Register your Garden as a Certified Wildlife Habitat!

 With continued development and human encroachment, fragile wildlife habitat continues to disappear. It is up to us to conserve our wildlife and protect fragile habitat. The Garden Club of Harwich, in partnership with the Town of Harwich Conservation Department, is striving to become a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. Through this effort we can provide critical habitat for the wildlife of Harwich, all while enriching our community with native plants and animals.

By participating in the Garden for Wildlife project, you can help contribute to the goal, provide critical wildlife habitat for wildlife in Harwich and create native gardens in your own community.

Here’s how:

Make sure your yard contains these five elements:

Food - native plants can provide food for wildlife, such as nuts, berries and nectar. Feeders can also help provide proper food to wildlife.

Water - to drink and bathe.

Places to raise young – safe places for reproduction and for their young to grow.

Cover - shelter from bad weather and for hiding from predators.

Sustainable Gardening Practices – practicing environmentally friendly gardening e.g. using native plants, using a rain barrel, limiting water use or eliminating chemical pesticide use.

To register your yard, go to nwf.org. Click on “CERTIFY YOUR GARDEN”. For a fee of $20.00 you can join our community initiative to make Harwich a welcome home to wildlife. If completed, Harwich will become only the second town in Massachusetts and the first town on Cape Cod to achieve this certification. Please join us!