I have been involved with a program called Backyard Wildlife Habitat. It is run by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). The program asks homeowners to provide four elements in their yards to help wildlife survive. Oh by the way, you don’t have to own a home to be involved. Heck, you don’t even need a yard -- there are balconies in major cities that are Certified Habitats.

The program started after a 1973 article in the National Wildlife Federation magazine. The article was about habitats lost to development and how by planting for wildlife and using sustainable gardening practices, the homeowner could help offset the habitat loss. The article was so well received that the NWF decided to take gardening for wildlife idea further. They set up a certification program that rewarded homeowners with a certificate, if they provided food, water, cover and a place to raise their young.

The program has since expanded to include schools with a Schoolyard Habitat Program which incorporates classroom lesson plans to educate the students and libraries, businesses, retirement homes, nursing homes have also been certified as wildlife habitats.

When I lived in Charlotte, I had a certified habitat in my yard. I had a lot of fun watching all the animals not just the birds. Since you are providing a place that invites wildlife, all kinds of creatures will come. I have recently had my new place in Fort Mill certified so I thought I would write about the program and hope it inspires some of you to do the same.
I keep talking about the four components of the program: Food, water, cover and a place to raise the young. Now I will explain how they all fit together.

Food

Providing food for the birds is the easiest way to get in on the fun. Having several feeders with several different types of seed will get the greatest variety of birds. It’s like you are operating a restaurant -- if you only have one item on the menu, you would only get a few customers. But, if you provide a variety, then you will get a greater variety of customers. The greater the variety of seed and feeders, the greater the variety of birds.

Planting native plants and shrubs is the best way to provide natural food. Berries, nuts and nectar are the preferred food of wildlife. Natural foods provide more nutrients than many of the seed that we put out in our feeders.

That is why I call the food we provide supplemental food. It helps the wildlife when the regular food source isn’t as plentiful.

Water

A simple way to provide water is with a bird bath. The bird bath can be as simple as a garbage can lid turned upside down and placed on the ground. Everyone has seen the most common bird bath, which is a container with low sides placed on a pedestal. If you are really lucky you have a pond on your property and can provide water that way. If you don’t have a pond, you could create one. It is more work to have a pond but the amount of wildlife you attract offsets the work.

Cover

What does cover mean? It means to provide a place for your wildlife friends to go if they are under attack from predator or to seek relief from inclement weather. The cover you provide could be thick shrubs, brush or rock pile, nesting box, tall grass -- any place that would provide a safe place to go when the animal or bird needed to get to safety.

Place to raise young

Nothing brings me more joy and entertainment than watching wildlife as they bring their babies out into the world. Since development has taken away many habitats in our world it is important to provide a place for wildlife to raise their young.

It could be as simple as providing nesting boxes or bird houses. Let part of your backyard go natural. Let the grass grow longer in a corner of your yard. Provide a small brush pile. If you have trees and there are some dead ones, leave them up if they are not a hazard to anyone. Dead trees, or snags as they are called, provide many benefits for wildlife.

I hope that by writing about the Backyard Habitat Program it has inspired some of you to get involved and start providing for wildlife. If you already are involved, thank you! Why not get your yard certified? When you get certified you are part of a network of habitats all over the country that are providing valuable oasis for wildlife.

Here’s a link to more information on the Backyard Wildlife program or any of the other Wildlife Habitat programs. If there are any folks who have a Certified Habitat, I’d like to hear about it or if you any questions about the program, write me at tesposit@wcnc.com. I look forward to hearing from you.