Comments on: The Benefits of Certified Wildlife Habitat Status http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/the-benefits-of-certified-wildlife-habitat-status.html Create Wildlife Habitat. Protect the Environment Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:06:59 +0000 hourly 1 By: How to Certify your Conservation Garden for Wildlife http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/the-benefits-of-certified-wildlife-habitat-status.html/comment-page-1#comment-3393 How to Certify your Conservation Garden for Wildlife Sun, 06 Jun 2010 00:24:48 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1574#comment-3393 [...] your Conservation Garden listed as certified wildlife habitat is a great way to show your support for several organizations working to protect wildlife by [...] [...] your Conservation Garden listed as certified wildlife habitat is a great way to show your support for several organizations working to protect wildlife by [...]

]]> By: Carole Brown http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/the-benefits-of-certified-wildlife-habitat-status.html/comment-page-1#comment-1500 Carole Brown Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:13:51 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1574#comment-1500 Karyl, I agree that the strength that NWF has is that is has brought such awareness to people that they are making better choices. I also share some of Michelle's frustration in that for some people, the "sign" can be a meaningless joke if people don't take responsibility for removing invasive plants and actively seeking out better information. Back in the 90s and early 2000s authors and organizations, including NWF, were actually recommending planting invasives because they were supposedly great for birds like Oriental Bittersweet, Russian Olive, and Japanese Honeysuckle. This is where my frustration began because I was being hired to create wildlife habitat for people and 90% of what they were paying me for was to remove these plants that had consumed their whole yard. I am very happy to see that finally many so-called experts are waking up to the dangers of invasive plants and are making better recommendations. It is unfortunate, though, that many who are jumping on the "habitat gardening" bandwagon (Jerry Baker for example) continue to promote old lists of plants for birds that continue to promote these invasive plants. As for levels of certification, I'm not sure that NWF would find that feasible. Maybe it is up to us to continue to work to help people go deeper, to make the certification much more meaningful. I will continue to try to do my part, as I know you are also. Thank you for all that you do! Karyl, I agree that the strength that NWF has is that is has brought such awareness to people that they are making better choices. I also share some of Michelle’s frustration in that for some people, the “sign” can be a meaningless joke if people don’t take responsibility for removing invasive plants and actively seeking out better information.

Back in the 90s and early 2000s authors and organizations, including NWF, were actually recommending planting invasives because they were supposedly great for birds like Oriental Bittersweet, Russian Olive, and Japanese Honeysuckle. This is where my frustration began because I was being hired to create wildlife habitat for people and 90% of what they were paying me for was to remove these plants that had consumed their whole yard.

I am very happy to see that finally many so-called experts are waking up to the dangers of invasive plants and are making better recommendations. It is unfortunate, though, that many who are jumping on the “habitat gardening” bandwagon (Jerry Baker for example) continue to promote old lists of plants for birds that continue to promote these invasive plants.

As for levels of certification, I’m not sure that NWF would find that feasible. Maybe it is up to us to continue to work to help people go deeper, to make the certification much more meaningful. I will continue to try to do my part, as I know you are also. Thank you for all that you do!

]]> By: Karyl http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/the-benefits-of-certified-wildlife-habitat-status.html/comment-page-1#comment-1496 Karyl Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:25:49 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1574#comment-1496 I read the first part of this post and while I agree certification is rather easy - anyone can click on answers, pay $25 and get a sign, the program has been an amazing success as far as awareness goes. I know non-gardeners who have honestly considered what they landscape with just because they want that sign. The majority of people just need a neat landscape design to keep HOAs happy, they don't live for their yards like we do. However the NWF has brought the idea of "backyard habitat" to a pubic level which I am not sure anyone else could accomplish. I've seen normally unaware people who would just plant what they saw at big box nurseries really, really exited about a "bird sanctuary" shrub. Congratulations NWF for that and THANK YOU. I have also seen neighborhood projects where public areas get certified and the community is quite proud of it. I would like to see levels of certification, yes, but haven't an idea how it could be done. It would require visitations to individual gardens by volunteers - the manpower and upkeep would be staggering. I live in the boonies. Not sure I could find an NWF volunteer to come visit my garden. Just hand me my Hard Core badge now! My state native plant society has a certification program which requires a site visit - well, it's a minimum of 2 hour drive for the nearest qualified volunteer to come out. I'm not asking anyone to do that so I can have a native plant sign. Meanwhile, the NWF Backyard Habitat program works for the average person. .-= Karyl´s last blog ..<a href="http://native-wildlife-gardening.com/ilex-verticillata-winterberry-holly/" rel="nofollow">Ilex verticillata Winterberry Holly Native Plant for Bird Gardens</a> =-. I read the first part of this post and while I agree certification is rather easy – anyone can click on answers, pay $25 and get a sign, the program has been an amazing success as far as awareness goes. I know non-gardeners who have honestly considered what they landscape with just because they want that sign. The majority of people just need a neat landscape design to keep HOAs happy, they don’t live for their yards like we do. However the NWF has brought the idea of “backyard habitat” to a pubic level which I am not sure anyone else could accomplish. I’ve seen normally unaware people who would just plant what they saw at big box nurseries really, really exited about a “bird sanctuary” shrub. Congratulations NWF for that and THANK YOU. I have also seen neighborhood projects where public areas get certified and the community is quite proud of it.

I would like to see levels of certification, yes, but haven’t an idea how it could be done. It would require visitations to individual gardens by volunteers – the manpower and upkeep would be staggering. I live in the boonies. Not sure I could find an NWF volunteer to come visit my garden. Just hand me my Hard Core badge now! My state native plant society has a certification program which requires a site visit – well, it’s a minimum of 2 hour drive for the nearest qualified volunteer to come out. I’m not asking anyone to do that so I can have a native plant sign. Meanwhile, the NWF Backyard Habitat program works for the average person.
.-= Karyl´s last blog ..Ilex verticillata Winterberry Holly Native Plant for Bird Gardens =-.

]]> By: Carole Brown http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/the-benefits-of-certified-wildlife-habitat-status.html/comment-page-1#comment-1491 Carole Brown Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:05:22 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1574#comment-1491 Thanks, Kelly. I'm on my way to check it out! Thanks, Kelly. I’m on my way to check it out!

]]> By: Kelly http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/the-benefits-of-certified-wildlife-habitat-status.html/comment-page-1#comment-1490 Kelly Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:53:30 +0000 http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/?p=1574#comment-1490 A little history: It was actually a 1973 <i>National Wildlife</i> magazine article that provided the basis for NWF's habitat program. Then managing editor George Harrison invited two Forest Service researchers who were studying ways to convert suburban yards into mini-habitats for birds and other wild creatures—Richard DeGraaf and Jack Ward Thomas (who later served as chief of the U.S. Forest Service)—to write an article describing the steps homeowners could take to create such havens. Many of the wildlife gardening articles that have appeared in the magazine since are available online (see <a href="http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Gardening/Archives.aspx" rel="nofollow">archives</a>). Lots of good information for those who seek it! A little history: It was actually a 1973 National Wildlife magazine article that provided the basis for NWF’s habitat program. Then managing editor George Harrison invited two Forest Service researchers who were studying ways to convert suburban yards into mini-habitats for birds and other wild creatures—Richard DeGraaf and Jack Ward Thomas (who later served as chief of the U.S. Forest Service)—to write an article describing the steps homeowners could take to create such havens. Many of the wildlife gardening articles that have appeared in the magazine since are available online (see archives). Lots of good information for those who seek it!

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