Postcards sent by Avian Advocates in support of Int. 1482, the Bird-friendly material bill, in Fall 2019. Photo: NYC Audubon
Become an Avian Advocate
Whether it's by meeting with government officials, coordinating public letter-writing campaigns and public comments, or raising consciousness of the dangers facing our birds and their habitats via outreach events, distributed brochures and educational materials, and social media, NYC Audubon advocacy volunteers are integral in pushing this meaningful work forward. Learn what immediate actions you can take to help protect birds and habitats, and how to stay informed about issues.
Actions You Can Take Right Now to Help Birds
Lights Out legislation aims to make New York City less attractive, and less hazardous, to night-migrating birds by limiting artificial light at night during peak migration. Photo: Keith Michael
Support City- and Statewide Lights Out Legislation
Artificial light at night attracts night-migrating birds to dangerous urban areas, disorienting them and making them more likely to strike glass windows. Two important Lights Out Bills are currently being considered at City and State levels:
- Lights Out Bill Int. 265 will require that all privately owned buildings in New York City turn out nonessential outdoor lighting and use occupancy sensors for indoor lighting between 11pm and 6am during peak migration. This important bill will complement two other bills, Int. 271 and Int. 274, which currently enforce these same limits in City-owned buildings.
- The Dark Skies Protection Act (S7663), introduced by Senator Brad Hoylman (D/WFP-Manhattan) and Assemblymember Patricia Fahy (D-Albany), will require that most nonessential outdoor lighting across New York State be extinguished after 11pm, be motion-activated, or be covered by an external shield.
No advocacy action is recommended for these measures at this time. Become an Avian Advocate (see the form at the top of this page) to get updates on what you can do to move this legislation forward.
The pollinator garden atop the Javits Center absorbs rain water and provides stopover habitat for migrating birds. Photo: Javits Center
Help Spread Green Roofs across the City
Green roofs provide many environmental benefits, including absorption of rainwater, insulation, reduction of the urban “heat island effect,” and habitat for birds and other wildlife. We are working with several partners to improve New York City’s Green Roof Tax Abatement program, which provides a reduction of taxes payable to the City, so that these funds can help offset the costs of green roof installation. Learn more at greenroofsnyc.com/financingoptions.
No advocacy action is recommended for this measure at this time. Become an Avian Advocate (see the form at the top of this page) to get updates on what you can do to move this legislation forward.
No advocacy action is recommended for this measure at this time. Become an Avian Advocate (see the form at the top of this page) to get updates on what you can do to move this legislation forward.
Advocate for Bird-Friendly Materials in Problem Buildings
Have you noticed that the building you live in or that a building you have passed by has windows that cause bird collisions during migration? You can use this template letter and additional outreach resources to let the building owners, board, or management team know that there are solutions to this issue.
Dirtying and clouding your windows is the easiest bird-friendly solution. Photo: NYC Audubon
Petition for the Protection of NYC Community Gardens
NYC Audubon has joined Earth Justice, NYCCGC, and 69 other organizations in submitting a petition to New York City government agencies that identifies community gardens meriting Critical Environmental Area (CEA) designation.
Community gardens provide open space, fruits and vegetables, and also good habitat for wildlife, especially birds!
Sign the petition to show your support!
Community gardens provide open space, fruits and vegetables, and also good habitat for wildlife, especially birds!
Sign the petition to show your support!
Black-and-white Warbler. Photo: Matthew Pimm/Audubon Photography Awards
Urge Your Representative to Co-Sponsor the Bird-safe Buildings Act
New York City enacted Local Law 15 in January 2021, but we must continue to push our representatives to pass bird-safe legislation at the state and national level. The Bird-safe Buildings Act is a bipartisan bill designed to reduce bird mortality by calling for federal buildings to incorporate bird-safe building materials and design features, potentially saving millions of birds each year. Urge your representatives to co-sponsor this bill using American Bird Conservancy’s online petition tool.
Scarlet Tanager. Photo: Linda Steele/Audubon Photography Awards
Support the Migratory Bird Protection Act
The Migratory Bird Protection Act, H.R. 5552, reaffirms the Migratory Bird Treaty Act’s (MBTA) intent to protect migratory birds from big industries and provides incentives to responsible companies managing incidental take. Now, we have an opportunity to ask the incoming 117th U.S. Congress to ensure that any rollbacks to the MBTA are overturned. Please ask your Representative and Senators to be original co-sponsors of the Migratory Bird Protection Act now using American Bird Conservancy’s online messaging tool.
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