How to Become Certified with the National Wildlife Federation

Do you appreciate animals? Do you enjoy watching them interact with each other? We can learn so much from them; watching the butterflies interact with nature, a squirrel hiding its nuts in the ground or listening to the variety of chatter between birds. When we assist nature, we are assisting ourselves. Without nature, we cannot exist. With spring approaching, why not plan to give something back to nature by creating your own natural wildlife habitat in your own backyard. It is not a difficult thing to do. TheNational Wildlife Federation will offer you a certified sign that you can post in your yard if it is created along their simple guidelines.

Many people these days are joining the bandwagon of "getting green" inside and outside their homes. The reason is we are finally "getting it"; realizing the need to keep our planet healthy. Have you considered what would happen if we did not have the birds and the bees? Now, I'm not speaking about sex. I'm speaking about our need to sustain our own life support. For without them and other wildlife, we would not have the food sources we need to survive.

Here are the steps needed to create a natural wildlife habitat in your backyard:

Provide the food source like native plants, seeds, fruit, nuts, etc.

Provide the water source like a birdbath, pond, waterscape, etc.

Provide places for shelter like rocks, thick bushes, birdhouses, etc.

Provide a place to raise their young like a nestling box, dense vegetation and shrubbery.

Provide a sustainable garden like mulch, compost, rain garden, chemical-free fertilizing.