Are fires pushing birds to new areas? New species spotted at Silver Creek

For the past nine years, a group of local volunteer birders have conducted bird counts at the Silver Creek Preserve.  These are some of the most interesting and consistent data we have at Silver Creek. Occasionally they see an unusual species- as was the case this weekend. A Northern Waterthrush was sighted along Stalker Creek, a first for Silver Creek as far as I know.  In addition to the usual list of suspects, a Peregrine falcon and a Sora were also seen. 

The birders, in this case Poo Wright-Pulliam, Kathleen Cameron, and Maria, think the possible reason for the density and diversity of birds this month at the preserve could be due to the fires and the drought in the area.  “The birds are more condensed, they are moving out of burned areas and areas that don’t have food to places that do.  They are relying more on gardens and places like Silver Creek than usual,” said Kathleen Cameron.  

 -Dayna Gross, Silver Creek Preserve Manager

Restoring land for sage grouse, cattle and wildlife

 














Western juniper trees have been steadily encroaching on meadows and valleys in the greater Owyhee County area over the last 50 years, and in the last 10-15 years, it's been getting even more pronounced. As a result, juniper trees are consuming habitat that normally would be used by the greater sage-grouse, wildlife and cattle.

Ranchers, citizens, conservation and government groups are working together to tackle the issue. Collaboration, as they can attest, is key to making a difference in large landscapes such as the Owyhees.

The Owyhees' expansive and beautiful sage brush landscape provides habitat and forage for a variety of Idaho's wildlife and domestic species. For this reason it has drawn attention from a number of groups who want to restore the landscapes' native vegetation. 

In the series "Life on the Range" by Steve Stuebner, TNC Idaho's Art Talsma, spoke about the work being done now on the ground to remove juniper. Talsma works in the Owyhees, a stronghold for sage grouse. "Life on the Range" is sponsored by the Idaho Rangeland Resource Commission. 

Check out the video here, and learn more about our work in the Owyhees.

How's the fishing Silver Creek?

Dry fly fishing has been very productive from the preserve, top to bottom. The tricos are coming off strong in the morning around nine, then tapering off until about 10 or 10:30. Be armed for PMDs coming off throughout the day, and come with a variety of blue damselfly patterns. For those hot and windy days and just before sundown, certain hoppers can catch the attention of aggressively feeding fish. Late afternoon, baetis alongside PMDs have been showing up on a daily basis. Good luck! 

- Ham Wallace

A green summer at TNC's Ball Creek Preserve

Fresh from this summer - great shots of TNC's Ball Creek Preserve in Bonners Ferry from Kennon McClintock, TNC North Idaho Field Representative.

Plan your visit, click here. 

Beer and conservation: A visit to Barley Days

In 2009 The Nature Conservancy in Idaho and MillerCoors began a partnership for water conservation and habitat improvement projects at Silver Creek. A focus of this work is to put sustainable practices into action at barley farms around Idaho. Silver Creek Preserve Manager Dayna Gross recently attended Barley Days, an event to thank local farmers for their work. Here's Dayna talking about her recent trip to Barley Days:

Barley at the experimental farm.
Photo courtesy of Dayna Gross.

Rich Rosengren (TNC, Corporate Sponsorships) and I arrived at the hotel to find a bus waiting for us.  The bus was packed, and based on the recycling bag, had been waiting for awhile.  Once on the bus, we were immediately handed tall, cold Coors Lights before heading off to the Snug in Eden, Idaho for dinner. By 9:15 p.m., I was exhausted and lucky to find a ride back to the hotel (the bus returned a few hours later). No, this was not college revisited—this was MillerCoors’s Barley Days in Burley, Idaho!! 

The next morning we were set to present The Nature Conservancy’s work in Idaho to the executive team- including Pete Coors. Since 2009, we have been working with MillerCoors on a variety of water conservation and habitat enhancement projects in the Silver Creek watershed.  

