There are many ways in which you can become involved in making your property more wildlife-friendly. This article will suggest three possible approaches aimed at the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of interest. Each will overlap and depend on your circumstances. As your backyard habitat grows, so will your knowledge and experience, not to mention enjoyment. Since we are all individuals we come to the backyard habitat concept in different ways. For some it is an interest in bird watching, for others, concerns about preserving native plants or diversity of species. The garden that results will reflect your personality. However, all of the approaches to building wildlife-friendly garden should have some common goals. First and foremost is a commitment to minimize our impact on the environment. Backyard habitats will make more sense to you if that interest is part of an overall attempt to lessen our impacts on the environment. Our backyards are part of a larger picture. Therefore, I believe that a commitment to the backyard habitat concept naturally goes together with a commitment to the larger global environment. Recycling and composting, reducing the waste stream to landfills and returning organic matter to the garden are vital components of trying to reduce our "footprint" on the planet. Large changes can come from local, individual decisions. Remember to view your garden as an interconnected part of the larger ecosystem.
Now comes that part that can be difficult for many people. You really need to make a commitment to minimizing, and preferably eliminating, pesticides and dangerous chemicals in the garden. Unfortunately, many of us have been conditioned to reach for the can of chemicals whenever we spot a pest in the garden. The reality is that such an approach will kill off beneficial organisms too. The pests, in turn, become resistant and the cycle escalates; more chemicals are needed.
In our garden we have made a commitment to not use chemical pesticides. However, we do not have serious problems with pests. In fact, we regularly see ladybugs and other beneficial insects and the birds also help to keep down the insect pests. When I see bees, spiders and worms in our garden I view it as a measure of its environmental health. It requires an act of faith to overcome the conditioning of years to attempt this, but it is necessary. Even seemingly innocuous applications such as lawn fertilizer result in a build up of nitrogen compounds in ground water. What we do is not disconnected from everything else. There are alternatives to synthetic chemicals and safer products are available and easier to find than in the past. Investigate the organic approach and try to apply it in your garden. For more information visit the Beginning Organic Gardening topic area.
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