Shoreline’s 2nd Annual Wildlife Habitat Tour: A Sneak Peak

By Jennifer Rotermund, Habitat Steward

Shoreline’s 2nd Annual “Where Our Wild Things Are” Habitat Tour is less than one week away. The tour will be on Saturday, July 9 from 10 am - 3 pm. There will be mini-learning experiences at each of the six habitats on the tour, which are designed to demonstrate how easy and fun it is to create a beautiful sanctuary for wildlife in your own yard.

The tour is free of charge, open to the public and begins at Briarcrest Elementary School (also a Certified Wildlife Habitat), 2715 Northeast 158th Street, Shoreline, WA 98155, where maps and directions for the tour will be available. For more information, visit WOWTA’s website or search WOWTA on Facebook.

To give you a small taste of the incredible habitats open to the public on July 9th, the following list is a run-down of the name given to each habitat on the tour and a few of the special features you’ll see when you visit:

• Starter Community - Wildlife Families Wanted: Newly certified habitat in beginning stages of development, incorporated with a play area for young children.
• A Bird Watch Entertainment Center: Elaborate year-round bird feeders and bird bath designed for maximum viewing entertainment value while keeping away unwanted wildlife.
• Hepatica Garden: Features a pond and waterfall, native plants, nesting boxes, cultivated flower and vegetable beds, and a permeable driveway.
• Accessible Garden: This garden-under-construction expands the term “sustainable” to embrace the concepts of universal design and aging in place.
• Nine Bamboos: A habitat that includes nine different types of Bamboo used to add interest and provide material for gardening stakes, fences and other projects.
• Chez Poulet: An example of how a lawn can be converted into a pesticide-free wildlife habitat. Includes native and non-native ornamental plants, fruit trees, a vegetable garden and a chicken coop.

As you can see, a modern wildlife habitat can include many different features. The WOWTA Habitat Tour team would like you to experience just how easily a wildlife habitat can be incorporated into your yard – no matter what your interests or priorities are.

If you have foliage for nests, a source of food, and water (even a saucer, refilled daily), you may be already there.  More information and certify online.

Please come out and join us for this fun and informative tour on July 9th!