Blog Archives

Dispose of fishing line properly so it does not become a hazard to wildlife

5/31/2024

Marine birds, mammals, and other wildlife can become entangled in abandoned fishing line, resulting in injured limbs, starvation, and a slow death. The material in fishing line takes 600 years to break down, so proper disposal is crucial to protecting wildlife. The best practice is to cut old fishing line into pieces no longer than one foot to prevent accidental entanglement and collect it in a bag. The most common types of line, monofilament and fluorocarbon, are recyclable (braided line is not). Many boat launches, piers and fishing access locations provide fishing line collection sites. Some bait and tackle shops also have fishing line recycling bins.

Learn more about recycling fishing line at takemefishing.org and BoatU.S.Foundation websites.
Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Make use of logs, branches and rocks in your yard and garden

5/24/2024

Use natural materials from around your yard as part of your hardscape. Fallen branches make an attractive trellis for climbing plants in your landscaping or vegetable garden.

Make use of the free natural materials that you find in your yard or salvage them from a friend or neighbor. Branches and logs create a natural look while also benefiting wildlife: stones and logs in the landscaping add visual interest as well as providing cool, moist shelter for salamanders and small arthropods. Use fallen branches to build a trellis for climbing vines or in the vegetable garden for pole beans or cucumbers. Make a fun hide-a-way for kids by positioning the poles in a circle like a teepee to create a shelter of green. Sections of logs placed upright make a great natural seat, and large branches can be used to line edges of landscaping or walkways. As they break down, the decomposed wood boosts the nutrients in the soil.

Photos by Susan O'Donnell

Certify your yard as a Backyard Habitat or Pollinator Garden

5/17/2024

To counteract the loss of habitat for wildlife, we can restore suitable spaces in our yards.
Going through the certification process for any of the various backyard habitat programs will help guide the design of your yard to make it more wildlife friendly. Just by planting appropriate plants provides shelter and sustenance for entire ecosystems. Displaying signs that designate your property as pollinator friendly or bird friendly is visual encouragement for others to do the same.

Start a movement in your neighborhood! Bird Town PA has this list of programs and resources to help you get started.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Put up a bird bath in your yard

5/10/2024

Adding a bird bath is a simple and effective way to make your yard more wildlife friendly.

Drinking water is important for birds and other animals, especially during dry spells during the summer and throughout the winter. Birds must keep their feathers well-maintained for flying and as insulation, so a source of shallow water for bathing is crucial for their health. Place the bird bath close to shrubs or trees where they can escape if predators come by. Change the water daily to prevent mosquito larvae from hatching in the summer and to replace ice in the winter.

Bird baths can either sit on a stand or can be hanging. Having a removable shallow pan allows for easy cleaning in summer and ice removal in the winter. Alternate between two pans in the winter when the water freezes – turn over the frozen pan on the ground to allow the ice to melt enough to fall out, and while that one defrosting, fill the second one for the birds!

Read more from Penn State Extension.

Photo by Susan O'Donnell

Find alternatives to balloons

5/3/2024

Balloons have a high environmental cost—they can suffocate or starve wildlife, are not biodegradable, and if helium is used inside them, it’s important to know that helium is not a renewable natural resource. Luckily, there are balloon alternatives, such as tissue paper pompoms and bubbles.

Balloons have a celebratory allure but we can easily adapt to less harmful festive traditions. Balloons may seem like a fun addition to birthday parties or weddings, but once they are released, they pose a great danger to wildlife. Land animals like bighorn sheep and owls as well as marine animals such as dolphins, turtles and birds mistake them for food or get tangled in the plastic string with deadly consequences. There are plenty of ways to celebrate while avoiding releasing balloons into the environment. Lara O’Brien with Blue Planet Global Impact at the University of Michigan suggests to instead “plant native trees or flowers (in designated areas), fly kites, wave flags or banners, light candles, blow bubbles, create chalk drawings, paint murals, organize a community walk, run, or bike ride, or even do trail or river cleanups."

Read more here.

Photo by ricky_banner, Flickr

Dispose of fishing line properly so it does not become a hazard to wildlife

Make use of logs, branches and rocks in your yard and garden

Certify your yard as a Backyard Habitat or Pollinator Garden

Put up a bird bath in your yard

Find alternatives to balloons

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