Overview- The City of Two Rivers is located in the midst of a significant migratory bird stopover area which includes Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Point Beach State Forest, plus Lake Michigan waterfront and large coastal wetlands on the East and West Twin Rivers. The City has developed an increasingly positive relationship with the nature center and supports and helps publicize its programs. The City also promotes support for the nature center and its habitat restoration efforts by cooperating on efforts to manage invasive species such as Phragmites australis on City property. As awareness of the importance of places like Lakeshore migratory stopover sites and interest in nature-based recreation grows, the relationship between the two organizations is expected to continue to be strong.
- The City of Two Rivers is in compliance with Wisconsin’s Smart Growth law.
- Bird monitoring- Two Rivers is a popular place for birders to visit, and with the development of eBird, more and more lists are being recorded. art of the Woodland Dunes preserve lies within the City of Two Rivers, and checklists are submitted weekly to eBird. In addition, Woodland Dunes has landed more than 10,000 birds in and adjacent to Two Rivers, half of them Northern Saw-whet Owls. More than 260 species have been recorded at Woodland Dunes.
- The City refers the public to Woodland Dunes Nature Center for information on control of invasive species and has allowed and assisted Woodland Dunes in efforts to remove invasives on City property adjacent to the nature center preserve. Woodland Dunes regularly provides programs and opportunities for hands-on management of invasive species and assists neighboring landowners with invasives issues.
- Two Rivers has three stops on the Lake Michigan segment of the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail – Woodland Dunes, the harbor, and Neshotah Park.
- Two Rivers has been recognized as and participates in the Tree City program.
- The City refers the public to Woodland Dunes Nature Center for information on free-roaming cats and window strikes via web links.
- Two Rivers lies within a Christmas Bird Count circle, and areas within (including Woodland Dunes) and around Two Rivers are counted. The count is coordinated by Woodland Dunes.
- Woodland Dunes provides various bird- related education activities, including a public event on International Migratory Bird Day (Migration celebration and Bird Breakfast) and a number of other events and classes- Timberdoodle Hike, weekly bird walks, shorebird ID class, birding by ear class, Owlfest and other saw-whet owl programs, and more. The City promotes participation in these programs.
The City of Two Rivers is increasingly aware of the importance of birds not only as indicators of environmental quality, but also their contributions enhancing quality of life in the City. Two Rivers plans to continue to collaborate with partners such as Woodland Dunes Nature Center to enhance it’s properties for the benefit of birds and other wildlife by managing invasive species and planting species that benefit birds where practicable.