First, we embarked on a watershed planning project that included developing an ecological model of Silver Creek and the surrounding area. This model will allow us to plug in management actions and see the results.  

Pete Coors listening to a presentation at
Barley Days. Photo courtesy of Dayna Gross.

During the planning process, we prioritized areas in need of enhancement or protection with a focus on working with barley farmers to help us protect Silver Creek while ensuring their farms are sustainable, healthy, and productive in the long term. Following the planning and pilot programs, we developed a list of best management practices for barley farmers and implemented as many of them as we could on one farm, the "Showcase Barley Farm."

This is a model for other farmers in Idaho and how they can conserve water, resources, and energy while protecting and enhancing important habitat. A summary of this project, including resources and contacts for farmers, will soon be available. 

Barley Days is a time to thank the local barley farmers for all their hard work and to celebrate their product. Several people commented that it was the first time they had seen The Nature Conservancy people at Barley Days. And finally, after three years, I got a Coors hat. Thanks to MillerCoors and all those making sustainable farming a reality.

Inspired by Charlie's Story: Intern sets his sights on Silver Creek

Every summer The Nature Conservancy hosts interns from around the country to help us run Silver Creek and Flat Ranch Preserves. Like Veronika Horton, Ham Wallace is also interning at Silver Creek.  In this Q&A he shares his experience:

Ham night fishing. Photo courtesy Ham Wallace.

What school did you attend, when did you graduate and what was your major? 

I am entering my sophomore year at Colorado College, and am planning to major in Biology.

Where are you from?

Nashville, Tennessee

How did you become an intern for TNC/Silver Creek?

Colorado College sponsors an intern to work for Silver Creek Preserve each summer in honor of Charlie Blumenstein, a 1996 alum who passed away in May 2003. Charlie spent much time on Silver Creek and had a truly special connection with the place. I stopped and read the description for the internship after class one day. After doing a little more research on the internship and Silver Creek, I decided to apply.

Photo courtesy of Ham Wallace.

Why did you decide to become an intern for TNC/Silver Creek?

After reading about Charlie and the story behind the internship, I knew it would not feel right if I did not apply. Thankfully, I was accepted and given this incredible opportunity, and it has far exceeded all expectations. On a further note, I love the outdoors, and have been interested in conservation for a long time.

What was your first impression of Picabo/Silver Creek when you arrived?

I was excited to be living in such a beautiful place.

What is a typical day like for an intern at Silver Creek?

Specific tasks vary greatly from day to day, and almost all of them involve being outdoors, apart from working in the visitor center and in the office. As of late, the extreme heat and lack of rain has meant taking special care of recent plantings around the property.

What are your favorite and least favorite things about interning at Silver Creek?

Well, I love working here, and there is nowhere else I’d rather be for the summer. My favorite part about interning has been the amount I have learned. I also have great coworkers.

What kinds of animals have you seen?

All kinds on the preserve–Moose, Deer, Beaver, Muskrat, Snakes, and more birds than I can handle. Off the preserve I have seen Coyote, Elk, Marten, Antelope, Pika...

Do you fish?

Yes

How long have you been an intern?

I started on May 25, 2012.

Expect the unexpected on Flat Ranch

Howdy from the Flat Ranch Preserve! But wait…is it already July?

Help keep the invasive mussels from
spreading, use the new wader wash at Flat
Ranch Preserve. Photo by TNC staff.

The weeks seem to be flying by here. There hasn’t been a dull moment since the summer kicked into full gear. We haven’t been lonely either, as more and more wildlife seem to venture out of the woods and onto the Preserve. Herds of elk saunter through the pastures almost daily, and several bald eagles are regularly seen perching stoically on fence posts – almost as if a tribute to the Fourth of July. We’ll soon see a lot more of whatever the willows hide with our newly installed wildlife camera, which is a motion activated camera that we have perched near an active game trail on the far reaches of the Preserve. From my time here, I’ve quickly learned that its safe to expect the unexpected, and I’ll be sure to keep you posted with our finds from the camera!

