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Sharing Our Living Space with Wildlife

 
Growth and development in our metropolitan area have created problems for wildlife by crowding them into less and less space. As they try to adapt to the ever-changing environment they have to live closer to people than ever before. You can help by being tolerant and willing to share some space with wildlife.

Careful planning can create a good environment for both you and your backyard animals.

When an animal gets into a building it may be necessary to trap and remove it. However, live trapping and relocation are only a temporary solution to wildlife problems. Unless you take the preventive measures outlined below, other animals may soon move in.

Checklist to Avoid Problems with Backyard Wildlife

Do not use not use plastic garbage bags. Use sturdy metal or tough plastic garbage cans with tight lids. Secure cans so that they cannot be knocked over. Put your garbage on the curb the morning of pickup.

• Wild animals are not pets. Do not feed them.
• Put only a small amount of bird food out at a time.
• Do not leave pet food outdoors at night.
• Screen all exterior accesses to buildings, including, including vents, chimneys, attic fans, dryer vents and areas around soffits and rain gutters. Use 1/4" mesh hardware cloth.
• Install screens in all windows and doors.
• Fill in holes around foundations. Screen crawl spaces and cover window wells.
• Trim vegetation to prevent it from covering foundation walls. Allow two feet between the vegetation and the building.
• Trim tree limbs away from the roof.
   

  SQUIRRELS	RACCOONS	OPOSSUMS	WOODCHUCKS
  BEAVERS	FOXES	SKUNKS	BATS

  
   

BE SURE ALL ANIMALS, ESPECIALLY YOUNG, HAVE LEFT BEFORE SEALING OFF AN AREA. AN ANIMAL TRAPPED IN ITS DEN WILL DIE OF STARVATION. BE AWARE OF THE TIMES OF YEAR WHEN YOUNG MAY BE PRESENT.

Sharing Space with Wildlife Benefits All of Us

Once you have critter proofed your property you will be able to enjoy your backyard wildlife. Try the techniques suggested above. If you are interested in creating a backyard nature sanctuary, contact the National Wildlife Federation. They offer a kit "Gardening with Wildlife" that includes a book on landscaping that benefits wildlife, "Gardening for Wildlife, How to Create a Beautiful Backyard Habitat for Birds, Butterflies and Other Wildlife," by Craig Tufts and Peter Loewer. If you want to cultivate your garden as well as our feathered friends, I recommend: "Birdscaping Your Garden," by George Adams; "The Bird Garden," by Stephen W. Kress; and Birds & Blooms, a beautiful magazine. If you are good at making things, and want to help your backyard friends, "Beastly Abodes Homes for Birds, Bats, Butterflies & Other Backyard Wildlife " by Bobbe Needham, can get you started.

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