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Special recognition of May 10, 2025 as World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD).
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SPECIAL RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, migratory birds are some of the most beautiful and easily observed wildlife that we share our planet with; and
WHEREAS, Lake County is part of an important migratory bird route, the Mississippi Flyway, one of the busiest migratory corridors in North America; and
WHEREAS, many residents recognize and welcome migratory songbirds as symbolic harbingers of spring; and
WHEREAS, these migrant species also play an important role in our community by controlling insect populations and attracting birders from outside our community to visit; and
WHEREAS, migratory birds and their habitats are declining throughout the Americas, while also facing a growing number of threats on their migration routes and in both their summer and winter homes; and
WHEREAS, public awareness and concern are crucial components of migratory bird conservation; and
WHEREAS, residents enthusiastic about birds, informed about the threats they face and ready to help address those threats can directly help our bird populations; and
WHEREAS, since 1993, World Migratory Bird Day (formerly International Migratory Bird Day) has become an opportunity to focus public attention on the nearly 350 species that travel between nesting habitats in our communities and throughout North America and their wintering grounds in South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the southern U.S.; and
WHEREAS, the Northern Shoveler and American White Pelican remind us that many species need wetlands and open water for migration, wintering, and breeding, and the Osprey serves as a conservation success story, reminding us that bird population declines can be reversed when we work together to conserve and protect our planet; and
WHEREAS, since light pollution attracts and disorients nocturnally migrating birds, making them more likely to land in areas where they are more vulnerable to collisions and other dangers, we encourage individuals, communities, and the government to “dim the lights at night”; and
WHEREAS, WMBD is not only a day to foster an appreciation for wild birds and to celebrate and support migratory bird conservation, but also a call to action.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RECOGNIZED, by this County Board of Lake County, Illinois, that May 10, 2025, is World Migratory Bird Day and residents are urged to celebrate by supporting efforts to protect and conserve migratory birds and their habitats in our community and the world at large.
DATED at Waukegan, Illinois, on May 13, 2025.