Leap for Green: Visit this booth!

This year at the Leap for Green Fair you can visit this booth and be a part of the exciting community of Mercer Island Habitat.  Please go and visit Rita Moore at the booth they will have at Leap for Green this year.   

Leap for Green will be at the Community Center on Mercer Island on Saturday April 16th... mark your calendars!

Here is more information on how you can create a certified wildlife habitat and make a difference right in your own backyard:

Mercer Island Habitat mission is to make all residents on Mercer Island aware of the critical role they play in providing life support habitat for our birds, butterflies, Douglas squirrels, flying squirrels, salamanders and other creatures.

The number of native birds and other native critters on Mercer Island is directly proportional to the amount of native habitat we supply.  Our parks cannot provide enough habitat.  Every yard should have a natural area filled with native plants, shrubs and trees.  As many native plants as possible should be used in landscaping.  Lawns should be reduced and replaced with native vegetation.  Invasive plants such as English ivy should be removed from people's property, especially from the trees.

The bottom of the food web for most of our critters is insects.  Our native insects cannot utilize or utilize very well, non-native plants.  Remember 98% of insects are beneficial.  They keep those that aren't in check.  They supply food for most of our birds.  Even humming birds need insects while feeding their your.  Insects are their source of protein.  Humming birds catch mosquitoes by opening their bills very wide to catch the mosquitoes.

Residents can help us certify Mercer Island as wildlife habitat by certifying heir yards with the National Wildlife Federation.  People can certify their yards at The National Wildlife Federation Website.

Consider certification as a start in improving the habitat in your yard.  Most properties on Mercer Island already meet the certification requirements of providing food, shelter, a place to raise their young, green gardening practices and water.  Water is usually the absent piece but it can easily be met by putting the saucer, from a large garden pot, on the ground and filling it with water.  Bird feeders are good, especially if you want to watch the birds but seed, fruit, berries from our native plants are even more important.

Consider certification just the start of making your property habitat for our native birds and animals.  Schools, churches, businesses can also certify their property through the same process.

We already have about 100 properties certified, including over 25 of our parks.  We need only about 50 more.  If your property is already certified, consider encouraging and helping your neighbors to certify theirs.  It would be a good, easy project for PTAs to take on for their schools.