A Fun Wildlife Project!

A few months back I was walking the dog through the neighborhood, which is a favorite activity of mine.  I love seeing the different yards of greenery, tall beautiful tree's and wildlife scampering about.  While walking the dog on this particular day, I happened to notice a new sign erected in the neighbors yard stating "Certified Wildlife Habitat."   I had no idea that you could obtain a sign stating your private yard was a Wildlife Habitat, so I needed to find out more! 

I did some researched and was so excited to find out you can not only have your yard as a "Certified Wildlife Habitat", but also your neighborhood and schools!  I thought this would be a great project for children, as it would let them know how they can make a big impact on the environment, around their homes, neighborhoods and schools.  It was also a project that could be ongoing to keep them involved by keeping these areas clean, pruned and protected.  Here are some of the criteria needed to be certified: 

You need to have basic habitat elements...food, water, cover, and a place to raise young. Food might include native plants that provide berries, nuts, nectar, and seeds.  Water includes places for animals to drink such a a birth bath, pond, or stream.  Cover might inlcude dense bushes, wooded areas, burrows, log piles, and stone walls. Places for animals to raise their young could be burrows, birdhouses, dense bushes, and wooded areas.  Additionally, remember with gardening use mulch, compost, a rain garden, but  can NOT  involve any chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

When you become a Certified Member, you will receive a personalized certificate that recognizes your NWF Wildlife Habitat.  This is a wonderful award for a child to receive after that have help make their yard, neighborhood or school safe for wildlife to live. 

You will also receive a free membership to the NWF which includes a one year subscription to the National Wildlife Magazine, a free subscription to the quarterly E-Newsletter with helpful tips on gardening and maintaining your habitat, and also your name listed in the National Registry of Certified Habitats.

You can find out more about this wonderful project that can involve all family members, a neighborhood or a class project at school.  What better way to have fun and show others how to get involved in the environment?  Go to http://www.nwf.org/index.cfm.