely on. During the last five years, Story County’s Bird Friendly Community Team and its partners completed nearly triple the number of actions required for official designation. Additionally, by accomplishing six special category actions, Story County has reached High Flyer Status, the highest level status of achievement for a BFI Community.
The Story County community has proved it is friendly to birds in a multitude of ways. Over 1,300 acres of land have been protected for conservation purposes in the last 10 years. In 2024, Story County Conservation (SCC) gained title to the Deppe Family Conservation Area (127 acres adjacent to McFarland Park) and began prairie restoration and other land management improvements. Also in 2024, Story County voters passed, with 78% support, a $25 million bond initiative dedicated to enhancing water quality, improving parks and trails, and preserving natural resources. SCC is currently fundraising to purchase a 247-acre property near Cambridge, which would convert roughly 160 acres of cropland into prairie and create habitat for countless birds.
Throughout the years, SCC has received numerous awards for the quality and quantity of its Environmental Education programming. The SCC’s Environmental Education Program provides many classroom and outdoor experiences about bird identification, natural history, habitat need, and threats to bird populations, offering over 120 hours of bird related education for over 2,000 students in one year.
“Birds are an extremely important means of connecting communities and citizens with our environment,” said Doug Harr, of the Bird Friendly Iowa Steering Committee and President of Iowa Audubon. “Birds are important indicators of healthy soil, water, air, and native vegetation. Providing quality bird habitat can help reverse the dramatic decline of bird populations, Monarch butterflies, and other critical components of biodiversity, locally or even at statewide and higher levels.” To this end, the Skunk River and its greenbelt landscape provide a critically important corridor for bird migration and year-round habitat in Story County.
The Bird Friendly Iowa program is part of the Bird City Network – a special program of the American Bird Conservancy and Environment for the Americas. This network of communities unites and connects independent Bird Friendly programs throughout the hemisphere, working directly with local communities to envision and complete bird-friendly actions. Bird Friendly Iowa also is a partnership of several Iowa conservation organizations, agencies, and individuals including Trees Forever, Iowa Audubon, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Iowa DNR-Wildlife Bureau, Iowa Wildlife Center, Iowa Ornithological Union, Iowa Tourism, and the Iowa County Conservation System.
More information about Bird Friendly Iowa, including instructions on how Iowa communities and counties can apply for this special recognition, is at www.BirdFriendlyIowa.org.
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