This meeting and presentation took place both in person at the Liederkranz Club and concurrently online via Zoom.
At 7:00 pm, Board Member and Acting President Peter Davenport called the Society meeting to order.
Peter made the following announcements:
- The Society’s 148th annual meeting will be held on March 10, 2026, at the Liederkranz Club at 6 East 87th Street. Dr. Trevor Price of the University of Chicago will be awarded the 2026 Eisenmann Medal and will present “A Bird’s Life in the Anthropocene.”
- Peter noted that there will be a silent auction during the annual meeting. He asked for donations for the auction, including services like serving as a tour guide, and items such as art work.
- He welcomed two new members to the Linnaean Society as of November 2025:
- Kathryn Fair
- Julia Manning
- He reminded members to pay their membership dues if they haven’t already done so, noting that dues help to pay for the Society’s technology services, rental space, and other expenses.
- Peter thanked Society members Will Papp, Kevin Sisco, and Ken Chaya for maintaining the bird feeders in Central Park. A request for donations to the feeder fund will go out next month.
At 7:03 pm, Peter turned to the lecture program and welcomed the night’s speaker, Dr. Dustin Partridge, Director of Conservation and Science at NYC Bird Alliance.
Lecture: “Cities as Habitat: Using Green Infrastructure for Bird Conservation,” presented by Dr. Dustin Partridge
The world is becoming increasingly more urban, as Dr. Partridge explained, and with growing development, more and more wildlife habitat is being lost, with consequential negative impacts on biodiversity. New York City, like many cities around the world, is situated in an area that was once richly biodiverse. Green infrastructure projects provide a means to conserve and restore biodiversity in urban environments. NYC Bird Alliance is actively involved in advocating for these projects, and Dr. Partridge’s talk focused on the science that demonstrates their benefits for wildlife conservation.
Despite New York City’s extensive built environment, it also has patches of wildlife habitats. Dr. Partridge noted that the largest remaining waterbird colony in the Northeast is in New York City. During bird migration, up to 25 million birds of 350 bird species move through the city each year, with many stopping to rest and feed. And during the spring and summer, some bird species successfully raise young. Dr. Partridge explained that green infrastructure projects provide a way to transform impervious surfaces such as rooftops and roads into something that can support life. He then described some green infrastructure projects and legislation that are contributing to protecting these birds.
The Broadway Malls Study: NYC Bird Alliance has been conducting a study of the effects of habitat on birds along the Broadway median (a narrow strip of land separating downtown and uptown traffic) in Manhattan from around 60th Street to around 160th Street. Using point count and transect survey data collection methods, researchers have documented the bird abundance and species diversity before and after habitat restoration. In this first year of study—from spring, summer, and fall of 2025—the species count increased from eight species before restoration to 39 species after restoration. The jump in diversity happened as soon as the site was restored. Habitat restoration enriched the bird population—right in the middle of Broadway. Dr. Partridge presented a slide that listed all the species before and after restoration. The study is ongoing and data are being reported on eBird.
Green roofs: Dr. Partridge explained that green roofs are highly engineered green spaces. There are two general categories of green roofs: 1) shallow substrate roofs that are lightweight, lowest maintenance, lowest cost, and usually planted with non-native sedum, and 2) deep substrate roofs that are heavier, require a lot of maintenance, are expensive to install, and resemble a regular garden with selections of plants and trees. Both types of green roofs significantly increase insect life as compared to conventional roofs, and the insects attract birds who forage and sometimes nest. Over 60% of passerines use green roofs as stopover habitat. However, not all green roofs are equally successful. Location, size, and type of vegetation all have an effect. For example, studies have shown that if a small green roof is located near a park, it likely will not attract many birds even when the roof is covered with native plants. There are five bat species in New York City, and all five have been recorded on green roofs, coinciding with the presence of moths. Green roofs also contribute energy savings, because they insulate the roof and mitigate heat island effects.
Javits Center—bird-safe glass and green roofs: The Javits Center is an example of a conservation success story. Originally sheathed top-to-bottom in dark, reflective glass, 4,000 to 5,000 birds were being killed annually by collisions against the glass, and their dead bodies would be found on the pavement below—a visible demonstration to all who entered the building about what was happening. When the Javits Center was renovated in 2010, the glass curtain walls were replaced with bird-safe glass with low reflectivity and small embedded ceramic frit dots. Bird collisions were reduced by 90%. In addition, the Javits Center installed a nearly seven-acre green roof. NYC Bird Alliance provided guidance on these renovations and is collecting data on the biological effects. The green roof is planted with sedum, not a rich habitat, but even so, in the first year, fifteen species were recorded foraging on the green roof, and now over 20% of New York City’s bird species are using this roof as habitat. The Javits Center has since built a new building with a green roof that can handle extra weight. Birds, insects, and bats are flourishing on this second green roof, which has a farm that produces 15,000 pounds of produce every year, an apple orchard, and a native plant habitat.
Dr. Partridge mentioned recent legislation enacted in New York City to protect birds. The research studies and support of partners like the Javits Center have helped with the passage of these laws. Local Law 15 requires that all new buildings install bird-safe glass up to 75 feet from the ground and up to 12 feet above a green roof. Local Laws 92/94 require all new buildings to have either a green roof or a solar roof, and there are green roof tax abatement incentives.
Dr. Partridge had emphasized earlier in his talk that “green roofs cannot replace ground-level habitat…green roofs should never be an excuse for bulldozing a habitat.” Instead, green roofs are an important substitute for habitat that has already been lost. He concluded his talk by saying that NYC Bird Alliance envisions a future where there will be green roofs throughout the city and in cities across the world, and that it is working towards that end.
Following is Dr. Partridge’s abstract of his talk:
From a bird’s-eye view, New York City is a landscape of concrete and glass and a space dominated by impervious surfaces that offer little value to wildlife. Yet, up to 25 million birds migrate through the city each year. When thoughtfully designed, green infrastructure like green roofs and bioswales can serve as vital habitat patches in a densely built environment. This talk will explore which bird and bat species are using small urban green spaces, how to design green infrastructure for conservation impact, and present case studies that demonstrate its potential to support biodiversity in cities.
At 7:45 pm, Vice President for Programs Karen Becker hosted the Q&A session with questions from both the in-person audience and from those on Zoom.
At the conclusion of the Q&A, Karen Becker thanked Dr. Partridge for an extraordinary talk.
At 8:18 pm the meeting was adjourned.
Dr. Partridge’s presentation and the Q&A session have been recorded in their entirety, along with Board Member and Acting President Peter Davenport’s opening meeting remarks. The recording is available for viewing on the Linnaean Society of New York website under the dropdown menu: Programs/Watch/ and on the Society’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@linnaeanny/videos
Respectfully submitted by Lisa Kroop, Recording Secretary