Support and protect wildlife through habitat rehabilitation, preservation and recognition programs.
Best Practice of this action
Rating Guideline
 |
Report city actions that strengthen the ecology for birds, pollinators, other wildlife and for native plants; for example, replacing a dam with a spillway/rapids to restore and enhance fish passage and habitat. |
 |
Register and begin work on completing actions in the Bird City MN program, Bee City USA, Prairie City USA, MN Loon Restoration Project, and/or the Community Wildlife Habitat program. Report Tree City USA under BPA 16.1. |
 |
Be recognized as a Bird City Minnesota, Bee City USA, Prairie City USA, or/and a certified Wildlife Habitat. |
Resources
- The National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitat program partners with cities, neighborhoods, and communities of all kinds to become healthier, greener, and more wildlife-friendly. Communities earn community-wide certification by certifying individual properties (homes, parks, schools, businesses, and others) in their community as Certified Wildlife Habitats and by doing education and outreach in their community.
- GreenStep worked with Audubon Minnesota to create Bird City Minnesota that counts actions cities have already taken in the GreenStep program. As of 2019 the GreenStep cities of Bemidji, Hastings, Northfield, La Crescent and St. Paul are recognized as Minnesota Bird Cities.
- Bee City USA works to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators, in particular the more than 3,600 species of native bees in this country, by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides.
- Prairie City USA, a program of Wildlife Forever, is a community program to integrate prairie habitat restoration, demonstration projects and adoption of conservation best practices. Through civic leadership, public engagement and implementation of prairie-friendly policy, integrated prairie conservation practices will create significant benefits in three core areas: ecology, municipal, civic. The City of Fergus Falls was the first city in Minnesota to become certified in 2022.
- The goal of the Minnesota Loon Restoration Project is to reduce mortality and increase fledgling success of loons in eight northern counties: Becker, Clearwater, Beltrami, Hubbard, Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca, and Aitkin. The objectives include: acquire loon habitat, install artificial nesting platforms, engage community members through the voluntary Loon-Friendly Lake Registry Program, and monitor implementation and outcomes.
- Preserve the ecological functions of the corridor by including lighting considerations in the design standards. Use the International Dark-Sky Association Light Pollution Effects on Wildlife and Ecosystems guide to promote reduced/smarter outdoor lighting. See the GreenStep Dark Skies best practices for more.
- The National Wildlife Federation’s interactive Nature-Based Solutions Funding Database for communities interested in pursuing federal funding and/or technical assistance for nature-based solutions.
Order Number
7
Action Type
Finite