In fishing news, we’re experiencing warmer waters due to the soaring outside temperatures, thus the fish have been a little sluggish. However, don’t let this discourage you. The valiant few that have recently trekked down to the stream have still been rewarded with fish well inside the 18- to 24-inch range. I recommend a small brown PMD to stir them from their slumber. Even if you’re not in the mood to cast a line, come by anyways to make a quick scrub stop and prevent the spread of invasive species with our recently installed wader wash station in the parking lot. Thanks to generous contributions from Idaho Fish and Wildlife Biologist Jessica Buelow, we’ve built our own station to wash off your waders so we can keep catching massive trout rather than zebra mussels here in the Henry’s Fork watershed. More news to come, so come on by until that time!

From The City to Silver Creek

Every summer The Nature Conservancy hosts interns from around the country to help us run Silver Creek and Flat Ranch Preserves. Veronika Horton, a recent college graduate from Atlanta, Ga., is our newest edition. In this Q&A she shares a bit about herself and tells us what it's like to work at Silver Creek:

Veronika doing some water monitoring. Photo by TNC staff.

What school did you attend, when did you graduate and what was your major?
A: I attended Morris College in Sumter, SC. I graduated May 5, 2012 with a BS in Biology.

Where are you from?
A: I am from Atlanta, Georgia.

How did you become an intern for TNC/Silver Creek?
A: I applied for the internship while I was in school and received an email from Shawneece Hennighan to schedule an interview with Dayna Gross. The interview went well.  A few months later here I am.

Why did you decide to become an intern for TNC/Silver Creek?
A: I decided to come to see what I could do with my degree besides research.  My school was mainly focused on research and tried to encourage all of the students who majored in biology to do research and my attention span is too short for a career in research for longer than a few years if that long.

What was your first impression of Picabo/Silver Creek when you arrived?
A: The first thing I thought when I arrived in Picabo was Where am I and what have I gotten myself into? When I came the weather was bad, it snowed, and it was extremely dark. Everything was closed which was definitely new for me. My first impression of Silver Creek was that it was a beautiful place.

Planting aspen trees. Photo by TNC staff.

What is a typical day like for an intern at Silver Creek?
A: A typical day depends on what needs to be done. When we come in we have a list on the things that we need to do and throughout the day we complete them.


What are your favorite and least favorite things about interning at Silver Creek?

Preparing to spray for weeds.
Photo by TNC staff.

A: My favorite thing to do is probably watering because to me it seems like time flies when I’m watering.  My least favorite thing to do is cleaning the outhouses; I’ve only done it once but once was enough for me.

What kinds of animals have you seen?
A: I have seen cats, dogs, chickens, sheep, cows, horses, deer, antelope, elk, ducks, fish, a variety of birds, seagulls, a badger, field mice, and an owl. 

Do you fish?
A: No, but I fished for the first time yesterday (June 30). I caught four fish.

How long have you been an intern?
A: I have been an intern for a little less than a month.

***

A look at the work of Idaho's Sage Grouse Task Force

Editor's note: On June 29, Governor Otter released the State of Idaho’s Draft Alternative for Sage Grouse Management for a two-week public comment period. 

The Draft Alternative builds upon and adds details to the Task Force recommendations discussed in this blog, which was published on June 28. To view the Draft Alternative and the Task Force recommendations, go to: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/?getPage=310

The Nature Conservancy is preparing specific recommendations drawn from the task force’s work to ensure the State’s plan effectively conserves sage grouse and their habitats.

Greater sage grouse strutting on a lek. Photo by Sara Sheehy.

Headlines about Idaho’s new conservation strategy for greater sage grouse have attracted a lot of attention in recent weeks.  With declining populations in 11 western states, the sage grouse could become protected under the Endangered Species Act. This potential listing has put the bird under intense public attention. ESA regulations could profoundly affect economic and land use activities in the bird’s sagebrush steppe habitat, which includes 15 million acres in Idaho ­– more than a quarter of the land in the state.

