Certified Backyard Habitat

Learn how to make your space a welcoming environment for local wildlife! In this series, we will guide you to qualify your backyard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

A certified backyard habitat contains the essential needs that wildlife need to thrive, including food, water, shelter, and places to raise their young. Find out the upcoming schedule of Backyard Habitat programs and workshops using the resources below. After you've joined a Backyard Habitat Series program (or a few!), you should have the information you need to certify your own space.

Deer Butterfly Squirrel and Raccoon on grass

Upcoming Programs

Backyard Habitat: Food Workshop – March 6, 2024, 6 p.m.
Sippo Lake Park-Exploration Gateway (Room C)

Over the past decade, urban sprawl has increased at an alarming rate. Due to this trend, our native wildlife has been forced to relocate as their habitats disappear. As individuals, we may not be able to stop this devastating trend, but we can help reintroduce wildlife into our backyard. This program is just one in a series of programs to help certify your backyard as a valuable and sustainable ecosystem for wildlife. Participants will receive instructions about getting their yard the "Certified Backyard Habitat" designation by Stark Parks naturalists.

More 2024 dates and topics will be released soon including beekeeping and native wildflowers.

Backyard Habitat Submission Form

Backyard Habitat

Contact Information

Name *

Date *

Phone Number *

Email Address *

Address *

City, Zip Code *

About your Site

Dimensions of Habitat/Garden *

I hereby give permission of Stark Parks and its related agencies (Friends of Stark Parks and Your Stark Parks) to use photographs or videos taken by me for promotional purposes in media, including but not limited to, web site, social media sites, brochures, published advertisements, or promotional items. I understand these photos or video and information may also be shared with outside medias such as newspapers and television outlets.

I agree

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Maximum file size: 2MB

Having trouble uploading an image? You can also email to Samantha at sreilly"at"starkparks.com

Habitat Elements

In order to be certified, your habitat must display the 4 main elements: food, water, shelter and a place to raise young. Tell us about your habitat and the different plants/structures you used to invite the native wildlife back into your yard.

Food (Need 3 different plants): *

Water (Need 1 source): *

Shelter (Need 2 structures): *

Places to Raise Young (Need 2 places): *

Describe, in detail, the sustainable practices you use to manage your garden (removal of non-native plants, rain barrel, composting, etc.) *

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