A Good Day for Wildlife Habitat in Shoreline, WA

Monday, April 18, the City of Shoreline recognized the efforts of the Shoreline Community Backyard Wildlife Habitat Project. The team was awarded a certificate for achieving the goal of Certification. 

Certificate Presented to Shoreline's
Community Backyard Wildlife Project

The project was adopted by Sustainable Shoreline Education Association in 2006. Boni Biery, who is team leader of the project got to work and organized the effort.

The National Wildlife Federation is working in many communities in western Washington to get "certified". This means they have gotten a required number of households, businesses, schools and parks

in shape to be certified. Each one is required to have the 5 elements of habitat on site to attract and sustain wildlife. These five elements are:

• Food Sources - For example: Native plants, seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, nectar
• Water Sources - For example: Birdbath, pond, water garden, stream
• Places for Cover - For example: Thicket, rockpile, birdhouse
• Places to Raise Young - For example: Dense shrubs, vegetation, nesting box, pond
• Sustainable Gardening - For example: Mulch, compost, rain garden, chemical-free fertilizer

Here is the NWF Description of the Community Certification Process -

Community Habitats

If you love gardening and connecting with people in your community, the National Wildlife Federation can help you certify your community as a Community Wildlife Habitat™.

A Community Wildlife Habitat is a community that provides habitat for wildlife throughout the community--in individual backyards, on school grounds and in public areas such as parks, community gardens, places of worship and businesses.

It is a place where the residents make it a priority to provide habitat for wildlife by providing the four basic elements that all wildlife need: food, water, cover andplaces to raise young.

The community also educates its residents about sustainable gardening practicessuch as reducing or eliminating chemical fertilizers and pesticides, conserving water, planting native plants, removing invasive plants and composting.

Community Wildlife Habitats are organized by a team of people, who not only help create habitat, but also hold workshops about gardening for wildlife and organize community events such as stream or trail cleanups.

A Community Habitat project creates a place where people, flora and fauna can all flourish!

The Shoreline Community Backyard Wildlife Project has achieved its goal and is one of the largest communities in the state to do so (11th in the state, 48th in nation and largest city in King County to certify). It means that they achieved the following goal elements:


• Completed Habitats  map

221 homes

19 public space /businesses

8 schools

2 churches

• 2 public restoration projects


As another element of the Backyard Wildlife Project they completed the following projects:
WOWTA Garden Tour
Citizens Bird Banding Project

Wildlife Resources
Bird houses
Champion Tree Contest
Pesticide Free households and yards
Ronald Bog Restoration Slide Show
Brugger's Bog Restoration Slide Show


Congratulations Boni Biery and the Shoreline Team on this outstanding accomplishment!

Courtney Sullivan of NWF Awards Certificate to Boni Biery for
the Accomplishment

2nd Annual WOWTA TOUR - Mark your Calendar

Last years tour was a huge hit! Mark your calendar for this year's event Saturday, July 9th.

Shoreline’s Second Annual “Where Our WIldlife Is” Backyard Habitat Tour (WOWTA)

by Jennifer Rotermund, Habitat Steward and WOWTA PR Manager

As Spring quickly approaches and we watch the trees budding, my mind can’t help but begin to dream of the long, warm days of summer and all the little weekend getaways I like to schedule for myself. Since those beautiful days will be here quicker than we can all imagine, I encourage everyone to take a moment right now to add Saturday, July 9, to your 2011 summer schedule. That’s the date of Shoreline’s Second Annual “Where Our Wild Things Are” Backyard Habit Tour - or “WOWTA.”

Flicker peaking out of nest hole
photo cr - Michael Oxman

WOWTA is a truly cooperative venture.  It is sponsored by Sustainable Shoreline through its WIldlife Habitat Project, partially funded by an environmental mini-grant from The City of Shoreline, and run entirely by a very fun and dedicated volunteer team of local NWF Wildlife Habitat Stewards. In fact, it was the WOWTA Tour that helped Shoreline secure the final number of necessary certifications of Backyard Wildlife Habitats to become a Certified Community Wildlife Habitat - one of only 48 like it in the country. This tremendous accomplishment is being celebrated at the Krukeberg Garden on Sunday, June 19th.

Last year’s WOWTA Tour was “wildly” successful and this year’s tour is shaping up to be even more fun and exciting. All of the Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitats selected to be in the tour are located in different Shoreline neighborhoods each year in order to celebrate each neighborhood’s accomplishments in the area of habitat creation and to make it easy for Shoreline residents to attend. In the mean time, look for the WOWTA Team to show up at various events around Shoreline, getting the word out about the tour, and come talk to us. Did you attend last year’s tour? Would you like to submit your Certified Backyard Habitat for participation in this year’s or a future year’s tour? Want to know how to certify your own yard as a Wildlife Habitat? We’d love to hear from you and welcome your ideas or questions.

If you’d like to know more about what’s being done to protect the wildlife in Shoreline, the WOWTA Backyard Habitat Tour will show you just how that’s being accomplished - one backyard at a time! So, stay tuned for  more information and make sure to join us for Shoreline’s WOWTA Backyard Habitat Tour on Saturday July 9, 2011. 

Old Snag - Nuthatch Haven

Snags are valuable wildlife habitat.  
Dead trees bring life to the forest.


