CHNA
Central Houghton Neighborhood Association
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- Kirkland Community Wildlife Habitat Certification
Kirkland was certified as a Community Wildlife
Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation in October, 2009 – the
34th community in the Nation since 1973, and the First in
the State east of Seattle!
A Community Wildlife Habitat is a community that provides habitat
for wildlife throughout the community--in individual backyards, on
school grounds and in public areas such as parks, community gardens,
places of worship and businesses. It is a place where the residents
make it a priority to provide habitat for wildlife by providing the
four basic elements that all wildlife need: food, water, cover and
places to raise young. The community also educates its residents
about sustainable gardening practices such as reducing or
eliminating chemical fertilizers and pesticides, conserving water,
planting native plants, removing invasive plants and composting. It
hosts workshops about gardening for wildlife, and holds community
events such as stream or trail cleanups to make the community
healthier for wildlife and people alike. A Community Wildlife
Habitat project creates a place where people, flora and fauna can
all flourish.
To maintain Kirkland's certification, the Kirkland Wildlife Habitat
Team is required to participate in community projects and
educational events, and to get additional homes, schools, churches,
businesses, and parks certified.
For most residences with a reasonable amount and variety
of vegetation other than lawn, certification is not difficult and can
involve little or no cost, other than a small certification fee that
provides you with a certificate and a year’s membership in the
National Wildlife Federation, including a subscription to “National
Wildlife” magazine.
Please review the Backyard Habitat Certification Application
form online at
http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/certify.cfm?campaignid and note the
simple check-off requirements for Food, Water, Cover, Places to Raise Young, and
Sustainable Gardening Practices. There are no “errors of commission” – for
example, if you do use chemical pesticides or fertilizers in your yard,
but you also do at least two of the other listed “sustainable gardening
practices”, you qualify! And
the “water” requirement can be met with an inexpensive or home-made birdbath.
To learn
about habitat attributes and how to create them, read the
Attracting
Wildlife Flyer. To view a list of native plants for this area,
together with their growing conditions and the wildlife they
attract, read the
Native Plant List
Flyer.
The above online link allows you to certify with just the
National Wildlife Federation, or jointly with NWF and the Washington Dept. of
Fish and Wildlife by clicking on the “partners” link. The second option provides
you with a weatherproof WA Fish & Wildlife habitat certification plaque that you
can display in your yard.
If you successfully certify your yard, please notify out
Project Team at kirklandhabitat@yahoo.com.