FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2026

Clayton Celebrates Park and Recreation Month — and a New Bird City Missouri Designation

Clayton, MO – July 1, 2026: This July, join Clayton Parks & Recreation for Park and Recreation Month as we celebrate how parks and recreation make Clayton stronger, more vibrant and more resilient.

This year's celebration carries extra significance: Clayton was recently designated a "Bird City Missouri" community — only the second city in the state to earn this distinction — recognizing the City's work to protect bird habitat, reduce threats to birds, and engage residents in conservation and sustainability.

The City of Clayton is home to a dozen parks spread across our community. The largest, Shaw Park, is Clayton's oldest community green space, featuring sports facilities, public art, a sensory garden and an inclusive playground. Clayton's smallest park, Remembrance Park, is an urban pocket park perfect for a break from the workweek or a game of chess. Across the city, Clayton's parks host community events throughout the year and are a crucial part of neighborhood identities.

"Parks and recreation touches nearly every part of life in Clayton. They're where we stay active, where neighbors become friends, and where our community's health and well-being take root," said Toni Sierling, Director of Parks & Recreation for the City of Clayton. "Our new Bird City Missouri designation is a natural extension of that work: it shows that the same areas bringing people together are also protecting the wildlife and green spaces that make Clayton special. This Park and Recreation Month, we're proud to celebrate both, because a strong community and a healthy environment go hand in hand"

With the new Bird City Missouri designation, Clayton's parks are also celebrating the variety of feathered friends that call the city home. Parks and Recreation staff are excited to welcome birders to Clayton's parks this summer for a chance to spot some of our resident species.

The Bird City Missouri designation reflects years of work by Clayton's Sustainability Advisory Committee and community volunteers to address bird habitat, threats to birds, education and engagement, and sustainability. Clayton's Bird City story embodies the breadth of sustainability and is tied directly to the efforts of the City's Sustainability Advisory Committee, which advises on the development and support of ecologically sound programs and practices within Clayton's municipal government and the Clayton community.

Clayton Parks & Recreation encourage everyone who supports parks and recreation to visit one of Clayton's parks and enjoy being outside this month. We invite everyone who visits to tag the City of Clayton on social media and share their park experience (and the birds they see) with us.

For more information about Clayton’s Parks visit www.claytonmo.gov/government/parks-recreation/

More on Sustainability efforts throughout Clayton: www.claytonmo.gov/programs-initiatives/sustainability 

To read Clayton’s Bird City story, visit birdcity.org/missouri/clayton