Last March Governor Butch Otter created a sage grouse task force and gave it a daunting assignment – craft a conservation plan grouse strong enough to avoid an ESA listing, involve impacted industries and interests, and ensure sage grouse habitat on public lands remains available for multiple uses.

Will Whelan, Director of Government Relations for The Nature Conservancy’s Idaho Chapter, served as one of two task force members representing conservation interests – along with John Robison of the Idaho Conservation League.  Other members represented defined interests, including livestock grazing, electrical utilities, mining, hunting, county government, and the Legislature.  Two members represented the public at large. 

“It was one of the most interesting and challenging assignments in my 27-year career in environmental policy and conservation,” said Whelan. “I have to admit that I had doubts about whether the task force would succeed. Our sixteen members had strikingly different opinions and very little time to master a complex subject.”

But, three months of intense meetings and discussions paid off.  The task force members took their task seriously.  They knew that a weak plan would simply fail to pass muster with the federal agencies that manage public lands and implement the ESA.  “The task force members really strived to balance their economic interests with the real need to protect sage grouse.  By the end, the task force became more than the sum of its parts,” said Whelan.

While not perfect or complete in every detail, the task force recommendations set a sound course for sage grouse conservation in Idaho.  The task force report lays out dozens of measures, including limiting new transmission lines, energy facilities, and other development in high quality sage grouse habitat, strengthening efforts to fight fire and invasive weeds, and ensuring public lands livestock grazing is managed to meet sage grouse habitat objectives.

The task force focused much of its effort on identifying the high quality sage grouse habitat in Idaho and drafting policies that give priority attention to the most important areas.  The task force recommended that sage grouse habitat be divided into core, important, and general sage grouse zones.

Lands that are especially productive sage grouse were proposed for designation as “core habitat.”  This zone covers one-third of acres occupied by sage grouse in Idaho but includes two thirds of the sage grouse leks (male dancing grounds).  The task force quickly grasped that protecting these strongholds is the key to the long-term survival of sage grouse.  The task force suggested strong restrictions on development of new infrastructure such as roads, transmission lines, and energy facilities on public lands within core habitat.  This area would also be a priority for firefighting, weed control, grazing management, and habitat restoration activities.

The “important habitat” zone covers a bit less than one-third of sage grouse habitat in Idaho and has about one-quarter of the leks in the state.  The task force understood that protecting the important habitat will help maintain the sage grouse populations that breed there, connect the core habitat zones, and protect areas used by migrating sage grouse.  The policies governing development in important habitat, while more flexible than in core habitat, would limit sage grouse impacts from new construction and require developers to replace the value of lost habitat by completing restoration projects. 

The “general habitat” zone covers over five million acres but is estimated to support just 10 percent of the leks and five percent of the birds in Idaho.  Accordingly, this zone has the most flexible policies.  New infrastructure development will have to include practices that minimize harm to sage grouse and may be required to mitigate for impacts.  

The task force recommendations are available on the Department of Fish and Game’s website:  http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/wildlife/?getPage=310

The Office of Governor Otter is currently reviewing the task force’s recommendations and will soon ask for the public comment to comment on the sage grouse strategy. 

“The Nature Conservancy plans to stay involved,” Whelan explains.  “The task force did a good job of charting a course for conservation, but many key details still need to be filled-in.  Moreover, the tight deadlines that we operated under meant we had to focus primarily on actions on federal public lands.  We think the State of Idaho also should develop a list of actions by willing private parties, local governments, and the State of Idaho that complement the Task Force’s recommendations. We will continue to advocate for clear and meaningful actions that will protect the bird and its native sagebrush habitats. ”

Fishing Report from Silver Creek

A fishing report (complete with pictures) from Ham Wallace, one of our Silver Creek interns.

With the hotter days rolling in, significant hatches are happening later in the evening, beginning around 7 to 8 p.m. Fishing has been great even during the hottest hours of the day ­(usually occurring between 3 and 7 p.m.), and absolutely fantastic as the sun is setting. 

