How to Become Certified with the National Wildlife Federation

Do you appreciate animals? Do you enjoy watching them interact with each other? We can learn so much from them; watching the butterflies interact with nature, a squirrel hiding its nuts in the ground or listening to the variety of chatter between birds. When we assist nature, we are assisting ourselves. Without nature, we cannot exist. With spring approaching, why not plan to give something back to nature by creating your own natural wildlife habitat in your own backyard. It is not a difficult thing to do. TheNational Wildlife Federation will offer you a certified sign that you can post in your yard if it is created along their simple guidelines.

Many people these days are joining the bandwagon of "getting green" inside and outside their homes. The reason is we are finally "getting it"; realizing the need to keep our planet healthy. Have you considered what would happen if we did not have the birds and the bees? Now, I'm not speaking about sex. I'm speaking about our need to sustain our own life support. For without them and other wildlife, we would not have the food sources we need to survive.

Here are the steps needed to create a natural wildlife habitat in your backyard:

Provide the food source like native plants, seeds, fruit, nuts, etc.

Provide the water source like a birdbath, pond, waterscape, etc.

Provide places for shelter like rocks, thick bushes, birdhouses, etc.

Provide a place to raise their young like a nestling box, dense vegetation and shrubbery.

Provide a sustainable garden like mulch, compost, rain garden, chemical-free fertilizing.

These are just the guidelines that the National Wildlife Federation requires if you chose to get certified. For a fee of $15, the National Wildlife Federation will send you a metal sign that you can hang in your yard, along with a membership, a certification of having an appropriate wildlife habitat, a subscription to their newsletter, and your name on a list of the National Wildlife Federation national registry. Even if you chose not to become certified you can still help animals who I believe are the voiceless children of God. With the climate changes and uncontrolled development that are happening around the world, we are seeing more and more wildlife habitats being destroyed. If everyone did something on a small scale like creating their own natural wildlife habitat, collectively it would make a difference till we can figure out how to solve this issue. Let's not forget them.

Source: Natural Wildlife Federation