Recommendation 20241106-004: Bird Friendly Design Working Group — original pdf

Recommendation

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20241106-004 Date: November 6, 2024 Subject: Bird-Friendly Design Working Group Motion by: Jennifer Bristol Seconded by: David Sullivan WHEREAS, the Environmental Commission was given a presentation about Bird Safe Design by Heidi Trudell Bird Safe Design Specialist with support from Travis Audubon; and WHEREAS, the Environmental Commission recognizes the City of Austin was named a Bird City in Feb. 2023; and WHEREAS, the Environmental Commission recognizes that over 400 species of birds reside or migrate through Travis County every spring and fall, including the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler and threatened Black-capped Vireo; and WHEREAS, the Environmental Commission recognizes the City of Austin benefits from the annual $1.8 billion generated from bird tourism in Texas; and WHEREAS, the Environmental Commission recognizes birds colliding with poorly designed buildings results in up to 1 billion birds dying in the US every year; and WHEREAS, to better understand the issues and best design practices for Bird-Friendly Buildings, the Environmental Commission formed a working group in June 2024 with other commissions, architects, developers, and conservationist; and WHEREAS, the working group met monthly to study what other cities are doing, what are the best practices, and what the City of Austin is already doing; and WHEREAS, after studying the issue and solutions the Working Group, with support from Council Member Leslie Pool’s office, submitted a resolution for consideration by council. The resolution will be considered on November 21, 2024; and THEREFORE, the Environmental Commission recommends supporting the resolution as it falls in line with meeting the environmental goals of improving habitats for species, improving and stabilizing biodiversity within the city limits and ETJ, and improving the quality of life for people residing in or visiting Austin. 1 VOTE 7-0 For: Perry Bedford, Hanna Cofer, Jennifer Bristol, Richard Brimer, Haris Qureshi, Melinda Schiera, David Sullivan Against: None Abstain: None Recuse: None Absent: Mariana Krueger and Colin Nickells Approved By: Perry Bedford, Environmental Commission Chair 2