How to Turn Your Home into a Wildlife Habitat

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
Episode 144
How to Turn Your Home into a Wildlife Habitat
 
Even after living on the homestead property for 27 years, 95% of that property remains in its natural state. That was intentional because one of the best things about being there is the wildlife that we see. We not only want the wildlife to come around we encourage them to do so by leaving their habitat unaltered. But not everyone feels that way about their own place.  
 
In addition to climate change there is one other thing that will dramatically affect our future on this planet. And that is the loss of species diversity.
 
But, there is something that we can all do to help curb that problem. That is the focus of this episode, how to turn your home into a wildlife habitat. 
 
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E144 which is called How to Turn Your Home into a Wildlife Habitat. 
 
From day one of purchasing the homestead property I was amazed at how clean and pristine the land was even with all the development occurring in the Denver area, which is a short 40 miles away. It truly felt as if I was in the middle of the wilderness. All I had to do to see deer, elk, moose, big horn sheep, bear, mountain, bobcats, coyotes, as well as numerous other critters was to sit quietly on the porch of the cabin. 
 
Even at that time, I decided that all I wanted was a small cabin in the middle of the forest and to leave the land unaltered. I still find it somewhat amazing that the property is still 95% intact even with us living there full time. We have now been here long enough to see the same animals come back every year. 
 
There is a marmot that has been denning on the side of our access road for at least 10 years. Every Spring we are so happy when we finally see him again. We even recognize certain deer and moose because of characteristic markings. We are so happy when we see that cow moose return with a baby. Some of the deer have become so accustomed to us that that continue grazing even as we walk within 20 feet. It is because we keep quiet, walk slowly and just allow them to go about their business. 
 
We get really excited when we hear nesting woodpeckers in the aspen groove. Once we find where they are, we sometimes sit for a few hours just to watch the adults return time and time again to feed the babies. We even had a fox that visited regularly for at least 10 years. Then they come around with new babies. So many times I think of how privileged we are to see the cycle of life right out the front door. But, that is obviously not the case in many other parts of the world because things are changing so rapidly. 
 
Almost everyday we hear about the affects of climate change. Heat waves, rivers and reservoirs drying up, extreme weather, significant property damage, and people leaving their home country due to devastation. In the midst of all that bad news, we so often ignore one other thing that will also have a dramatic affect on our future, and that is the loss of species diversity or what is also called biodiversity. 
 
Very simply put, species diversity is the number of different species present in an ecosystem and the relative abundance of each of those species. Biodiversity is the basic foundation of the essential processes that support all life on Earth including humans. In the absence of a wide range of plants, animals, and even microorganisms we would not have the healthy ecosystems that provide us with the air we breath and the food we eat. 
 
According to the Living Planet Index there has been a decline of 52% in biodiversity between 1970 and 2010. And this is almost exclusively related to our population growth, our enormous rate of consumption, and habitat destruction. 
 
According to the World Wildlife Fund “We have picked, logged, plucked and hunted the animals, trees, flowers and fish for medicine, souvenirs, status symbols, building materials and food. And this over exploitation is currently totally unsustainable.” 
 
Furthermore, the principle causes of our tremendous loss of biodiversity are habitat destruction, pollution, introduction of invasive species, over exploitation, and climate change. And it is interesting to note that the full effects and impacts of this loss of biodiversity and how, or if our planet will adapt, is still very much unknown. 
 
And according to the latest study published by Global Change Biology, 95% of Earth’s land surface has some indication of human modification while 84% has multiple human impacts. That means that presently only 5% of the Earth’s surface is in its natural state. 
 
 
Now to put that into perspective, there is approximately 36 billion acres of land on the planet. If 5% is unaltered that is about 1.8 billion acres. Considering we are loosing and or damaging 160,000 acres of tropical rain forest everyday, that means in another 30 years, the entire land surface on this planet will have been altered by human activity. And furthermore, at present, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOAA, estimates that there is not a single place left in our oceans that have not been heavily impacted by humans. 
 
 
And while it may be discouraging to hear about the extent of changes and irreparable damage we have done to the planet, there is one simple thing that each of us can do to play apart in preserving our biodiversity. And that is to turn your home into a wildlife habitat. Although our national parks provide immeasurable value due to the protection of land and species diversity, it is possible for all of us to extend that right up to our front door. 
 
 
And what I want to focus on in this episode is to provide tips on how you can have your own personal wildlife habitat right at home. There are numerous things we can all do to make our homes a more equitable, sustainable, healthy and safe haven for wildlife. And in the episode I want to focus on five key components of how you can do just that. 
 
 
So you may be wondering right off what is the difference between a yard, a garden, and a wildlife habitat? Well, a yard is just that, it is only a yard that is designed for human use. It may contain hedges, bushes, a variety of flowers and manicured lawn. But it is not suitable for wildlife. 
 
 
A garden may contain a variety of plants and flowers. But you may being using pesticides and keep keep it very neat and tidy which actually does not encourage the presence of wildlife. 
But a wildlife habitat contains 5 essential elements: food, water, cover, places to raise young, and sustainable practices. It does not have to be a large area. A balcony, garden, urban lot, and even a school yard can be a suitable wildlife habitat. 
 
 
So, let’s take a quick look at what you can do to make that happen. 
 
 

 Sustainable Practices

 
 
First and foremost you must practice good sustainable management. Without this, everything else is a moot point. 
 
