HOW TWEET IT IS. Birding guru Steve Betchkal (center), shown here leading a field trip earlier this spring, wants Eau Claire to pursue the Bird City designation.

Steve Betchkal, an avid birder and chief photographer at News 18 (WQOW-TV), is looking for the support of Eau Claire’s nature lovers to help get Eau Claire designated as a Bird City. “Birds lived here before we did,” Betchkal says. “The least we can do is be gracious neighbors.” Bird City Wisconsin is accepting a new round of applications with a July 1 deadline, and Betchkal has sent a letter to the city asking the Eau Claire City Council to pass a resolution declaring the Bird City status.

"For all their calls and songs, birds are silent too. They can’t stick up for themselves. They need us to do that for them." – Birder Steve Betchkal, who is pushing for Eau Claire to become a Bird CityBecoming a Bird City is a symbolic designation. Bird Cities are recognized as communities that believe in the importance of a healthy habitat and an improved quality of life. “Whether you’re talking trees, birds, or property value, if you ignore or neglect it, it devalues,” Betchkal says. It’s important to realize that birds help enhance people’s quality of life by eating pesky insects and by singing, so people can enjoy spending time outside. “For all their calls and songs, birds are silent too,” Betchkal says. “They can’t stick up for themselves. They need us to do that for them.”  

Bird City Wisconsin is a project modeled on Tree City USA that is aimed at bringing conservation to the minds of citizens. It is sponsored by organizations like the Audubon Society, the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, and the American Birding Association. Bird City Wisconsin offers public recognition to communities that educate others and implement conservation practices. Recognition includes two Bird City street signs for display at city entrances, a Bird City flag, a special page on the Bird City Wisconsin website, and the use of the Bird City emblem. Right now, 66 Wisconsin cities proudly hold the Bird City title. To become a Bird City, Eau Claire must fulfill seven items from a list of 22 criteria. Eau Claire has to be a Tree City through Tree City USA before it can become a Bird City because the community must support trees and plants before it can support birds. (Eau Claire has been a Tree City for decades, so check that off the list!) Eau Claire will also have to establish an event at any time of the year to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day.  

Becoming a Bird City will also help raise awareness about birds and serve as an educational program. Birds are stressed, and fostering awareness will help people learn what they can do to help. The top two causes of death for birds are hitting windows and other structures and being hunted by cats that are let outside. Everyone can make a difference in helping to increase the urban bird population in the Chippewa Valley. “Birders are silent folks,” Betchkal says. “They go out and watch birds, but they don’t make enough noise. We want the community to become aware that there are problems, and they can be part of the solution.”

“Birding is a very popular activity in Wisconsin,” says Phil Fieber, the city’s director of parks, recreation, and forestry. Many people travel to watch birds, and they spend a lot of money at hotels and restaurants while they do so. Bird viewing is a top-20 recreational activity in the state, so having an abundance of bird habitat could help bring more tourists to town. “In how many Wisconsin cities can you watch a baseball game and an osprey, such as in Carson Park?” Fieber says.

As part of seeking the Bird City designation, Betchkal recently sent a letter to Fieber, who he expects to bring the matter to the City Council this month. Once the council passes a resolution and pays a $100 fee, local birders must pursue meeting additional requirements to ensure Eau Claire official becomes a Bird City.

To help Steve Betchkal support the birds, contact him at gonebirding88@hotmail.com. To learn more about Bird City Wisconsin, visit www.birdcitywisconsin.org.