How to help birds, habitats and communities
Image of Red-Breasted Merganser by Janine Schutt
Restore & enhance habitat for birds & other wildlife
Kitsap County’s parks, forests, wetlands and shorelines provide much-needed habitat for birds and other wildlife. These green spaces also beautify our communities and provide valuable opportunities for recreation. Throughout Kitsap County, people are working to restore and enhance our local treasures. If you would like to see options for hands-on, outdoor activities with a conservation bend such as stewardship, all in one place, the calendar linked below is a great place to start:
There are many other opportunities not under the umbrella of Kitsap County Parks, so we have included links to other areas below:
Bainbridge Island Land Trust and Great Peninsula Conservancy,
both nonprofit land trusts dedicated to protecting the natural habitats, landscapes and open spaces of our region.
Image of Snow Goose at Norwegian Point Park in Hansville provided by Janine Schutt
Advocate for birds
Be a voice for birds by speaking up about issues affecting birds, wildlife and habitats. An easy way to get involved is to join Audubon’s Action Network. Sign up to receive Action Alerts from Audubon Washington, and you’ll receive regular updates on issues needing support. For info on ways to support federal bird-friendly legislation, visit https://www.audubon.org/takeaction.
Image of Female Kingfisher provided by Jananie Schutt
Contribute to the scientific understanding of birds and the habitats they rely on
By recording the birds, you see at home or in your travels using protocols developed by scientists, you can contribute valuable scientific data that will help inform bird conservation efforts. Kitsap Audubon is involved in many community-science projects (also referred to as citizen science), including Climate Watch, the Christmas and Backyard Bird Count - the nation’s longest-running community science bird project.
Image of Chestnut-backed Chickadee provided by Janine Schutt
Provide a welcoming stop for birds in your own yard or garden
We have lost almost one-third of the bird population in the U.S. since 1970, and many pollinator species - like bees - are in steep decline as well. Loss of habitat and habitat fragmentation are major threats to birds, but by taking simple steps to “rewild” our lawns and backyards we can stem these losses by providing crucial habitat for birds and other wildlife. In fact, studies show that suburban neighborhoods, like those found throughout Kitsap County, can play a major role in supporting native birds.
One of the most important steps we can take is to eliminate our use of herbicides and pesticides in lawn and garden maintenance; these have had a devastating effect on insects and, by extension, birds. According to the American Bird Conservancy’s research, 96% of native bird species rely on insects to feed their young. You can tap into a wealth of ideas for enhancing your yard or garden to provide habitat for birds at Building Bird Friendly Communities. To learn which native plants are the best performers when it comes to providing food and shelter for birds and meeting your particular habitat conditions, check out King County Native Plant Resources.
Image of Kitsap Audubon Members provided by Don Willott
Teach others about the value of birds & the need to protect them
Finally, one of the best ways to help birds is by sharing your knowledge and your love of birds with friends, family, coworkers and others in your community. If you’d like to learn more about Kitsap Audubon’s work to teach people of all ages about the wonder of birds or get involved in our educational activities, contact Pearl Kerber at pearlkerber@yahoo.com.
Image of Western Bluebirds provided by Connie Bickerton
Sustainability
Along the lines of "practicing what we preach", here are nine easy ways to help conserve our natural resources:
Skip a trip: Eliminating one 20 mile trip in a vehicle per week will prevent 1000 tons of pollution from entering the atmosphere and will save gasoline.
Eat less beef: If you can avoid only one beef dish per week, it will conserve 40,000 gallons of water & 70 lbs of topsoil.
Hold the shrimp: By passing on the shrimp, you'll help reduce the incidental "by-catch" of sea life by up to 12 lbs that commercial fishing vessels take from our oceans.
Cut Back on the Junk Mail: If 1000 people reduce the junk mail they receive by one half, 170 trees will not have to be cut down. This also will contribute to scaling back on fossil fuel combustion and use of chemicals.
Use compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs: Fluorescent bulbs use far less energy to produce the same amount of light as standard incandescent bulbs. Replace four incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs and watch your energy bill decrease!
Adjust your Thermostat: Put on a sweatshirt and turn down that thermostat by 3 degrees in winter. Thousands of cubic feet of natural gas conserved will be the result.
Keep Poisons out of your lawn & garden: Diazinon (there's that word again!!) and Atrazine are toxic chemicals that are common ingredients in just about every Weed & Feed product on the market. They kill a lot more than dandelions!! Avoid using products with these ingredients.
Water Conservation: Installing faucet aerators and efficient, low-flow showerheads can save 8000 gallons of water annually.
Convince 2 friends to join you Visit www.newdream.org for ideas and tips on conservation: Replacing the Value of "More" with "Enough”