The University of Maryland Arboretum and Botanical Gardens has once again been recognized as a Bird City Maryland “High Flyer” campus, an honor awarded to campuses demonstrating significant commitment to bird-friendly practices, habitat conservation, sustainability, and community engagement.
The “High Flyer” designation is awarded to campuses that complete 20 or more bird-friendly actions across categories including habitat, sustainability, education and engagement, and reducing threats to birds. UMD first earned Bird City recognition in 2024.
Highlights from this year’s recognition include:
- Student volunteers helping reduce pesticide and herbicide use through hand-weeding and pest removal in the Community Learning Garden
- Ongoing research focused on bird-window collisions and identifying higher-risk campus buildings
- More than 14 acres of native habitat at the University of Maryland Golf Course, an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary since 2003
- A World Migratory Bird Day event where students created 125 bird feeders for the campus orchard
Continued investment in renewable energy, including approximately 9,000 solar panels installed across campus
The University of Maryland Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is also recognized as both a Tree Campus and Bee Campus.