A Red-Breasted Nuthatch is spotted in a dead tree "snag".
Bird Web from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has some
nuthatch facts - 

Cool Facts

• The Red-breasted Nuthatch collects resin globules from coniferous trees and plasters them around the entrance of its nest hole. It may carry the resin in its bill or on pieces of bark that it uses as an applicator. The male puts the resin primarily around the outside of the hole while the female puts it around the inside. The resin may help to keep out predators or competitors. The nuthatch avoids the resin by diving directly through the hole.
• During nest building, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is aggressive, chasing away other hole-nesting birds such as the House Wren, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy Woodpecker. A particularly feisty nuthatch may go after Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Finches, Violet-Green Swallows, and Cordilleran Flycatchers.
• Red-breasted Nuthatches migrate southward earlier than many irruptive species. They may begin in early July and may reach their southernmost point by September or October.

This report and photos from Shoreline resident, Claudia Turner -
 (Look  closely and you'll see a little "red-breasted nuthatch peaking out of a hole in a "snag") 

Photo credit - Claudia Turner

"The snag & nuthatch pic was taken in March '10. They raised their babies & hung out as a family until Sept or so" said Turner.  

Photo credit - Claudia Turner

The National Wildlife Federation recommends leaving "snags" in your yard to garden for wildlife.

Dead trees used to be considered "unsightly", but what could be more fascinating than seeing wildlife using these old trees to provide life giving food and shelter.  

Their slogan for this issue is "Dead Wood Good"! 

The NWF site has the story -

Attracting Wildlife With Dead Trees

Dead trees provide vital habitat for more than 1,000 species of wildlife nationwide. They also count as cover and places for wildlife to raise young in the requirements for Certified Wildlife Habitat designation.

Snags—The name for dead trees that are left upright to decompose naturally.

Logs—When a snag (or part of a snag) falls on the ground, it becomes a log—also very useful for wildlife habitat.

By some estimates, the removal of dead material from forests can mean a loss of habitat for up to one-fifth of the animals in the ecosystem.

Dead Wood Good? How Dead Trees Help Wildlife

Wildlife species use nearly every part of a dead tree in every stage of its decay for things such as: 

• A Place to Live—Many animals, including birds, bats, squirrels and raccoons make nests in hollow cavities and crevices in standing deadwood.
• A Food Source—By attracting insects, mosses, lichens and fungi, deadwood becomes a gourmet restaurant for wildlife looking for a snack.
• A "Crow's Nest"—Higher branches of snags serve as excellent look-outs from which wildlife such as raptors spot potential prey.
• A Hiding Place—The nooks and crannies of deadwood are put to good use by squirrels and other wildlife looking to store food.
• A Soil Refresher—Mosses, lichens and fungi all grow on snags and aid in the return of vital nutrients to the soil through the nitrogen cycle. Decaying logs on the forest floor also act as "nurse logs" for new seedlings.

Incorporating Dead Trees into Your Habitat

You can create a refuge for hundreds of woodland creatures by keeping snags in your yard (or constructing artificial snags if no natural ones are present).

Despite the importance of snags to wildlife, many modern forestry practices encourage the removal of deadwood from the forest floor in an attempt to control pests and fungi, as well as for aesthetic reasons.

• When should I remove a snag? Never allow dead wood to rest against your home. Also any trees that may fall on your home (or a neighbor's home) should be removed. In both these cases, however, consider moving the wood to another safer area of your yard.
• What about termites? As long as the snags are a reasonable distance from your home, termites and other pests won't find their way into your home.
• How do I create artificial snags? If there are no natural snags in your yard, you can create artificial ones by trimming branches on live trees of varying sizes and types. Hardwood trees tend to make better nesting habitats while softer wood is better for food foraging. If you do not wish to create snags from living trees, the use of nesting boxescan be a good alternative.
• How many snags should I have? Three snags per acre is a good estimate for most areas, but you should check with your local wildlife management authority to get specific recommendations for your region.

In an interesting coincidence, a workshop program is coming up next week at the NW Stream Center
in south Everett.

http://www.streamkeeper.org/aasf/Welcome.html
Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Tickets: $5 Members / $7 Non-members. Advance Purchase Necessary.
Minimum Class Size: 20Age Recommendation: Adult...this class is geared for serious gardeners,  property owners who manage trees, arborists, foresters, and parks/public works staff 

Wildlife Trees: The Importance of Snags in Your Neighborhood

It may be hard to believe, but trees can actually create more habitats for various species after they die than when they are alive! Dead trees are important for wildlife in both natural and landscaped settings. Such trees are given many names, including "snags" and "wildlife trees." Snags enhance local natural areas by providing for the needs of many wildlife species that may not be commonly found there otherwise. Snags can "live on" as excellent wildlife trees for all to enjoy!

Join instructor Chris Anderson, a wildlife biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, for a lively presentation.  Come learn about the role snags play as "wildlife trees" and their importance to sustaining local biodiversity of various wildlife species.
The class will cover some examples of local wildlife species that depend on snags and dying trees for their life needs, as well as how snags are an integral habitat feature that allows for a whole web of wildlife species to persist in areas where they would largely not be found in the absence of available snag habitat. Management considerations that assist in the retention of snags and similar dying trees on your property will be discussed. Find out what steps to take to find the best help to assess and manage perceived hazard tree situations, while considering wildlife value.