Rechts’ Backyard Certified

as Official Wildlife Habitat

WASHINGTON — The word is out on the grapevine that Newtown residents Richard and Carol Recht have put out the welcome mat for all kinds of birds, butterflies, and other wildlife, while helping to protect the local environment. The Longview Tree Farm property is now certified as a National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Backyard Wildlife Habitat™ site.

Joining more than 28,000 property owners in the United States and Canada, the Rechts are providing habitat by cultivating trees, shrubs, and flowers that offer food and cover for wildlife, thus attracting butterflies, birds, frogs, and small mammals. This effort promotes common-sense conservation by reducing or eliminating the need for fertilizers, pesticides, or irrigation water.

The Backyard Wildlife Habitat program offers individuals, families, and organizations an easy and enjoyable introduction to nature that can yield a lifelong commitment to conservation. It is one of many NWF efforts to educate, inspire, and assist people in protecting wildlife and the environment.

Since the program’s start in 1973, Backyard Wildlife Habitat sites have sprouted in urban, suburban, and rural sites everywhere, from post offices, schools, and places of worship, to hospitals, community parks, and municipal facilities. The majority can be found at residential properties like the Longview Tree Farm.

Easy step-by-step instruction on how to create a Backyard Wildlife Habitat site may be ordered with Visa or MasterCard by calling 410/516-6583 or by sending a check (payable to the National Wildlife Federation) to NWF – Backyard Wildlife Habitat program, 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22184. The cost of the packet is $12.95 (including shipping and handling) plus any applicable state and local taxes. For general information on the program, please visit its web site at www.nwf.org/habitats or call 703/790-4100.

Backyard Wildlife Habitat information packets are also available at all 200-plus Wild Birds Unlimited stores in the US and Canada. The Backyard Bird Feeding Specialists at Wild Birds Unlimited can help property owners meet the qualifications to certify their property as an official National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat site. For locations, visit www.wbu.com.

The nation’s largest member-supported conservation group, the National Wildlife Federation unites people from all walks of life to protect nature, wildlife, and the world we share. NWF has educated and inspired families to uphold America’s conservation tradition since 1936.