Photos by Ham Wallace

As far as bugs go - baetis, a LOT of baetis and few PMDs during the hot hours. During evening and late evening you’ll be getting a real mixed bag - Baetis, Caddis, PMD and even a few Green Drakes. Always throw dries from an upstream position relative to fish. If you’re up for it, cool, early mornings in the S-turns allow you to beat the usual cramped crowds. Good luck! 

Cattle and moose encounters at Flat Ranch

This summer we'll be featuring posts from James Freeman, our summer intern at The Nature Conservancy's Flat Ranch Preserve, near Yellowstone National Park: 

This week at Flat Ranch was a wild one, as the cattle were finally turned out onto the Flat Ranch Preserve. We knew we had our hands full after watching over eight 18-wheelers full of cattle arrive at our corral- it was certainly a sight (and smell) to witness.

 

 
Photos by staff

Luckily, we (Conservancy staff and volunteers) didn’t have to face the task of moving them into the pasture alone. Several cowboys arrived to steer them into the right direction. As you can imagine, moving over 250 cow/calf pairs is not a fast or quiet process. It took over an hour to herd the continuously mooing mass down the street and into the pasture. Even though moving the cattle wasn’t the fast-paced stampede I envisioned, it was definitely a sight worth seeing and a great indicator that summer has finally arrived here at the Flat Ranch Preserve.  Having cattle on the ranch does not interfere with public visitation and recreation, so don’t let this high-country phenomena deter you from stopping by to enjoy the property.

 
 

Photos by staff
 
In other news, we’ve also some had exciting encounters with wildlife over the past week. A cow moose and her calf added some action to our day as they came running towards the Visitor’s Center after being startled by fishermen near the river. Within seconds, TNC East Idaho Field Representative and Good Samaritan Chris Little was on the scene, riding the ATV parallel to the highway in order steer the cow moose and calf away from the busy artery to Yellowstone and back towards salvation in the willows on the Ranch. Job well done, Chris.

Come down to the Ranch to witness some of this action yourself. See you there!

James

Elk, cranes, curlews, owls and more!

This summer we'll be featuring posts from James Freeman, our summer intern at The Nature Conservancy's Flat Ranch Preserve, near Yellowstone National Park: 

Photos by Chris Little: (Top)  Stephens Creek on the far reaches of Flat Ranch Preserve ; (Bottom)  Luna, the unofficial Flat Ranch mutt

Hello again everyone,

With a great first week under my belt, I feel like a modern-day Gilman Sawtelle (fact: a peak near the Flat Ranch is named after Sawtelle, an early settler of Island Park.). This week has been full of projects that have kept the whole team busy in preparation for turning out the cattle on June 16. Even Luna, our Flat Ranch dog, is realizing the importance of the day as she now spends less time barking at me or sniffing my leg and more time eating grass in the field to remind us of the oncoming cattle.

One of the larger projects of the week was to build new braces for the northernmost portion of property. Tobe, Chris and I spent a majority of the day digging, sawing, and lifting heavy wooden poles to create a H-brace that will eventually support a whole new fence line. Chris seemed to know every detail there is to know about fence building – probably something he picked up from his childhood in the metropolis of Washington, DC. Even though the current fence lies in decay beside it, the new brace is a visual testament to the great things the Ranch will be doing this summer.

Other projects included building a new entrance gate that will hopefully catch peoples’ attention as they typically zoom by the Ranch at 70 miles per hour or drive aimlessly in the grass while attempting to find the dirt driveway. Ruth and Tobe were the masterminds behind this; if you happen to visit I encourage you to burst in the door and immediately compliment the added appeal of the gate – it’ll make their day.

We’ve also had our fair share of animal visitors this week. A trio of elk has returned for the third day to munch on the grass by the river, a great indication of the Ranch’s importance to resident and migration wildlife. Sandhill cranes and long-billed curlews are also staples on the ranch as they nest during the spring. However, I will share with you - the tempestuous curlew quickly alerts you when you are riding too close to their nest and chicks, as I found out... I was even lucky enough to have a stare down with a cow moose while fishing the Outlet. Even better news, we’ve seen two owls on the property, later identified as short-eared owls- a rare sight no matter where you are.

