by Jody Sackett, Rumson Environmental Commission
Summertime is travel time and national parks are star destinations that draw thousands of visitors to their wildlife and wonders. But what if you could just step out your back door into a national park? Not only would you save travel time, but the park would be open 24/7 for you, providing a convenient peaceful retreat that fosters happiness while protecting local wildlife.
It’s possible to turn your backyard into your own private national park and be part of a countrywide homegrown conservation grid, preserving wildlife habitat. While your park may be a bit smaller than Yosemite, it’s relatively simple to create and, who knows, you may already have the key elements in your yard.
The goal of the Homegrown National Park organization and the National Wildlife Federation, among other environmental groups, is for homeowners to work together to create 20 million acres of backyard national parks across the United States, transforming yards into vibrant environmental corridors that preserve local biodiversity using native plants. With bird and pollinator populations declining, this goal is particularly important now. As a bonus, you can also get your backyard national park formally recognized. Here’s how.
Step One: Create a healthy wildlife habitat by increasing the abundance and diversity of native plants while removing invasive species. Start by identifying the local wildlife you want to attract, so you can determine which native plants will work best. For example, if you want birds all year long, use native shrubs that will provide year-round shelter as well as bug habitats for food. Small mammals may need plants that produce seeds or berries. Hummingbirds and butterflies like flowering natives. Keystone species, such as oak trees and local flowers, are exceptionally valuable for providing abundant food and habitat in your park since they’re part of complex food webs; if the keystones disappear, so can dependent species. Oak trees support over 950 species of caterpillars which in turn feed numerous types of birds and animals. Sunflowers support 50 types of pollinators such as bees and butterflies, while black-eyed Susans support 29.
It’s also important to remove invasive plants, which don’t benefit local ecosystems yet can out-compete essential native ones. English ivy or wisteria may look pretty, but they spread like wildfire and crowd out critical wildlife food and shelter sources.
Step Two: Decide how big you want your backyard national park to be, so you can evaluate your options. Any size helps! If your yard is big, you’re a lucky ranger. If it’s small, perhaps consider expanding your park by planting pockets of maintenance-free ground covers like wild ginger instead of a grass lawn (which is a diversity desert) or grow durable mosses under shady trees. These provide more habitat than turf. Remember, your park doesn’t have to be the Grand Canyon. Every little bit helps wildlife, whether it’s a fully landscaped yard with hardy local plants or a few patio pots sprouting native flowers. For design ideas big and small, check out jerseyyards.org.
Step Three: Provide food, water and shelter for visiting wildlife. For your more permanent guests, ensure there’s also a safe nesting place to raise their young. You’ve got this covered if you’ve planted a variety of native plants, shrubs and a keystone species or two, or if they’re already growing in your backyard park; these natives will provide adequate shelter as well as food sources like berries, seeds, nectar, sap and more. Bat boxes and insect hotels also help keep diverse populations happily sheltered. Adding food sources like hummingbird feeders now and bird feeders in winter will draw more critters.
Include a birdbath or two and keep it filled with clean water. Since butterflies need water but don’t like sharing birdbaths with avian predators, create a “butterfly bath” on the ground for them, which is simply a large saucer of water with a few butterfly landing stones or seashells placed in it. No need to install waterfalls or lakes; you’re not creating Yellowstone here.
Step Four: Keep your backyard national park sustainable, which will benefit both Ranger You and the park. It’s easy since sustainability can often just mean “hands- off.” Avoid mosquito spraying this summer; while it provides short-term relief, in the long run the pesticide is toxic to every insect it lands on, including essential bees and butterflies. Spraying not only means a loss of useful predator bugs but also insect food for local wildlife and their young. Since birds are a natural – and effective – control for mosquitoes, and since globally 49% of bird species are declining, we need these bugs to keep our feathered friends well-fed and close by.
You can sustainably increase your park’s diversity by letting weeds sprout occasionally, which introduces additional habitat and pollinator food. And you can just leave that leaf litter on the ground – it is shelter for caterpillars and other insects.
Finally, irrigate early in the morning to reduce plant diseases and avoid losing water to evaporation; or better yet, install rain barrels beneath your gutters to collect and reuse roof rainwater in your park.
Step Five: Plan ahead for fall migration in your park.
Our region is part of the famous Atlantic Flyway, which means traveling birds and butterflies will pass through the area. Migrating birds will love your native plant shelter and tasty berries, so leave some seed heads in your garden or flowerpots for food. Welcome butterflies by cultivating orange-flowering butterfly weed and installing butterfly boxes to shelter Monarch migrants.
Step Six: Make it official. You can register your backyard national park at homegrownnationalpark.org and encourage your neighbors to be part of your environmental corridor as well. You can also get your park certified as a Wildlife Habitat at nwf.org/certify. Ranger You might want to invite neighbors and friends to visit this national park and learn about local ecological awareness. Your efforts will help foster a sense of appreciation and responsibility for the natural world – no ranger hat required.
The article originally appeared in the July 13 – 19, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
