Help protect a critical Chimney Swift roosting site
The chimney at Cherokee Heights Middle School is a valuable roosting site for hundreds (and often thousands!) of chimney swifts during their annual migrations.
The school is in need of a rebuild, which unfortunately means the chimney will come down sometime in 2027 or 2028.
The kids need a new school. And swifts need this site for roosting. We can do both!
As of February 4, 2026, Madison Metropolitan School District has publicly committed to collaborating with Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance to build a faux chimney at the new school, based on the guidance and best practices that are known to benefit swifts. We will be using construction templates from other successful sites with large chimneys like this, particularly one in Manitoba.
It is our intent to keep a watchful eye on this project and weigh in on behalf of bird conservation. This includes making sure that the old chimney will remain on site and functional until the new chimney is available for swift use. We will be working closely with MMSD and their project teams in the coming months and years to bring this to fruition, and monitor Chimney Swift use.
Make a donation to save the swifts
We’re raising funds to build a new chimney at Cherokee Heights Middle School that will provide a safe, permanent nesting and roosting site for Chimney Swifts.
Early support is especially important right now. We are seeking leadership gifts and pledges of $1,000 or more to help us reach the funding needed to begin construction. Once we reach this milestone, we’ll expand our fundraising efforts to the broader community.
Your gift today can help preserve this important Chimney Swift roost for generations to come.
Email Kady Davis, Director of Development, at kdavis@swibirds.org to discuss a pledge donation!
Chimney Swift in flight (photo: Sean Williams/Macaulay Library).
What is a tipping point species?
According to the State of the Birds 2025 Report, Chimney Swifts are a “Tipping Point Species,” which means that they have lost over 50% of their population over the past 50 years. Tipping Point Species are at risk of further rapid losses if focused research and conservation efforts to combat this decline are not implemented.
Chimney Swift populations are decreasing largely due to the loss of suitable nesting and roosting sites. Historically, these birds nested in hollow trees, but as forests were cleared, they adapted to chimneys in homes and buildings. In recent decades, however, many chimneys have been capped, removed, or built in ways that prevent swifts from accessing them. These changes, as well as the loss of large, open chimneys found in schools and factories, are causing Chimney Swifts to struggle to find the habitat they need to survive.
Why is the Cherokee Heights Middle School Chimney so Important?
Cherokee Heights chimney (photo: Sandy Schwab).
During the peak of fall migration, over 1,500 Chimney Swifts can be seen entering the Cherokee Heights chimney each night! This makes it among the largest documented swift roost sites in Wisconsin, and one of the most significant sites on the swift migration path to South America. See the map below to view other major roost sites on this path.
Unfortunately, the Cherokee Heights chimney is connected to an outdated school facility that needs to be rebuilt. The existing chimney cannot be preserved, so we are advocating for the chimney to be replaced with a similar one nearby, which can continue to host the many swifts that rely on this roosting site.
Major Swift Roosting Sites on the Migration Path (hosting >1,000 swifts)
Chimney Swift (photo: George L. Armistead).
Will the Replacement Chimney work?
Swift towers, or faux chimneys, have proven to be an effective conservation strategy for Chimney Swifts, offering viable replacements for nesting and roosting sites when the previously inhabited structures must be torn down or capped off. These structures are designed with features like rough interior surfaces and temperature-stabilizing insulation to increase the likelihood of being adopted by Chimney Swifts.
A notable success story comes from the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative, an organization who constructed four swift towers at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre as replacements for three nearby swift chimneys that were torn down. All four towers, built in 2021, were used by chimney swifts that same breeding season, and three of them hosted successful nesting and reproduction by 2024. This example demonstrates that, when designed and sited carefully, swift towers can support swifts even in northern climates. As such, we are optimistic about building a viable swift tower at Cherokee Heights Middle School.