 
First in line is soil and water conservation practices. One of the best things you can do is to limit, reduce, or even eliminate lawn areas. Turf lawn simply does not benefit wildlife. Plant drought-tolerant place, consider setting up a rain water capture system. Get rid of the overhead sprinklers and switch to drip systems and soaker hoses. Pace mulch over eroded areas and help retain moisture. 
 
 
Next up is to go organic. Stop using non-organic pesticides, fertilizers and synthetic chemicals. Discontinuing using rodent bait because this poses a significant risk to wildlife and pets. Instead you can encourage the presence of beneficial insects and natural predators. Or use physical pest control methods. Recycle and compost yard and garden trimmings to make natural fertilizers. 
 
 
And lastly, choose native or indigenous plant species. After all, these are best suited for your local climate, most likely the local critters will recognize them and use them either as food, shelter or both.
  
 
2) Provide food
 
The next thing you can do is to provide food. This can be in the form of edible trees shrubs and other plants. This can be done in a variety of ways. 
 
 
-Flowers or flowering plants, provide nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, moths, and bats. Dried flower heads can provide seeds for birds. You can even spread around decaying mulch, wood and leaves which serves as food for insects, fungi, and mushrooms. This in turn provides food for birds. 
 
 
In addition to all of this, you can provide supplemental food sources such as bird feeders, hummingbird feeders, and squirrel feeders. 
 
 
 
3) Sources of water
 
 
Another essential element of a wildlife habitat is water. Wild animals need water for a variety of reasons. Of course they drink it but they also use it for bathing. Certain insects and amphibians also need water for breeding. 
 
 
Certified wildlife habitats need at least one water feature. Simple things such as a bird bath or a fountain can provide what you need. You can even place small rocks in a bird bath so that insects and small critters have a safe place to land and get a drink. 
 
 
4) Shelter and Cover
 
 
Just as we need shelter, so do insects and wildlife. This produces not only safety and security but protection from extreme weather, a place to hide from predators, and sometimes just a place to take a nap. 
 
 
Things such as mature trees and shrubs, vines, and even brush piles are suitable. Even annual flowers, mulch, and tall native grasses, fallen logs, and boulders can provide shelter and protection.
 
 
5) Places to raise young
 
And lastly, one of the most important things you can do for wildlife is to provide places for them to raise their young. Providing shelter and cover is one of the most important things you can do. 
 
 
Bird houses are a great way to provide nesting areas. Additionally, you can add in bat houses and even owl boxes. Besides being interesting creatures, owls are a wonderful natural way to control rats and mice. 
 
 
Provided you have all of these 5 essential elements your property can become a certified wildlife habitat. This is as simple as completing a self certification checklist and registering with the National Wildlife Federation. There is a $20 fee which helps to fund their wildlife conservation efforts. You can even order a plaque. But even if you don’t want to do that you can go through the checklist and be happy that you have satisfied all the requirements.  And as you attract more and more wildlife you will have hours of entertainment trying to identify many of the critters that you see.
 
 
As I said in the beginning of this episode, approximately 95% of the homestead property remains unchanged from when I purchased it in 1996. That said, many of the things we have done tend to attract even more wildlife. 
 
 
For example, as I slowly thin the forest and back up the tree line for fire mitigation, almost immediately new grasses and shrubs start to grow. Consequently, this provides even more browse for the wildlife. But then we work to maintain those areas. 
 
 
One of the things that we have done for years is to maintain these grassy areas. As these areas continue to expand due to my fire mitigation efforts,  we remove any invading pine tree sprouts. We also pull and remove certain types of invasive plants such as thistles. After a couple of years of doing that, I noticed just the other day that these grassy areas are enormously diverse. Wild flowers are multiplying like crazy.  Consequently, we see a lot more bees, hummingbirds, chipmunks, and squirrels. 
 
 
But we also do this along the road up to the cabin . There is now a long grassy area that is about 8 feet wide and 500 feet long at the edge of the road. This has become a frequent grazing are for deer and moose. They even return in the winter to browse on the dried grasses.
 
 
We keep making improvements year after year. We have feeders, bee boxes, bird houses and bat houses. My project for next Spring is to build several owl boxes and put them in a variety of places around the property. It is just one more thing I can do to make that property a friendly place for all the animals that I enjoying seeing on a regular basis.  
 
 
Providing wildlife habitats is another area in our lives where the small things that we do makes a difference. You do not have to live in the middle of the forest like we do in order to make a difference. 
No matter where you live everyone can play a role in helping native wildlife. Apartments with small windows, condos with a small balcony, homes with small, medium, or large yards can all become small little safe havens for a variety of animals. 
 
 
Not only that it will provide you with yet another way to reconnect with and learn to love the natural world. After all we have a tendency to protect what we love. And the only way we are going to save this planet is to learn to love it. 
 
 
And tomorrow as I slowly drive up the road to the cabin, I will keep a watchful eye for that marmot, I will slowly turn the corner just before the grassy area along the road to check for moose, and then I will stop off at the chicken barn to collect eggs. 
 
 
As I like to do sometimes I again want to close this episode with a thoughtful quote.  Ronald Regan once said, “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” 
 
 
The same holds true for having a sustainable lifestyle. One person may not be able to save the world, but everyone can do one small thing to make a difference. So instead of developing your property into a manicured lawn considering turning it into a safe haven for wildlife. In that one small way, each of us can do our part to protect the diversity of our planet that is so important for a sustainable future.
 
 
Well folks that’s about it for this week. I hope you have enjoyed this episode and will join me again next week. 
 
Until this, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainable because this is how we build a better future.