TITLE
Recommendation to receive and file information about the Winged Wonders Banner Project at El Dorado Park Duck Pond.
DISCUSSION
The Winged Wonders banner project is a culmination of seven years of work beginning with Councilwoman Schipske and the s" District Lakes, Ponds, and Wetlands Taskforce she created in 2007. The banner project located at EI Dorado Park Duck Pond at Willow Street and Studebaker Road will help visitors identify 22 birds species that inhabit EI Dorado Park.
The project will help educate visitors about the diet and calls, or songs, of each species. While many visitors to the pond often bring bread and other snacks for the ducks, the Winged Wonders banners will help visitors understand that human food harms the wildlife and encourage people who wish to feed the birds, to offer foods that help to keep them healthy.
The banners offer information about what each species of bird eats to be healthy and helps cut down on disease and harmful bacteria. Visitors to the duck pond can call a number listed on each banner to hear about each species and listen to their song or call as they take a self-guided tour around the Duck Pond.
No taxpayer money was used to implement this project. Winged Wonders was made possible by the generous support of Partners of Parks, The Port of Long Beach, Los Cerritos Wetlands, Waste Management, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and The Eldorado Audubon Society. Local photographer, Evan Butterfield provided many of the photos, and images of birds that proved to be more camera shy, were obtained from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and various photographers through Wikimedia Commons.
More information about the Winged Wonders banner project, the work of the Lakes, Ponds, and Wetlands Taskforce and links to educational resources, fliers, and more, will soon be available on the www.lbdistrict5.comwebsite.Click on the Winged Wonders tab on the left menu.
FISCAL IMPACT
Cost of maintenance for the banners and recorded messages.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
GERRIE SCHIPSKE
COUNCILWOMAN, FIFTH DISTRICT