About Us
About Us
We're Wild about Gardening
Browse through these pages and you’ll learn how to plan your garden to meet both your needs and those of the wildlife you wish to attract. Seeded and cultivated by the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF), this website is a key component of CWF's Backyard Habitat Program.
The Backyard Habitat Program
Habitat loss is one of the greatest threats to Canadian wildlife, in large part due to rapidly expanding development. That's where the Canadian Wildlife Federation comes in. It has been connecting Canadians with wildlife for 50 years, inspiring appreciation for our natural world and working to preserve these wild spaces. CWF’s Backyard Habitat Program has tools and information to encourage and support the growing interest among Canadians to help wildlife by either maintaining natural habitat or replacing some of this habitat on their own properties – large or small. This program also fosters an appreciation - and therefore the desire to experience and preserve - Canada’s wild spaces and the animals that depend upon them.
Wildlife-friendly gardening and land stewardship, reflects that we’re a part of, not separate from, nature. It is about embracing wildlife that would naturally live in our outdoor space and gently repelling them where necessary. It is maintaining our property in an earth-friendly manner, which benefits us, too, with clean water for swimming and drinking, clean air for breathing, and nutrient-rich soil for our food. And creating habitat for local and migratory species supports their vitally important services of pollination and pest control.
The Backyard Habitat Program is a valuable resource to all Canadians interested in local wildlife and making their outdoor space — be it balcony, garden or large tracts of land — wildlife and earth friendly.
Wild Print Resources
Our Wild About… poster series aims to inspire action for wildlife across the country. These colourful posters introduce Canadians to some of the fascinating wildlife they might encounter on their properties and in local wildlife areas. They feature Canadian species and provide pertinent information such as what native plants attract them and why they are beneficial. Informative and eye catching, these posters have been known to go up on walls of garden sheds, education centres and cottages. The series premiered with a Wild About Birds poster alive with the vibrant colours of 15 common birds. It was expanded to include posters on bats, butterflies, wildflowers, snakes, bees, small mammals and more birds. We continue to work on new additions.
The poster series is complemented with handouts that provide information on creating habitat for wildlife, such as butterflies and other pollinators, and gardening in harmony with nature.
Other resource material such as a beautifully illustrated shoreline poster and field guide, garden planner and colouring pages have also been developed through the Backyard Habitat Program.
Wild About Gardening website
Another large component of the Backyard Habitat Program is the Wild About Gardening website. This on-line resource is all about wildlife-friendly gardening, with springboards into land restoration projects and other conservation initiatives. It offers tools and tips for both novice and expert gardeners alike, from how to compost and garden in small spaces to caring for your tools and building a bat house or frog pond. In addition to learning about Canadian plants and animals, you’ll learn to plan your garden to meet both your needs and that of the wildlife you wish to attract. To help you decide what to plant and where to buy them, try our on-line Native Plant Encyclopedia and Native Plant Suppliers List.
You'll also find book reviews, podcasts, fun stuff like wallpapers and screensavers, a gardening calendar plus our seasonal electronic newsletter Grow Wild which highlights new content on the website as well as timely information for that season of gardening.
Certification Program
CWF started the Backyard Habitat Certification program to recognize the amazing efforts Canadians are taking to welcome wildlife to their properties and allows individuals to have their property officially designated as wildlife friendly.
In doing so, certified properties are raising awareness in their communities and helping CWF’s national conservation efforts. But one of the greatest benefits to certification is working together with other wildlife stewards across the country that are providing an increasingly scarce need of wildlife – space to nest, rest, take cover and feed, right in your own backyard.
To be certified, properties must meet the basic needs of wildlife — food, water and shelter — include some regionally native plants and have some earth-friendly components such as being pesticide-free. If approved, applicants receive a certificate and window decal and have the opportunity to purchase a colourful and weather-resistant sign for their garden. With over 600 certified properties to date, we have been impressed by the many wonderful wildlife-friendly properties being preserved and created across the country.
So whether you are new to the idea of creating backyard habitat, have been practicing wildlife-friendly gardening for years, are limited to a small patio, or have hectares of land, we would like to acknowledge your accomplishments. Click here to Get Certified!
Demonstration Gardens
Surrounding CWF’s headquarters in Ottawa are garden beds and the remains of a small wood to showcase Canadian native plants. Some garden beds have plants that are known to attract a type of animal, such as the bird, pollinator and hummingbird beds. Others have plants that are suited to certain growing conditions, such as the shade, drought and bog beds. You can view maps of the gardens along with photos of the plants within them online, take a virtual tour or, if you are in the area, feel free to stop by and pay a visit.
