\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Several months ago, I wrote a column about discouraging pests, such as deer, moles and rodents, in your garden.\u00a0 I had a reader take issue with my suggestions, such as blocking access to shelter in buildings; removing birdfeeders (temporarily, at least); and managing your trash properly to discourage unwanted diners.\u00a0 I intended to give people greener options for dealing with garden household pests, not to discourage all wildlife.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Habitat loss is the biggest cause of species extinction on our planet.\u00a0 The best way to combat that trend is to protect existing wild ecosystems, to restore disturbed habitats, to limit human population growth and speculative new construction to areas already impacted by development, and to plan landscapes to encourage appropriate native wildlife.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When you plan landscapes, it\u2019s important to not merely focus on aesthetics but to balance the needs of wildlife with the needs of people.\u00a0 We cannot, however, allow wildlife to decimate our crops or livestock, or spread disease; and although I would be thrilled to see a bear, cougar or pack of wolves at a safe distance, I shudder to think of dangerous close encounters.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The best way to encourage wildlife is to re-create habitat.\u00a0 Our national parks and wildlife refuges have rules against feeding wildlife for several reasons, mostly to protect the health and safety of people and wildlife.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Feeding wildlife disrupts predator\/prey relationships.\u00a0 Studies have shown, for example, that feeding corvids (jays, crows, etc.) can increase the populations of those birds, and they in turn eat the eggs and young of other birds.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 People or pet food is often not good nutritionally for wild animals and can spoil more readily than food they normally wood cache.\u00a0 Wild food they forage for themselves is best.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The National Wildlife Federation\u2019s \u201cCertified Wildlife Habitat\u201d <\/a>and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife\u2019s \u201cBackyard Wildlife Sanctuary\u201d<\/a> are programs that will officially recognize your efforts to foster wildlife in your backyard.\u00a0 They are great educational programs for children.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In order to qualify, you need to do the following:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
• Provide food for wildlife.<\/strong>\u00a0 Plant native trees and shrubs that produce berries, seeds or nuts, foliage and flowers.\u00a0 Birdfeeders bring birds up close and are a great way to learn about songbirds.\u00a0 There is less of a danger for creating a dependency with songbirds, because they can easily fly to other locations to search for food, except when they are nesting.\u00a0 When you feed the birds, it\u2019s for your entertainment and education, not for them. B<\/span><\/span><\/span>urrowing animals and some insects such as butterflies need a wildflower meadow; these smaller animals and insects are prey species for larger predators.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
• Supply water for wildlife.<\/strong>\u00a0 If you have no natural water feature, you can start by installing a bird bath or fountain.\u00a0 A pond with plenty of algae and other microorganisms is a necessity for amphibians.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
• Create cover for wildlife.<\/strong>\u00a0 Wildlife needs places to hide to feel safe from predators and inclement weather.\u00a0 Evergreen trees, bushy or thorny shrubs, brush piles, cavities in old trees or stumps, niches in rockery, or man-made shelters such as bat boxes all make good hiding or nesting places.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
• Give wildlife a place to raise their young.\u00a0<\/strong> Wildlife needs safe places to incubate eggs and raise their young.\u00a0 Many birdhouse designs are available to buy or build.\u00a0 The folks at Wild Birds Unlimited<\/a> in Gig Harbor can help you choose different types of feeders, shelters or houses.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
• Finally, let your garden go green.<\/strong>\u00a0 Practice soil and water conservation, control exotic species, and garden organically.\u00a0 Then you can certify your garden as a \u201cBackyard Wildlife Habitat.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  \u00a0(This article was first published in the Peninsula Gateway<\/em>\u00a0on July 20, 2011 as Garden for People and Wildlife.)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  \u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Several months ago, I wrote a column about discouraging pests, such as deer, moles and rodents, in your garden.\u00a0 I had a reader take issue with my suggestions, such as blocking access to shelter in buildings; removing birdfeeders (temporarily, at least); and managing your trash properly to discourage unwanted diners.\u00a0 I intended to give<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":943,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140\/revisions\/943"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}