You Built It and They Came: The Science Supporting Your Wildlife Habitat Garden (Recorded Webinar)
On May 26, Garden For Wildlife was proud to present the webinar, You Built It and They Came: The Science Supporting Your Wildlife Habitat Garden. Our featured speakers were a panel of researchers funded by the National Science Foundation Macrosystems Biology program that shared findings from studies of Certified Wildlife Habitats® across the country. We had such a great turnout with so much great information that we knew we had to share all the insights on our blog!
Moderated by our own Mary Phillips, our guest speakers were:
• Dr. Peter Groffman, is a Professor at the City University of New York Advanced Science Research Center and the Earth and Environmental Sciences Program at the Graduate Center, and Brooklyn College Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. He introduced the idea of ecological homogenization and the six-city research project, and shared some soil results.
• Dr. Sarah Hobbie, distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Dept of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior. She spoke about how managing yards for wildlife affects plant biodiversity.
• Dr. Susannah Lerman, is a Research Ecologist with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station. Her research assesses how wildlife respond to different management practices, with a focus on birds and bees, and how people interact with nearby nature. She will share results on how certified wildlife yards support diverse bird communities.
In addition to the webinar recording above, below are some of the links that were referenced throughout.
- Purchase native plants
- Register as a Certified Wildlife Habitat
- Garden for Wildlife tip sheets, videos, and guides.
- Native Plant Finder
Published Papers from this Study:
- Residential yard management and landscape cover affect urban bird community diversity across the continental USA
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/63434
- Ecological homogenization of residential macrosystems
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/55938
- Examining the potential to expand wildlife-supporting residential yards and gardens
https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/64199
- Taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional composition and homogenization of residential yard vegetation with contrasting management
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