FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Sydney Bucholtz
Phone: (585) 457-3228
Email: sydney@buffaloaudubon.org
Website: www.birdfriendlybuffalo.com

Buffalo Audubon Partners with Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan to Present Second Annual Bird-Friendly Buffalo Symposium Event

Symposium coincides with spring migrations, with a focus on how going Lights Out prevents bird casualties

Buffalo, NY – As millions of birds migrate through Western New York this spring, Buffalo Audubon and Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan are partnering to reduce preventable bird deaths and promote a more bird-friendly city via the second annual Bird-Friendly Buffalo Symposium.

Now in its second year, the Bird-Friendly Buffalo movement was founded by Buffalo Audubon in 2025 to raise awareness about tangible ways to make Buffalo a bird-friendly city by supporting its communities in cultivating bird-friendly programming and infrastructure that helps birds thrive.

Buffalo Audubon has partnered with City of Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan to present this year’s symposium event—a consortium of expert environmentalists highlighting practical solutions for residents, business owners, and community groups to make Buffalo a more bird-friendly region.

Event Details:

  • What: The Bird-Friendly Buffalo Symposium 
  • When: Thursday, April 23, 2026
    • 5:30 p.m. Explore tables from local environmental and birding organizations
    • 6:30 – 8 p.m. Symposium event
  • Where: University at Buffalo South Campus, 403 Hayes Hall multipurpose room, located at 250 Hayes Road, Buffalo, NY 14214

“Buffalo is right in the middle of a major migration path and it’s important that we take steps to help protect the birds and the wildlife that are here year-round and those who are passing through,” said Mayor Sean Ryan. “As a fellow birder, I’m proud to partner with Buffalo Audubon to help make our region safer for birds.”

With as many as a billion birds killed each year due to window collisions in the United States alone, the symposium will highlight practical steps communities and residents can take to protect migrating birds, with a particular focus on the importance of going Lights Out during migration periods. Featured speakers include:

  • Dr. Adriaan M. Dokter, Project Leader for BirdCast at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • Tom Kerr, Senior Naturalist at Buffalo Audubon
  • Hannah Semo, Master’s student at the University at Buffalo Department of Environment and Sustainability 
  • Aaron Karpinski, Director of the SPCA Wildlife Department
  • Meredith Barges, Co-Founder of Lights Out! Connecticut & Chair of Lights Out Central New York
  • City of Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan

“We’re fortunate to live in one of the most important regions for birds in all of North America: along the Niagara River Corridor, which is a globally significant Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA),” explained Buffalo Audubon Executive Director Ed Sirianno. “That’s not just a point of pride, it’s a responsibility. Buffalo Audubon is leading a movement and inviting communities across Western New York to help make our region truly bird-friendly, where protecting birds also means creating healthier communities, a more sustainable environment, and a more beautiful place for all of us to live.”

Registration for the event is free. Attendance can be in person or virtually. For more information on the Bird-Friendly Buffalo initiative, visit the Bird-Friendly Buffalo website.

If you would like to interview a member of Buffalo Audubon in advance of this event, please contact Sydney Bucholtz, Communications and Visitor Experience Coordinator at Buffalo Audubon.sites at www.buffaloaudubon.org and  www.birdfriendlybuffalo.com.