What you can do to help wildlife and plants

              U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

What You Can Do to Help

Wildlife and Plants

When most people hear the term

endangered species, they think of

manatees, grizzly bears, whales,

and other charismatic species. If these

animals don’t live in your area, you

might think there is nothing you can do

to help endangered species. However,

more than 1,300 species of plants,

birds, fish, and mammals are listed

as endangered or threatened—some

might live in or migrate through your

area.

Private citizens can play a critical role

in protecting our country’s wildlife and

plants. Pulling invasive weeds that are

forcing out native plants, rebuilding

crumbling river banks, planting native

trees—these are things we all can do to

help improve our lands so they provide

a better place for wildlife and humans

to live. All endangered and threatened

species need your help, from the

familiar species, such as the gray

wolf, to the lesser-known but equally

important species, such as the western

lily or the Karner blue butterfly.

Here’s how you can make a difference:

In your community

To learn about ways you can assist

native wildlife in your area, contact

your local U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (FWS) office—http://www.

fws.gov/offices/ or your local natural

heritage program or conservation data

center—http://www.natureserve.org

Volunteer at a local wildlife refuge—

http://www.fws.gov/volunteers

Join a local or national

conservation organization.

Support natural areas and nature

centers near you. Work with

community members to maintain

and restore habitat.

Contact your State or area fish

and game office to learn how you can

become involved in community wildlife

preservation efforts —http://www. fws.

gov.offices/statelinks.html

Walk, ride your bike, carpool, or use

public transportation.

Organize litter cleanups and recycling

drives.

If you observe evidence of wildlife

poaching, contact your state fish and

game office—http://www.fws.gov.

offices/statelinks.html. State agencies

enforce State wildlife laws and have

jurisdiction over most local wildlife

management issues.

Know and follow your fishing and

hunting laws. Individual State,

territorial, and tribal agencies sell

recreational fishing and hunting

licenses and are the best source of

information regarding hunting and

fishing seasons, local regulations,

and areas that are open or closed to

hunting and fishing—http://www.fws.

gov. offices/statelinks.html

At home

Don’t put hazardous substances

down the drain or in the trash.

Things like paint thinner, furniture

polish, and antifreeze can pollute our

water and land, impacting people

as well as wildlife. For information on

how to dispose of hazardous material

properly, see the Environmental

Protection Agency’s guide to safe

management of household hazardous

waste—http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/

non-hw/househld/hhw.htm

Take unwanted, reusable items to a

charitable organization or thrift shop.

Use cloth, not paper, napkins.

Turn the lights and TV off when you

leave a room. Use energy-efficient

light bulbs.

Recycle everything you can:

newspapers, scrap papers, cans, glass,

motor oil, plastics, appliances, etc.

Keep your cat indoors. Roaming

house cats do tremendous damage

to birds and other wildlife such as field

mice, frogs, squirrels, and lizards.

Putting a bell on your cat helps,

but keeping the cat inside is better.

Don’t leave water running. Turn

off the tap when brushing your teeth or

washing your face. Install water-saving

devices, such as low-flow showerheads,

to save water and save money.

Write, e-mail, or call companies

that send unwanted junk mail and

ask them to take your name off their list.

In your yard or neighborhood park

To get more information on how you

can work with the FWS to restore

Young volunteers help plant white

cedar seedlings.

DoD

wetlands and other important fish and

wildlife habitats on your property,

see the Partners for Fish and Wildlife

Program—http://www.fws.gov/

landowner.html

Plant native trees and bushes with

berries or nuts that provide birds

and other creatures with food and

a place to live. To learn how you

can make your backyard wildlife-friendly,

see the National Wildlife

Federation’s Backyard Wildlife

Habitat program—http://www.nwf.

org/backyardwildlifehabitat. Contact

your County Cooperative Extension

Service or local native plant society

for help in identifying native plants.

Native species adapted to local climate

conditions require fewer resources and

less care to flourish.

Keep litter, pet wastes, and leaves

out of street gutters and storm drains.

These outlets drain directly into lakes,

streams, rivers and wetlands. Pet

wastes contain bacteria and viruses

that can threaten fish, wildlife, and

people.

