Encinitas Community Wildlife Habitat Project

Welcome

The ENCINITAS COMMUNITY WILDLIFE HABITAT PROJECT is a community-wide project. Davielle and Mark Huffman are heading up a Team of volunteers that are working towards certification with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) of Encinitas as a Community Wildlife Habitat -- proving that the citizens of Encinitas really do care about wildlife and wild spaces.

Davielle Huffman is a Host with NWF and a Habitat Steward; Mark Huffman is a Habitat Steward as well. To date, Davielle has Hosted a training (Fall 2003) for 12 new Habitat Steward volunteers - and another training is planned for Fall 2005. With the support of the City of Encinitas, the Chambers of Commerce, DEMA, the Cardiff Botanical Society, and many residents and business owners -- we will see Encinitas certified as the next Community Wildlife Habitat in California !!!

We can achieve this goal by certifying one Backyard Wildlife Habitat at a time, in addition to certifying Schoolyard Habitats and BWH's at our local businesses, churches, etc. Quail Botanical Gardens is already a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat!

To qualify as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat, certifiable with the National Wildlife Federation, a garden has to provide 4 key elements: Food, Water, Cover, and a Place to Raise their Young ?– for wildlife. This could be a butterfly garden; a hummingbird garden; a garden that attracts and supports year-round and migrating songbirds; etc. One
must also use Sustainable Gardening Practices (composting; mulching; water conservation; reduction of lawn area; etc.). The use of organic herbicides and pesticides is strongly encouraged as well.

When gardening for wildlife, one can use a wide variety of plants ?– ideal for our local wildlife would be California native plants, although there are plenty of ?“exotic?” garden plants that also attract and support birds, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Our Team of volunteers has many resources available to all interested community members.

Think your garden may already qualify for certification? Please contact us, or visit the NWF web site at www.nwf.org and look for the information regarding a Backyard Wildlife Habitat ?– you can even process your application on-line! Once certified, we encourage you to purchase a sign that you can post in your yard ?– this will generate conversations with your neighbors, and you just might see your entire block creating gardens for wildlife!

Free-to-the-public WORKSHOPS about gardening for wildlife will be offered in 2005. Check back to this web site regularly to see what?’s happening in YOUR neighborhood.