Duncansville Borough is going to the birds.

This month, the borough was officially named a Bird Town by the Pennsylvanian Audubon Council, the first of its kind in Blair County.

According to the council’s website, the Bird Town Pennsylvania program helps municipalities educate citizens on making more ecologically friendly decisions and promotes a culture of conservation.

Bird town chairman Lori Fritz said Duncansville is the 98th bird town in Pennsylvania.

“It paves the way for others to protect wildlife and our green spaces and do as much as we can to enrich them,” she said.

The borough is celebrating its achievement from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at Coffee on 3rd, where guests can meet the borough’s Bird Town members and receive information about upcoming events slated for this summer.

Fritz said her husband and Borough Mayor Eric Fritz initially received information about Bird Town Pennsylvania a few months ago.

Lori Fritz was instantly excited about the idea of bringing it to Duncansville.

The borough recently installed a Chimney Swift tower at their park, with help from the Pennsylvania Fishing and Gaming Commission, to give birds a place to migrate and populate.

With goals of enriching the community and their borough park, she said becoming a Bird Town was a logical next step.

“We can’t wait to see the birds come and do things that make the space more friendly and welcoming for those who want to use it,” she said.

Being a Bird Town can also help the borough receive more grants and external funding for projects such as their park and their 9/11 national memorial trail, Borough Manager Anette Lewis said.

To be considered a part of Bird Town Pennsylvania, Lewis said they must host Pennsylvania native plants and also offer space to plant them in the borough.

Based on their accomplishments from each season, she said the borough can eventually move up to the next membership.

After the meet and greet, Fritz said the Pennsylvania Invasive Replace-ive Program, which offers property owners free native plants, will visit on May 9 at NatureWorks Park in Hollidaysburg.

Then, starting at 1 p.m. June 19, people will visit the Duncansville Memorial Park to collect data on what they see and hear in the park’s ecosystem.

Duncansville’s Bird Town program is looking to host two or three bird surveys throughout the summer, Fritz said.

The borough is designing this initiative to be built upon each year, Lewis said, and not something to only happen during one season.

With the Bird Town initiative, she hopes borough residents and others begin to consider the wildlife right outside their doors, such as through bird-friendly lawn care.

Treating lawns keeps natural insects from visiting, and those pesticides can eventually spread through the soil and the streams, killing fish and entering water sheds, she said.

“We’re hoping that this information makes people more aware of what they’re losing by having that perfectly manicured lawn,” she said.

At the celebration on April 25, Coffee on 3rd will also unveil a specialty drink for Duncansville’s new title.

The drink is a blueberry latte with vanilla cold foam inspired by a blue bird’s beauty, co-owner Ashlyn Dugan said. As her late grandfather’s favorite bird was a bluejay, she said the drink is also a personal tribute to him.

“The sweetness of the blueberry paired with the smooth vanilla cold foam creates a drink that stands out, just like Bird Town itself,” she said. “It’s our way of blending storytelling, memory and coffee into one experience.”

She said hosting the borough’s celebration event is a chance to bring residents together.

“Events like this give people a reason to slow down, spend time together and support one another.”

The borough is also hoping to drum up interest at the local coffeehouse to gauge how much residential interest exists in their community.

“I hope people embrace it and want to attract birds to their area and their houses,” Lewis said.

Fritz also hopes to generate more foot traffic in the area and encourage more local residents to enjoy the outdoors.

“I think we have great things in store, and we’re just getting started,” she said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.