Backyard Habitat
Why create a backyard habitat?
It’s fun! You’ll attract beautiful songbirds, cheerful butterflies and other interesting wildlife to your yard. Watching wildlife can be fun for the whole family.
It’s relaxing! The natural environment of your habitat will provide a peaceful place to relieve stress and unwind, day or night.
It makes your yard more attractive! Replacing barren lawn with beautiful wildflowers and other native plants will increase the appeal of your property and provide a nurturing place for wildlife.
It nurtures and supports wildlife all year! Habitat restoration is critical for wildlife where commercial and residential development has eliminated most natural areas. Wildlife especially need your help during the cold winter months.
It benefits the environment! Gardening practices that help wildlife, like reducing chemicals and conserving water, also help to improve air, water and soil quality throughout your neighborhood.
It rewards you! The National Wildlife Federation will recognize your dedication to creating a place for wildlife in the modern world. When your habitat is certified, you will receive a personalized Certificate of Achievement recognizing your yard as part of the National Registry of Backyard Wildlife Habitat sites. With your permission, NWF will also send a prepared press release to your local newspaper announcing your certification.
It expands your gardening knowledge and lets you share your love of wildlife with others! Once certified, you’ll receive a subscription to the quarterly newsletter, Habitats, providing you with a steady supply of tips and projects to maintain your Backyard Wildlife Habitat site year after year.
As soon as you certify your yard or garden space, you will automatically become a member of NWF with full membership benefits, including a year’s subscription to the award winning National Wildlife magazine.
For further information on backyard habitat, check out these websites:
National Wildlife Federation
Backyard Conservation
Audubon At Home
Please call the ACD if you are interested in turning your backyard into a “backyard habitat”.
Backyard Habitat Downloads
| Name | Description | Size | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|
| WILDLIFE_HABITAT.pdf | Tip sheet from the Natural Resources Conservation Serivce Backyard Conservation Program | 305KB | 454 |
| ATTRACT_WILDLIFE.pdf | Tip sheet from the National Arbor Day Foundation | 847KB | 324 |
| BUTTERFLY_GARDENS.pdf | From the Ohio State University Extension | 314KB | 394 |
| ATTRACTING_HUMMINGBIRDS.pdf | From Purdue University | 808KB | 337 |
| NATIVE_LANDSCAPING.pdf | From the Ohio State University Extension | 312KB | 311 |