Join new Yardmap project to create bird habitat

"People often think their yard is too small or too urban to impact wildlife, but that just isn't true," says YardMap project leader Rhiannon Crain. "For many plant and animal species a yard can mean the world. A butterfly can live its whole life from egg through caterpillar to butterfly in one person's yard, so it matters quite a lot if the owner uses pesticides."

After signing up for the free online project, participants zoom in on satellite images to construct maps of their yards, local parks, workplaces, local cemeteries, or any other green space they know well. They mark the maps to show areas of lawn, buildings, native plants, feeders, and other landscape features. Scientists and participants can see how the spaces connect to form larger landscapes and share information about improving habitats at home and across communities. By pairing habitat information with bird sightings, participants learn about the effects of different gardening practices at a much larger scale.

Changes don't need to be dramatic. Putting in a few native plants, being aware of windows when locating feeders to reduce deadly collisions, or creating a brush pile birds can use to escape from predators can all have a significant impact for local birds.

"Right now we're losing 21 million acres of habitat every 10 years to residential development," says Crain. "But we also know there are millions of people out there concerned about the environment, ready to tread more lightly on the land. Even if you're just starting your wildlife garden, we'd love to share the journey as you document your progress with YardMap."

For more information, see: http://content.yardmap.org/