Hi from National Wildlife Federation Habitat Ambassadors!

It’s rewarding to see what creatures have found benefits from your yard. I watch for tracks in fresh snow before I step. Some common Ohio tracks can be seen at Ohio Dept of Natural Resources track examples. Scroll down to the second page and the answers are upside down.

What difference does your yard make? Read this short 2-page article called Gardening for Wildlife by Douglas Tallamy, who will be speaking at the Ohio Botanical Symposium (See ‘Nature Stuff’ below for details on that event)

The Annual Franklin County Soil And Water Conservation District Tree, Fish and Wildflower Sale. Orders need to be in by 3/26. order by mail or online using the link.

Curious about organic lawn care? Try to find books at the library, such as The Organic Lawn Care Manual by Paul Tuckey. This flyer has some information on the left (corn gluten is organic): Environmentally Friendly Lawn and Garden Care. Google the web for organic lawn care, here’s a start: Ohioline OSU Extension Fact Sheet

Thanks for helping backyard wildlife!

- Toni, www.backyardhabitat.info

Toni’s latest nature article:

‘Help Robins in your yard‘ – select Jan. 2010 and go to page 3 in the bottom right corner, Help Robins In Your Yard

Nature ‘Stuff’

• NWF’s Schoolyard Habitat Guide and Lesson Plans are now free online! Schoolyard Habitat Materials
• National Wildlife Federation’s CEO, Larry Schweiger, book “Last Chance” takes you on a journey of climate change discovery across the world from his perspective as a grandfather and a conservationist.

Nature Events

• Sat, 2/13, 10AM, Mud, Dirt or Soil?, Dr. David Barker, Inniswood Metro Park, Westerville, Scroll down at http://www.for-wild.org/chapters/columbus
• Thurs, 2/18, Ohio Invasive Plants Research Conference, Connecting Research and Land Management, Indoor Adventure Center, Franklin Park, Columbus www.oipc.info
• Thurs, 3/11, Central Ohio Stormwater & Erosion Control Expo, Longaberger Alumni House, OSU Campus, Columbus. Contact the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District at 614-486-9613 for information.
• Fri, 3/26, 8-4, Ohio Botanical Symposium, Keynote Speaker: Dr. Doug Tallamy, author of ‘Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens’, Villa Milano, 16730 Schrock Rd, Columbus. Register online at Symposium Registration before 3/22

Hope you are enjoying signs of spring. We are having our annual ‘Parade of Certified Wildlife Gardens’ on Sunday, June 28. If you have a certified yard in Worthington that you would like to show or if you would like to volunteer to help host a yard (greet people, hand out fliers), please email back. Hours are 10-1 and/or 1-4.

It’s fun and easy to get certified. Requirements are: 3 forms of Food (berries, seeds, etc), 1 form of Water (bird bath counts), 2 forms of Cover (bushy areas, etc), 2 Places to raise young (trees, host plants, etc) and 2 forms of Sustainable Gardening Practices (controlling exotic species, organic practices, conservation, etc). You can download the application as a .pdf to find out more about the requirements or certify online at www.nwf.org/certify.

In 1972, US Foresters from Massachusetts discovered that you could effectively scale down a habitat to a small area. It doesn’t take a large space in your yard to make an effective habitat. If neighbors join together, you can earn a Certified Wildlife Community. The City of Dublin has earned enough points to be qualified for official registration. We hope to see more cities going greener! Ohio website: www.backyardhabitat.info

+ National Wildlife Presentations: – Thurs, 3/7, 7-9pm, Certify Your Backyard! Old Worthington Library, Meeting Room, 820 High St , Worthington, 43085, sponsored by Library – Mon, 3/23, 7-8:30pm Beautify Your Backyard! Grandview Heights Library, Meeting Room, 1685 W. First Ave, Columbus 43212, sponsored by Grandview Garden Club

+ Toni’s latest nature article:

- ‘Buy for Ohio Birds’ (Indicators of our air quality) Click below, then click on February-March, 2009 and go to Page 8 http://www.columbusaudubon.org/newsletter/SS_2009_FebMar.pdf

+ Nature ‘Stuff’

- Sat, 3/14, 10am Attracting Birds to your garden with Native Plants, Tom Sheley, Sharon Wood Spring Hollow Lodge, 1069 W Main St, Westerville, scroll down at http://www.for-wild.org/chapters/columbus/ – Weds, 5/6, 7pm – Dr Jaret Daniels, “Butterflies of Ohio’ guide author, will speak at Cox Arboretum MetroPark, 6733 Springboro Pike, reservations requested, walk-ins welcome, see www.metroparks.org – Fri-Sun, 5/1-5/3 -Paul Knoop, Ian Adams, Guy Denny and Dr. Jaret Daniels, author of Butterflies of Ohio, Shawnee State Park, special discounted lodge and cabin rates, see www.flora-quest.com