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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNITION OF THE BIRD THE PRESERVES INITIATIVE, A SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATION TO CONNECT PEOPLE WITH THE FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserves of Cook County's nearly 70,000 acres of natural lands are home to some of the nation's most biologically diverse flora and fauna, including nearly 300 types of resident and migrant birds, both common and unusual, that depend on Forest Preserves' habitat; and
WHEREAS, birding is one of the most popular recreational activities in America and can serve as a gateway activity to a greater connection with the natural world, and is an excellent way to introduce people to the forest preserves, providing a positive, healthy, and fun experience in nature; and
WHEREAS, Bird the Preserves is an initiative that connects diverse communities to the Preserves by expanding birding programs and activities, celebrating the migration stories that people and birds share, and establishing the Preserves as a premier birding destination in the Chicago Wilderness region; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through Chicago Wilderness provided federal funding to the Preserves to launch the Bird the Preserves initiative in 2016; and
WHEREAS, over 17 partner organizations representing birding clubs, non-profits, and government agencies worked together to successfully implement the Bird the Preserves initiative throughout 2016, holding more than 220 bird walks and related events; and
WHEREAS, the Bird the Preserves initiative included a Big Year competition, a yearlong friendly contest where teams from throughout Cook County adopted different preserves and competed to find the most bird species and recruit the most new birders at that preserve. The Chicago Botanic Garden and Brookfield Zoo also formed teams and promoted the initiative; and
WHEREAS, the Big Year was a resounding success and had 21 official teams that spotted a total of 253 species of birds and had an estimated 2,4...
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