After 10 years of filling Bascom Hill with plastic flamingos, the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA) has decided to make a sustainable swap for real flamingos.
For Fill the Hill 2023, WFAA will be using real flamingos to symbolize donors’ philanthropic support for the UW. Typically, one plastic flamingo is placed on the west slope of Bascom Hill for each gift made during the 24 hours of Fill the Hill. Last year, 2,789 gifts were made during this fun-raising event. That’s a lot of birds! To avoid wrangling thousands of live flamingos this year, one will be released for every 100 gifts.
The switch from plastic to plumage will serve a few purposes. First, live birds are sustainable! “There are more plastic flamingos in America than real ones,” says UW avian coordinator Rosa Floch. “We don’t want to add to that imbalance.” Plus, live flamingos will provide a great, natural fertilizer for the lawn.
Local citizens have also raised safety concerns at past Fill the Hill events because of the long, metal stakes used to secure the lawn flamingos. Since flamingos don’t have teeth, the risk of puncture wounds this year will be minimal.
The flock will also be monitored by professional handlers, deterring stealthy students from their usual culling efforts.
Next year’s event will prove to be a real good time filled with real flamingos!
Happy April Fool's Day!