The City of Delta is continuing its efforts to support birds and biodiversity.
Delta council welcomed two members of the Delta Naturalists Society Aug. 26 who provided an update on a bird strategy that goes back to 2014.
“At that time we brought to council the idea and need for a bird strategy,” said society president Tom Bearss. “Council jumped on board and since that time we have adopted a strategy and Delta has adopted some legislation. Birds are such an important aspect of Delta. We are very pleased to be leading this movement alongside you and we want to help guide you in continuing this work.”
The Delta Naturalists Society is made up of 100 members whose mandate is to foster interest in the natural history of Delta and promote environmental awareness and conservation.
Bearss hosts weekly walks which are hugely popular and recounts those adventures in a blog that runs on the Optimist website. The society also hosts nature presentations for the public and liaises with Bird Studies Canada and other groups.
Since approaching council five years ago, the society has been involved in stakeholder consultations, distributed 14,000 Birds in Delta and Experience Birding in Delta brochures, hosted several field trips during last year’s International Ornithological Conference and Bird Festival in Vancouver, which brought tens of thousands of visitors to the Lower Mainland, worked with Delta to install two barn owl boxes in the North 40 Park Reserve and has participated in the Environment and Climate Change Canada draft communications project.
According to the society, more than 200 bird species have been recorded along the Boundary Bay dike, with 412,600 visitors to the dike in 2018. There was also 26,190 visitors to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in April, May and June of this year.
“Delta is a first-class centre for birds and biodiversity. This is a huge asset for our community that we want council to be aware of,” said Delta Naturalists Society member Anne Murray.
Murray said some of the goals of the group are to work with Delta on a strategy to reduce the impacts on barn owls, which are an endangered species in the Fraser River delta, to look at alternatives to rat poisons to protect raptors, to increase promotion through Delta’s website and printed brochures, to crerate more washrooms and parking as well as more fenced and non-dog areas.
“We want to make Delta more accessible for our visitors and residents who are out for a natural experience,” she said. “We like the idea of experiencing Delta naturally. It’s a very important thing that people get the chance to experience the outdoors, experience the wildlife and we want that concept to align with the strategy.”
Council enthusiastically endorsed the society’s action items and recommendations and has asked staff to come back with further information on costs and what would be involved in implementing the items.
“We definitely have to continue to put this information before the public so they understand how important this is to our community,” said Coun. Lois Jackson. “Thank you for all that you do. It’s a wonderful thing for anyone who wants to get out and enjoy nature.”
