Fleming’s Bid to Host Ontario’s First Bird Friendly College Campus Takes Flight

Inspired by the Conservation Biology program at Fleming College’s Frost Campus and motivated by an international effort to save native bird populations in North America, Fleming is working towards becoming Ontario’s first official bird-friendly college campus.

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It is estimated that up to one million birds die in North America each year due to window collisions, making it one of the leading causes of bird population decline in Canada and around the world. Finding a way to address this issue is a big part of avian conservation.  

With the help of Conservation Biology students, the School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences launched a pilot program aimed at bird conservation. That program evolved into the Fleming Bird Conservation Committee (FBCC).   

Composed of students, faculty and college representatives, the FBCC’s goal is to transform the Frost Campus into Ontario’s first Bird Friendly college campus. While many Canadian universities have embraced becoming bird-friendly campuses, Fleming says that few colleges have followed the same route. 

There is a specific certification process for a bird-friendly designation. Administered through FLAP Canada, it involves threat reduction, habitat generation and the implementation of policy that mitigates harm to birds.   

The FBCC is already hard at work, installing Feather Friendly window protection and protecting and enhancing the natural habitat around Frost Campus.  

In November the Frost Student Association was awarded a plaque from Feather Friendly, recognizing the efforts it and the FCBB have done to make the Frost Campus Auk’s Lodge Frost’s first bird-friendly building.  

Conservation Biology students have also embarked on a multi-year research project at the campus, with the help of Feather Friendly. Students are currently designing a research program which will monitor the effectiveness of bird-deterrent decals, comparing treated and untreated windows. The project will help accomplish the FBCC’s goal of making Frost Campus windows bird friendly, while providing an amazing research opportunity for students.  

The FBCC is also actively involved in conducting education outreach through the School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences. It has already hosted two highly successful community public awareness events focusing on what can be done to mitigate bird window collisions.  

For more information, check out the Fleming College website.

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