Friends of Burlington Gardens :: Vermont Community Garden Network

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Burlington Community Wildlife Habitat Initiative

Are you interested in helping wildlife in Burlington?

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Gardener’s Supply, and community partners have teamed up to put Burlington on the map as a leader in wildlife habitat restoration. The Burlington Community Wildlife Habitat Initiative (BCWHI) is a multi-year program that involves community members in voluntarily restoring and creating wildlife habitat throughout Burlington, with the goal of having the City become certified as a NWF Community Wildlife Habitat. To date, only fourteen other cities in the country have achieved this status, with only one in New England.

Does your project need volunteers?

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is seeking community wildlife habitat/gardening projects in the Burlington area in need of trained volunteers. Thirty community members are now trained as NWF Habitat Stewards, with skills and knowledge in planning, creating and restoring wildlife habitat. For more information, please contact NWF's education manager, Liz Soper.

Photo right: Gardener's Supply employees donated and installed a pollinator garden in front of the building housing the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger and Friends of Burlington Gardens.

What is a Community Wildlife Habitat?

NWF sign

Community Wildlife Habitat Certification is part of National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Wildlife Habitat™ Program. Community Wildlife Habitat projects take the basics of this program — providing food, water, cover, and places where wildlife can raise their young — from individual backyards into multiple locations throughout the community. CWH’s benefit the entire community of people, plants and wildlife through the creation of sustainable landscapes that require little or no pesticides, fertilizers and excess watering. These landscapes help keep water and air resources clean and are healthier for people and the environment. Habitat landscapes can serve to beautify our urban areas and give residents pride in their neighborhoods.

NWF pine cones

How to create a backyard habitat

We invite you to join us in this important effort by creating a habitat in your backyard. The best plants for habitats are native plants (plants originally from this area). They require less water and maintenance than other exotic species because they are naturally adapted to our environment. So everybody wins—the birds, the butterflies, and you!

Getting started is an easy and fun for all ages! Here’s how:

1. Make a map of your backyard, showing:

plants that might provide food (such as acorns, nuts, berries, seeds, buds, or nectar) for wildlife
birdfeeders
birdbaths or other water sources
plants that provide shelter (such as dense shrubs, evergreens, brush piles)
places for birds and wildlife to raise their young (trees, shrubs, birdhouses).

The map doesn't have to be fancy or extremely detailed, and is a fun way to become more familiar with your space

2. Think about what types of wildlife you want to attract to your yard. Research the types of plants and trees that will attract them (i.e., provide food, shelter, and/or places to raise young). The National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF’s) Backyard Habitat web site is a good place to start: www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat.

3. If you don’t have them already, plant some of your favorite wildflowers, shrubs, and/or trees that will attract wildlife and provide food, shelter, and places to raise young. NWF pond

4. Make sure that your backyard has a year-round source of water. This can be as simple as the bottom of a clay pot (for the summer) and a basic heated birdbath for the frigid winter months.

5. Get certified as an official NWF Backyard Habitat (see the NWF web site for the certification application) and watch wildlife enjoy your efforts!

Plants for Attracting Wildlife to backyard habitats in Burlington (partial list)

Wildflowers	Shrubs and trees	Vines
bee balm	bayberry	trumpet vine
black-eyed Susans	blueberry	Virginia creeper
purple coneflower	red osier dogwood
asters	viburnums	Other plants
cosmos	American Mnt. Ash	sweet fern
Joe-pye Weed	serviceberry	winter berry
sunflowers	American hornbeam
lupine	witchhazel
lavender	paper birch
milkweed	Eastern red cedar
	white pine
	high bush cranberry

Resources

Web Sites

•    National Wildlife Federation www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat
•    Gardener’s Supply www.gardeners.com
•    Friends of Burlington Gardens www.burlingtongardens.org
•    UVM Extension Master Gardeners www.uvm.edu/mastergardener
•    www.enature.com (native plant database by region)
•    NWF Wildlife University online courses for info on how to provide habitat www.nwf.org/wildlifeuniversity

Books

•    Trees and Shrubs of New England by Marilyn Dwelley
•    Birdscaping Your Garden by George Adams
•    Growing and Propagating Wildflowers by William Cullina
•    Native Trees, Shrubs & Vines by William Cullina
•    Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife, David Mizejewski, NWF
•    The Backyard Bird Feeder’s Bible by Sally Roth
•    Bird Gardens: Welcoming Wild Birds to Your Yard, Stephan W. Kress (editor)
•    Attracting Birds to Your Backyard by Sally Roth

For more information on the BCWHI, please contact:

Liz Soper, Education Manager
Northeast Office of the National Wildlife Federation
58 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602
802-229-0650 (ext 316)

Friends of Burlington Gardens & the

Vermont Community Garden Network
180 Flynn Avenue Studio 3
PO Box 4504
Burlington, Vermont 05406-4504
802-861-GROW
www.burlingtongardens.org

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