Eastern Screech-Owlet banner image copyright 2023 by Michael P. Greiner, used with permission.

Bird Friendly Sioux City Designation

The Loess Hills Audubon Society is working towards obtaining the designation of Bird Friendly City for the City of Sioux City.  We have partnered with the Northwest Iowa Group of the Sierra Club, the Woodbury County Conservation Board, Loess Hills Wild Ones, and the Nature Conservancy in Iowa in our efforts to obtain this status for our community. Loess Hills Audubon Society members have met with City Parks and Recreation and the City Environmental Services staff to discuss ways to obtain this status.

To obtain this designation, it is necessary for us to work together as a community to continually recognize and actively reduce and mitigate threats to birds.  By working towards this goal, we would like to strengthen the City’s commitment to bird conservation in our urban environment. 

To become a Bird Friendly City, criteria need to be continually developed in three categories: Protect, restore, and enhance bird habitat, reduce threats to birds, and educate and engage people in birding and conservation.  Detailed information on the criteria can be found at: https://birdfriendlyiowa.org/.

Bird Friendly Iowa joined forces with the Bird City Network. This Network unites Bird Friendly Programs working locally across the Americas to make communities healthier for birds and people. By improving our urban environment, we are protecting not only birds, but bees, butterflies, other beneficial insects, and wildlife in our urban environment.

Be an advocate for birds by volunteering and joining the Loess Hills Audubon Society in our campaign. Share your support of these efforts with local government, City council members and City officials.

To become involved or to request more information, please contact Marla Kerr at: marla.g.kerr@gmail.com.

Informational Links

• Bird Friendly Communities

• Cats Indoors

• Night Sky / Lights Out

• Bird Window Collisions: https://www.audubon.org/news/reducing-collisions-glass

• Organic Weed Killer Options: https://www.thespruce.com/green-weed-killers-2152938

• Pesticides and Health: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pesticides/index.cfm

• Bird Decline and Habitat Loss:

  • https://www.audubon.org/news/more-half-us-birds-are-decline-warns-new-report

  • https://www.fws.gov/library/collections/threats-birds

  • https://www.stateofthebirds.org/2022/

• Native Plants for Birds

Loess Hills Audubon Society Partner Links

• Woodbury County Conservation Board: https://woodburyparks.org/dorothy-pecaut-nature-center/

• The Nature Conservancy in Iowa: https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/iowa/

• Northwest Iowa Sierra Group: https://www.sierraclub.org/iowa/northwest-iowa/about-us

• Wild Ones, Loess Hills, Iowa Chapter: https://loesshills.wildones.org

Bird City Network links

• Bird City Communities and Programs: https://birdcity.org/communities-and-programs-map

• Bird Friendly Iowa: https://birdcity.org/iowa