Transforming Your Garden into a Wildlife-Friendly Sanctuary: A Step-by-Step Guide
Turn Your Backyard into a Certified Wildlife Garden
Transform your garden into a haven for local wildlife by following the guidelines set by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). To become a certified wildlife garden, you need to provide four essential elements for wildlife: food, water, cover, and places to raise young, and practice sustainable gardening techniques [1][3][5].
First, create a wildlife-friendly garden by ensuring all four habitat components are present. This means providing a variety of food sources such as fruits, nectar, leaf litter, or seeds, maintaining a water source, and offering cover and places for wildlife to raise their young [2].
Next, practice sustainable gardening. Embrace organic practices like composting and eliminating the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Opt for native plants, which require less water and provide food and shelter for local wildlife. A wildlife garden encourages the gardener to avoid chemical controls, resulting in a low-maintenance garden [4].
Third, register your garden through the NWF’s Garden for Wildlife program by submitting an application and paying a nominal fee (around $20) [2][5]. Upon certification, you receive a personalized certificate, a one-year NWF membership with a subscription to National Wildlife magazine, and inclusion in the NWF’s National Registry of Habitats [2][5].
Communities aiming to become certified as a Community Wildlife Habitat must accumulate a certain number of certified homes, schools, and common areas with outreach and education goals [1][3].
Certification offers benefits such as a year’s membership to the National Wildlife Federation and a subscription to their magazine, including 10% off featured merchandise to enhance the wildlife garden. Remember, maintaining a clean and filled birdbath is crucial if you provide manmade water sources [3].
In addition to the benefits, certification helps protect endangered species, restores balance to the ecosystem, and promotes the use of native plants [5]. By following these steps, you can turn your garden into a certified wildlife habitat and support local ecosystems in your backyard or community landscape [1][3][5].
- [1] National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). Certify Your Habitat. https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Certify-Your-Habitat
- [2] National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). What is a Certified Wildlife Habitat? https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Certify-Your-Habitat/What-is-a-Certified-Wildlife-Habitat
- [3] National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). Benefits of Certifying Your Habitat. https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Certify-Your-Habitat/Benefits-of-Certifying-Your-Habitat
- [4] National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Garden. https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/How-to-Create-a-Wildlife-Friendly-Garden
- [5] National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). Why Certify Your Habitat? https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/Certify-Your-Habitat/Why-Certify-Your-Habitat
To fully transform your garden into a certified wildlife habitat, incorporate native plants, provide food sources like fruits, nectar, and seeds, maintain a water source, and offer cover and places for wildlife to raise their young, following sustainable gardening techniques. For a closer connection with the home-and-garden community, consider registering your certified wildlife garden with the National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) Garden for Wildlife program, where you can enjoy benefits like a year's membership and a subscription to their magazine.