Thanks for checking in; more to come soon.

James

Summer on Flat Ranch

This summer we'll be featuring posts from James Freeman, our summer intern at The Nature Conservancy's Flat Ranch Preserve, near Yellowstone National Park: 

Photos by Chris Little: (Top) Spring at the Flat Ranch Visitor's Center; (Bottom) East Idaho representative Chris Little with a Flat Ranch rainbow trout

Greetings from Flat Ranch Preserve! My name is James Freeman and I will be serving you as the unofficial and significantly inexperienced blogger for the summer of 2012. This summer I’ve traded in beach gear for leather gloves and a down jacket as the intern of Flat Ranch Preserve. A quick bio about myself:raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Spartanburg, South Carolina, I am an avid outdoor enthusiast, self-proclaimed fisherman, sibling of three and sophomore at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

This summer I will work on the Flat Ranch, assisting with stewardship projects such as fence maintenance, collecting data on the wildlife, cow chasing and, of course, fishing, (for research, I promise….). Lucky for me, I’m teaming up with volunteers/ hardcore RV campers Ruth and Tobe Harbaum– a great couple from Colorado who seem to have a solution for every project we’ve embarked on so far, and Chris Little, the East Idaho Field Representative with The Nature Conservancy in Idaho, who travels to Flat Ranch often to make sure we work hard and play hard. Chris also lives by that philosophy.

If you make it down to the ranch, you’ll likely find me riding the ATV sporting a helmet that resembles something between a bowling ball and space debris. Though the helmet isn’t glamorous or cool, I need it to protect my academic investments. Ruth is typically greeting guests in the Ranch visitor center with a warm smile. Or you may find her cleaning out the swallow nests from the bluebird boxes for the 10000th time. Talk about perseverance. As for Tobe, our neighborhood mechanic/ gardener/ farm hand/ fence-builder… well, it’s safe to say he’ll be busy doing something productive.

Anyway, my goal is to return back to school in late August with a renewed respect for rangelands, conservation work and property stewardship. Also, I’d like to acquire the skills needed to catch a truly hog-like Yellowstone cutthroat trout on a dry fly. In the meantime, I hope to figure out how to blog and then steadily update any TNC fans out there with news from Flat Ranch, so hang in there... Tight lines, James

Dig Deeper: State Director Letter

State director Toni Hardesty discusses her transition to The Nature Conservancy, her connection with Idaho, and projects for the future in her Spring state director letter.

Download here, and find all our publications on nature.org/Idaho.

Sharptail Grouse

Photographer Paul Plante shared these stunning images of sharptail grouse from a recent visit to the Hixon Sharptail Project.

 Learn more about our recent work with the Hixons here.

All images copyright Paul Plante.

Thank You for Joining Us

We would like to extend a very big thank you to all the supporters and partners that joined us for our state director open houses in Hailey and Boise.

For those of you in other parts of the state, we will be holding open houses in east and north Idaho this summer. Stay tuned for dates and locations!

Fence Work for Wildlife at Crooked Creek

Chris Little, the Conservancy in Idaho's east Idaho field representative, sent the following dispatch from a successful volunteer day at our Crooked Creek project. 

On March 23rd six volunteers and two Conservancy employees traveled to Crooked Creek to (a) help put up fence flags on a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) allotment fence and (b) remove old fence wire on the Conservancy's Bezold Ranch.

 

For the fence flag project, we successfully placed about 1700 flags on 2.25 miles of fencing. The fence divides the North and South Devil’s Gap pastures, which are BLM allotments that the Conservancy has grazing permits on.  The fence runs by Devil’s Gap--a natural geographic bottle neck that funnels moving wildlife, most notably sage-grouse and pronghorn, through a small area.  The fence and the resulting wildlife collisions are a hazard for these and other species; flagging the fence will help to reduce these unwanted collisions, which can injury or death to wildlife.  This area is especially important for lekking sage-grouse and these flags will reduce negative impacts to leks.

