#NextGenRVA – Built Environment and Nature: Conservation in Urban Areas

At RVA, many of our projects explore the relationship between the built and natural environment. This Spring, Kaleb Mudrik, a Project Manager in our Water group, took that connection beyond his day-to-day work by volunteering his time to support the conservation of a threatened species in downtown St. Catharines.

Kaleb participated in Ontario SwiftWatch, a citizen science monitoring and conservation program focused on the chimney swift, a unique bird species that has adapted to living alongside people in urban environments.

The chimney swift is an aerial insectivore that is named for its unique roosting behaviour. While this bird historically nested in large hollow trees associated with old-growth forests, the species has adapted to urban areas by roosting in brick chimneys. Despite this adaptation, the chimney swift faces ongoing challenges. The species was listed as a Species at Risk in Ontario in 2009 due to population decline. One of the contributing factors is the loss of suitable nesting habitat.

According to Henrique Pacheco, Terrestrial Ecologist at RVA, “Brick chimneys are not as common in architecture as they used to be. Modern building design does not support nesting chimney swifts.”

As older buildings are renovated or replaced, and traditional chimney structures become less common, the availability of appropriate nesting and roosting sites continues to decline. Programs such as Ontario SwiftWatch play an important role in addressing these challenges. Through the dedication of volunteers like Kaleb, critical information gaps are being filled, supporting the protection and recovery of chimney swift populations across Ontario.

The chimney swift serves as a great reminder that the built and natural environments are connected. Even in highly urbanized settings, community involvement can help create opportunities for people and wildlife to co-exist in some of the most unexpected places.

About RVA

At R.V. Anderson Associates Limited (RVA), we’re a community of thinkers, innovators, and collaborators who combine human ingenuity with technology and experience to deliver sustained outcomes that make a difference. We are an employee-owned community with an award-winning culture carrying forth a proud legacy of 75+ years of engineering excellence, which has grown to a thriving organization of diverse professionals. We work together across geographic, functional, and business lines to deliver dynamic solutions that are based on trust and informed decision-making. At the core of our brand is our values connecting people, projects, and planet.

For more information, please contact:

Andrea Musina
Marketing Communications Manager
marcom@rvanderson.com
www.rvanderson.com