LETTER: With enhanced habitat, Port welcomes birds and butterflies

To Ozaukee Press:
    As though we weren’t juggling enough with the stressors of a presidential election year, there is very little good news on the conservation front. This year we were hit with the staggering news that nearly 3 billion fewer birds exist in North America today than in 1970. That means one in four birds have vanished in the last half century, and many of these are the common species we are likely to enjoy at our backyard feeders.
     For those who love the iconic monarch butterfly, the news isn’t much better. The yearly count of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico that was released in March 2020 showed a decrease of 53% from the previous year.
    There are, however, islands of hope,  our City of Port Washington being one of them. Port Washington is a certified Bird City and several years ago Mayor Tom Mlada took the mayor’s “Monarch Pledge.” These represent a commitment on the part of our city to provide an environment that is favorable to the welfare of birds, monarchs and other important pollinators like bees.
    We should take great civic pride in our community’s conservation initiatives. This summer Jon Crain, Port Washington’s superintendent of parks, forestry and landscape, planted more than 400 native plants at Coal Dock Park.
    Adjacent to Coal Dock Park is the bird sanctuary planted by We Energies, a beautiful prairie within the city limits. Spaces we might not have previously considered are being developed as important and life sustaining habitat for our vulnerable wildlife. Travel out of town on Grand Avenue and you will see lovely stands of milkweed intermingled with the other plantings in the median strips. Milkweed is the only host plant for the monarch caterpillar. No milkweed, no Monarchs.
    At City Hall you will see a spectacular pollinator garden that was the result of collaboration between Jon’s team and monarch expert Shelly Culea. Shelly, who helped to design and plant this garden several years ago, tells the story of digging in the first milkweed plant and within minutes having a female monarch land on it and deposit eggs. This is in downtown Port Washington!
    Our municipalities can play such a pivotal role in conservation, and when joining forces with our citizens, think of what an impact we can collectively make. We can all join together to create many more of these islands of hope.
    As a board member of the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory, which recently moved its headquarters to downtown Port Washington, I thank all who have been an integral part of improving our native habitat. The observatory looks forward to supporting all those working so hard to make a difference in our community’s conservation.  
Jill Kunsmann
Port Washington