 

 

For the second half of the day, we traveled to the Bezold property where the crew worked to removed wire from old, abandoned fence lines that bisect the riparian valley through the center part of the property.  Such fences are a danger for moving wildlife and we intend to remove as much fence as possible to increase the quality of wildlife habitat.  This area is especially important for brood-rearing sage-grouse who seek these riparian areas for protection and forage.  We were able to drop about .75 miles of fence by the end of the day.

--Chris Little

{images by Chris Little and Marilynne Manguba}

Join Us: State Director Open Houses

Join us in welcoming new state director Toni Hardesty to The Nature Conservancy. We have two open houses in April as an opportunity for you to meet Toni, and for Toni to meet you! Come share your stories of Idaho, of conservation, and of your hopes for the future. These informal open houses will be in Hailey and Boise.

Hailey's open house is an after-work meet and greet with refreshments. Boise's open house will be a brown bag luncheon. Bring along your lunch, we will provide drinks and dessert.

For more information on the open houses, please call (208) 788-8988. Registration is not required. We hope to see you there!

Also, read a letter from Toni about her move to the Conservancy.

Don't live near Hailey or Boise? More open houses will be scheduled this summer and will be announced here, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

How "Green" Is Your Lawn?

It’s true: A green lawn is often not a green lawn.

Many of you already know this, but neighborhood peer pressure keeps you reaching for weed spray, fertilizer and a lawnmower.

When you step through your front door, do you feel like you’ve landed on the set of American Beauty?

Do you worry that your attempts at eco-friendly landscaping will draw more overzealous homeowner’s association enforcers than butterflies?

Fear not, cool green suburbanite, because creating a more wildlife-friendly yard is easier than you think. You too can become a refuge for the local critters, win the approval of your neighbors and lower your carbon footprint.

Several years ago, my wife and I replaced our very green (in color) front yard with native and drought-tolerant plants. Living in the arid West, we wanted to reduce our use of water—and lessen our mowing time.

As we tore up all that grass, we met with the predictable looks, scowls and disapproving remarks from our neighbors.

But a funny thing happened on our way to native flora.

Goldfinches, hummingbirds and swallowtails became regular visitors. So did neighborhood kids, drawn by the more visually interesting mix of rocks, wavy grasses and wildflowers. Random people started stopping by to learn more about particularly pretty plants.

Why? Because, in reality, few people really love all that green grass. There are more interesting things to do with your yard—and your time. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Get Reel. As anyone trying to sleep in on a summer Saturday can attest, gas lawnmowers should be cited for disturbing the peace. They’re loud, smelly and often unreliable. Use your own power instead, with a reel mower. There’s no pollution, and you may find that lawn mowing is a lot more pleasant.

2. Plant for Wildlife. There are a number of ways to make your yard a safe haven for the wild things. The National Wildlife Federation’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat can get you pointed in the right direction.

3. Plant Natives. You don’t have to tear out your whole lawn; just a corner of native plants will draw butterflies and birds. As ecologist Michael Rosenzweig notes, if everyone did this in a neighborhood, it would create a sizeable wildlife refuge. Just think of the possibilities if every neighborhood incorporated native vegetation.

4. Grow Your Food. Concerned about how far your food is traveling? The ultimate local food is from your back (or front) yard. Even a very small space can produce enough veggies to help reduce your grocery bill while reducing your carbon footprint.

5. Lay off the Spray. Herbicides and other pesticides don’t just stay in your yard. They run off into the water, impacting amphibians, fish and other wildlife. The fact is, you don’t need these toxic chemicals around. Organizations like the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides offer free tips on how to solve your weed, insect and pest problems without resorting to nasty chemicals.

--Matt Miller

Image courtesy of Jennifer Miller