Wildlife Management in Your Yard David Drake Extension Wildlife - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Wildlife Management in Your Yard David Drake Extension Wildlife Specialist UW-Madison Dept. of Forest and Wildlife Ecology

• 5.6 million residents (2010) • 68% reside in urban/suburban areas • 143,000 new homes built since 2000

Wisconsin’s Vertebrate Wildlife • 408 avian species • 71 mammal species • 36 reptiles - 21 snake sp. - 11 turtle sp. - 4 lizard sp. • 19 amphibians - 12 frog sp. - 7 salamander sp.

Backyard Wildlife • Nocturnal (and diurnal) • Fragmented habitats • Adaptable • Opportunistic

Cast of Characters (aka Winners)

Cast of Characters

Losers

Habitat • Shelter • Water • Space • Food

Food

Food

Habitat • Shelter • Water • Space • Food

Habitat • Shelter • Water • Space • Food

Habitat • Food • Water • Shelter Forbs & Shrubs Young woodlands Mature woodlands Grasses TIME • Space >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Habitat Diversity = Wildlife Diversity

Habitat Quality & Quantity • Amount of turf • Snags • Brush piles

Habitat Arrangement • Percent of open space • Size and shape of open space • Fragmentation and edge

Additional Space Considerations • Neighbor cooperation • Regional and landscape context

Wildlife Corridors • Habitat • Refuge • Travel

Wildlife Management Plan • Identify objectives • Habitat assessment • Implement management plan • Evaluate plan

Landscaping Tips • Develop a plan • Budget and timeline • Go native! • Consider all 4 seasons

Examples of Native Plants Trees Black and Pin Cherry – summer • American Mountain Ash – fall • Hackberry – winter • Eastern Red Cedar – winter • Hawthorn – winter • Oaks – nut trees • Shrubs Serviceberry – early summer • Chokecherry – early summer • Blackberries – midsummer • Raspberries – midsummer • American Elderberry – midsummer • Dogwood - fall • Sumac - winter •

Landscaping Tips • Conifers • Nut and acorn producing plants • Grasses and legumes • Nectar-producing plants

Landscaping Tips • Summer-fruiting plants • Fall-fruiting plants • Winter-fruiting plants • Vines

Citizen Science • www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw • www.audubon.org/bird/citizen/index.htm • www.wisnatmap.org

Additional Resources • wildlife.wisc.edu • dnr.state.wi.us • Landscaping for Wildlife by Carrol Henderson (MN DNR) • Wisconsin’s Native Plant Society (http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/BCW/)