It’s never too early to start planning for the school year. Don’t get caught without child care on PA Days. Once again we are offering fantastic eco-programming for your children. Click on the link below for our flyer.
For the last 4 years I have been working on creating a garden in my downtown backyard that not only my family and friends could enjoy, but that would be a natural habitat for as much wildlife as possible. Starting from scratch (there were NO plants in our backyard when we purchased the home) I knew I needed to be very conscious of everything I brought into our yard if I wanted to attract as many of nature’s creatures as possible. I poured over my gardening books, took out every book about natural landscaping that our library offered, drew plans, redrew plans, and finally I felt ready to begin. One of my main criteria for choosing plants is that they must be either native to the area or drought tolerant (to minimize my water usage) I have managed to achieve my goal of 2/3 of my garden being native and the majority of the rest of the plants have been split from friends and family (ie. hostas- which grow exceedingly well in our soil and have never required water not provided by nature). This in itself has attracted many wonderful insects and birds. Four years into my garden plan, with a diverse wildlife community emerging, I am now able to focus on providing an even more hospitable habitat for my daily visitors and long term guests. I have added 3 bird baths, 4 bird feeders, a toad habitat, shelter bushes, materials for making nests, and a pond. These additions have made our yard a much more welcoming home for those creatures who are struggling to find suitable habitats in the downtown area.
One day, while searching for interesting eco-activities for my Eco-Camps, I came across the National Wildlife Federation’s website which advertised the process of becoming a Certified Wildlife Habitat. I applied and was certified!
Click here to view the National Wildlife Federation certificate!
This is especially exciting for me because of my Eco-Camps. We spend time in our backyard during these camps and I really believe that being exposed to as many facets of nature at as young an age as possible sets the stage for a life of caring for it.
“We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.” Einstein
Check back soon for Tavvik’s Certified Wildlife Habitat photos.
Didn't finish that pot of coffee or tea this morning? Don't pour it down the drain, use it to water your plants! It gives them a healthy boost of nitrogen and you waste much less water!