NWF Shows People How to Garden “On the Wild Side”

Submitted by the National Wildlife Federation

The word is out on the grapevine that the property of Robert Kreidler,
located in Merritt Island, FL, is now recognized as an official National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Backyard Habitat (TM) site. The property now attracts a variety of birds, butterflies and other wildlife while helping to protect the local environment. With the help of NWF, many habitat enthusiasts have turned their backyards into enticing wildlife refuges.

NWF began the Backyard Wildlife Habitat program in 1973 and has since certified over 45,000 habitats nationwide. The majority of these sites represent the hard work and commitment of individuals and families providing habitat near their homes, but NWF has also certified more that 2,000 schools and hundreds of business and community sites. Certified habitats can also be found everywhere from post offices, hospitals and places of worship to community parks and municipal facilities. The average habitat is between 1/3 and 1/2 acres, but certified sites range from urban balconies to thousand-acre areas.

Any habitat enthusiast can create a backyard habitat and learn the rewards of “gardening for wildlife.” The program teaches the importance of environmental stewardship by providing basic guidelines for making landscapes more hospitable to wildlife. Habitat restoration is critical in urban and suburban settings where commercial and residential development encroaches on natural wildlife areas. Changing landscapes to attract more wildlife enhances the environment’s quality by improving the air, soil, and water throughout the community . This effort promotes common-sense conservation by reducing or eliminating the need for fertilizers, pesticides, or irrigation water.

Habitats can also produce financial rewards for homeowners. Realtors will promote the certified status of homes for sale because they see it as an added selling feature. It’s an attractive element to many potential home buyers looking to share their landscape with Mother Nature. Potential homeowners who are attracted to a house with a certified habitat are also more likely to maintain the habitat once they take ownership and continue to nurture the local wildlife after the original habitat creators move on.

Backyard Wildlife Habitats provide a source of solace, comfort, and confidence in the future. Protecting the natural beauty of places we love and the wildlife they support is at the heart of America’s conservation ethic. Backyard Wildlife Habitats provide nurture for the wildlife in our communities, but at the same time they offer a human refuge too, providing strength and hope to face an uncertain future.

NWF has received countless testimonials from program participants who find their efforts to create a habitat not only rewarding, but fun for the whole family. As one participant wrote, “I am a beginner, but judging from the many birds, squirrels, butterflies and rabbits, along with the flowers blooming everywhere in my yard, I must be on the right track.” In addition to sites certified in the US, NWF-certified habitats have been created in Canada, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Peru and Puerto Rico. California, South Carolina, Florida and Pennsylvania have the most habitats here in the US, where there are more in the East than in the West.

Few people understand how just one person can make a difference. Craig Tufts, chief naturalists for NWF, says, “There is much each of us can do for the environment as we card for our piece of the Earth. Building a habitat is one example of how a single person or family can do something that can have a long-term positive impact.” Persuading your neighbors to join with you can lead to a neighborhood or community habitat that provides wildlife with greater incentive to call your “piece of earth” home.

Every certification also includes a one year membership in the National Wildlife Federation. Members receive issues of the award-winning National Wildlife magazine bimonthly with inspiring wildlife articles and amazing nature photography.

NWF now offers the most comprehensive guide to date on gardening for wildlife, authored by David Mizejewski, manager of NWF’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat program. The 128-page Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife is full of practical how-to information to make your yard a wildlife haven and shows how to have your property officially certified by NWF as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat site. The book, along with information on getting certified online and loads of other habitat information, is available at http://www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat. The book can also be ordered by calling 1-800-900-2656.

Protecting wildlife through education and action since 1936, the National Wildlife Federation is America’s conservation organization, creating solutions that balance the needs of people and wildlife now and for future generations. The Florida Wildlife Federation is a state affiliate of NWF with offices in Tallahassee and Naples, and has been operating since 1937.