Big Impact on Wildlife by Doing the Little Things

Reprinted from "Wildlife Habitat Basics"
Wildlife Habitat Management Institute
Natural Resources Conservation Service

Sometimes it is the little things you do in life that count. That can be the case with good fish and wildlife habitat.

Everything you do, or do not do, on your land has an effect on the wildlife you share it with and the fish in the streams and rivers. Just letting plants grow taller, rather than clipping close to the ground, gives more cover for wildlife. Or, letting a few weedy plants grow results in more insects for young birds.

If you think about leaving food or cover for wildlife and fish as you manage your land, ponds, and streams, you are on your way to doing the little things that can add up to having a major impact. Here are some suggestions along the way:

Grass and hay fields - Leave stream sides, ditch banks, roadsides, grassed waterways, and other odd areas undisturbed or wait to mow until after the nesting season, usually from April to July.

Add flushbars to mowing equipment. Mow hayfields from the center to the outside, giving wildlife a chance to escape to field edges.

Crop fields - Use no-till or conservation tillage to provide cover and food for wildlife in winter.

In cropped wetlands, leave residue during the fall and winter for waterfowl habitat and shorebirds.

Leave a few rows of standing crop along field edges to provide wildlife food. Maximize the likely survival of pheasants, quail, and other birds by leaving these rows next to large tracts of grasses, trees, or other habitat.

Smart pest control - Use integrated pest management practices to minimize fish and wildlife exposure to pesticides and encourage beneficial insects, bats, raptors, and other species to help in reducing crop pests.

Maximize odd areas - Make full use of non-farmed areas by establishing habitat used by the wildlife you want to see on your farm. Use native grasses as well as forbs and legumes. Lightly disc a portion of your grasses early in the year. A new growth of annual forbs will encourage insects and produce seeds for pheasants, quail, and other wildlife. Plant native trees and shrubs to produce fruits and nuts. Leave dead trees standing in woodlots to provide nesting and foraging sites for woodpeckers and other cavity nesting wildlife. Put up bird houses, bat boxes, and other artificial nesting structures.

For more information, please contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office or conservation district office located at your local county USDA Service Center or visit the NRCS Wildlife Habitat Management Institute’s Web site at www.whmi.nrcs.usda.gov or the NRCS Web site at www.nrcs.usda.gov.

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Last Modified: 08/05/2008