MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 22, 2023
One of the major threats to biodiversity is the loss and degradation of favorable habitats. Like many of you, I seek to improve habitat for birds and other wildlife in my yard. Our 0.25-acre yard is modest against the tracts of natural habitat that are destroyed daily. Nevertheless, by planting plants that provide food for birds and insects, providing water, putting out nest boxes, providing shelter and, of course, providing food in bird feeders, we can improve the lot of wildlife in our yard. The yards of single-unit detached housing occupies 30% of U.S. land area. Compare that to the 7% of the country that is protected in national parks, national forests and conservation land. You can see that improving our yards to benefit wildlife is a huge opportunity that we should be embracing. ~ Herb Wilson