Learn about natural insect controls

as alternatives to pesticides. Grow

plants that are natural insect repellents

among your flowers and vegetables

to help keep unwanted insects away.

For more information on these and

other EPA-recommended ways to make

your lawn environmentally friendly,

visit—http://www.epa.gov/seahome/

lawns.html

If you use fertilizer, calibrate your

applicator to make sure you apply

the correct amount. Fertilizing more

than the recommended rate does not

help plants grow better and may harm

them. In addition, excess fertilizer

may wash into streams and rivers and

can lead to amphibian deformities and

deaths as well as excess aquatic plant

growth.

Buy or make your own backyard

composter for your food waste products

like coffee grounds, vegetables, fruits,

or other non-animal products. Compost

is a natural fertilizer that enriches your

soil. It is especially good for vegetable

gardens. For more information on how

to make your own compost, visit—

http://www.hdra.org.uk/gh_comp.htm

Pull weeds instead of using herbicides.

Plant a butterfly garden. To get

started, visit the North American

Butterfly Association’s website—

http://www.naba.org/pubs/bgh.html

If you must use pesticides, herbicides,

or fungicides, don’t throw leftovers in

the trash, down a drain or into a storm

sewer; dispose of them properly. Visit

the Natural Resource Conservation

Service’s Backyard Conservation

website for pesticide disposal

information and other environmental

lawn and garden care tips —http://

www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard.

Put a bird bath in the shade to attract

birds that eat insects and pollinate

plants—and provide “watching”

opportunities for people.

On vacation

Turn the heat and water heater down

before you leave home.

Don’t pick flowers or collect wild

creatures for pets. Leave animals

and plants where you find them.

Going abroad? Think twice about

the things you buy. Travelers don’t

realize that several U.S. laws and an

international treaty make it unlawful

to bring many wildlife souvenirs into

our country. To learn more about these

laws and what products are illegal to

import into the U.S., visit the FWS

Law Enforcement page—http://www.

le.fws.gov/ info_importers_exporters

In your classroom

Ask your teachers to help you organize

clean-up days. Remove trash or

invasive weeds from vacant lots or

streams. Replant eroding river banks

with native trees that will stabilize

the soil and reduce the amount of dirt

going into the river. This will not only

improve the quality of water for aquatic

life and humans, it will provide habitat

for birds and mammals.

Plant a garden on your school

grounds to attract wildlife including

birds and butterflies. Build homes

for bats and birds, and have the

project certified by National Wildlife

Federation’s Backyard Wildlife

Habitat program—http://www.nwf.

org/backyardwildlifehabitat.

Hold a school Arbor Day native

tree planting. Invite local officials.

Visit theNational Arbor Day

Foundation’s website– www.arborday.

org/

Let your teacher know about grants

to raise fish for release to the wild.—

http://www.troutintheclassroom.com/

Explore nature in your neighborhood

by celebrating National Wildlife Week

at your school. For more information,

visit the National Wildlife Federation’s

website—http://www.nwf.org/

nationalwildlifeweek/

In stores or post offices

Don’t buy rare or “exotic” pets. Some

pets may have been smuggled into the

country or taken from their natural

habitat.

Don’t buy products that come

from endangered and threatened

plant and animal species. Buy a Duck

Stamp to help buy wetlands—homes to

many wildlife species. See http://www.

fws.gov/duckstamps/stamps.htm

In your car

Don’t throw cigarettes or trash

out your window. Cigarettes cause

thousands of forest fires every year.

Food trash along roadsides attracts

animals that can be killed by cars.

Recycle your engine oil. Contact

your local Solid Waste Management

Office to find out where.

Keep engines well tuned and tires

properly inflated to maximize fuel

efficiency.

Consider a career in conservation!

Join the thousands of dedicated

men and women who are working

to protect wildlife and plants

here in the U.S. and around the

world. For more information

on career opportunities, visit—

http:// www.fws.gov/hr/HR/careers_fws.

htm

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Endangered Species Program

4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 420

Arlington, VA 22203

703-358-2390

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/

February 2008