Oakmont leaders consider Bird Town membership

Bird Town may be taking flight in Oakmont.

During Oakmont Council’s planning meeting July 1, Nick Stahlman, community conservation coordinator for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, spoke to council members about what becoming a Bird Town means.

Chris Kubiak, education director for the Audubon Society, has been working with members of the Dark Hollow Woods Conservancy and told members about the program, said Phyllis Anderson, Oakmont assistant manager.

The statewide grassroots program costs nothing for taxpayers.

“Our goal is to try to find funds for you all,” Stahlman said. “We try to give you discounts on native plants.”

Bird Town supports municipalities in seeking volunteers to plant native gardens, erect chimney swift towers or participate in other ways to boost bird populations. Bird Town partnered with the Audubon Society in 2024.

Stahlman said there were a few requirements for a borough to qualify including having a meeting.

“This counts,” Stahlman said, referencing the meeting he was speaking at. “We’re just chatting through what it means to be a bird town and asking questions.”

Borough leaders also would be charged with forming a three-person Bird Town committee. Any resident, whether they are a member of a municipal staff or not, is eligible to participate on the committee.

Members would be responsible for completing the program’s application and enhancing community and municipal engagement. The application requires a one-time $100 fee that goes toward signage given back to the town.

Municipal action can be anything from dedicating garden space for the cause, to trying to limit the herbicide used on municipal plants, Stahlman said. He also suggested community days to help educate the youth in the community.

Council members also would be expected to consider and pass a “passive resolution,” Stahlman said, something that’s required from all Bird Towns.

“It’s more or less just acknowledging that you all are in support of Bird Town, that you are willing to have Bird Town in Oakmont,” he said. “Then, it’s on the committee to keep things going.”

Stahlman said Oakmont is already a good fit for the program considering the programs already in action in the borough including the Shade Tree Commission.

“I really appreciate the programming that you guys do, and I think this would be a great opportunity for Oakmont,” said council member Jamie Leonardi. She’s an individual member with the Audubon Society.