Certified Wildlife Habitat
Turn Your Space into a Certified Wildlife Habitat®
Wildlife needs places to live, find food, raise young, and take shelter — and those places can be right outside your door. Whether you have a large yard, a small garden, or another outdoor space, you can make a difference for wildlife by creating habitat where you live.
Through the Certified Wildlife Habitat® program, you can take the next step by creating a wildlife-friendly space and having it officially recognized by the National Wildlife Federation and the South Dakota Wildlife Federation.
Creating habitat doesn’t have to mean completely changing your landscape. By adding native plants, providing water and shelter, and using sustainable gardening practices, you can create a welcoming place for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife.
Ready to get started?
The Five Essentials of Wildlife Habitat
Food
Provide wildlife with natural sources of food, including native plants that produce seeds, berries, nectar, fruits, and other foods throughout the seasons.
Water
Offer a clean source of water for wildlife. Birdbaths, ponds, streams, and other water sources can provide valuable habitat for birds, insects, amphibians, and other wildlife.
Cover
Give wildlife places to shelter from weather and predators. Native trees, shrubs, grasses, brush piles, and other natural features can provide important cover.
Places to Raise Young
Provide safe places where wildlife can nest, reproduce, and raise their young. Native vegetation and natural features can offer nesting and breeding habitat for a variety of species.
Sustainable Practices
Use gardening and landscaping practices that benefit wildlife and the environment. Choose native plants, reduce or eliminate pesticides, conserve water, and maintain healthy soil.
Why Become Certified?
By creating a wildlife-friendly space, you are helping provide important habitat for wildlife while supporting the broader Garden for Wildlife® movement. When you certify your space, your habitat is recognized by both the National Wildlife Federation and the South Dakota Wildlife Federation.
Your $25 certification includes:
- A personalized certificate recognizing your Certified Wildlife Habitat®.
- A one-year National Wildlife Federation membership and subscription to National Wildlife® magazine.
- A subscription to the monthly Garden for Wildlife® Habitats e-newsletter, featuring gardening tips, wildlife stories, and other resources.
- The opportunity to purchase an attractive Certified Wildlife Habitat® sign to proudly display your commitment to wildlife.
Ready to Make Your Habitat Official?
Certification is just $25 — and schools can certify for free.
Show Your Commitment to Wildlife
Once your space is certified, you can proudly display a Certified Wildlife Habitat® sign to let your neighbors know that your yard or outdoor space is helping provide habitat for wildlife.
Certified Wildlife Habitat® signs are a great way to show your commitment to creating and protecting wildlife habitat right here in South Dakota.
Display Your Habitat
The classic Certified Wildlife Habitat® sign is available for $35.
Please note: Certified Wildlife Habitat® signs are available to habitat owners who have completed the certification process.
Wildlife Habitat Matters in South Dakota
South Dakota is home to a remarkable variety of wildlife and habitats, from native prairie and wetlands to forests, rivers, and the places where people live and work. Protecting and improving these habitats is an important part of maintaining healthy wildlife populations and the natural resources we all enjoy.
Habitat loss and fragmentation can make it more difficult for wildlife to find the food, water, shelter, and places they need to survive. While protecting larger natural areas is essential, smaller habitat spaces can also play an important role — especially when they are connected across neighborhoods, communities, and rural landscapes.
That’s where you can help.
By planting native species, providing water and shelter, and using sustainable practices, South Dakotans can create wildlife-friendly spaces right where they live. A backyard garden, schoolyard, community space, or other outdoor area can become part of a larger network of habitat that benefits birds, pollinators, and other wildlife.
The South Dakota Wildlife Federation, as an affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation, supports conservation efforts that help protect South Dakota’s wildlife and natural resources. The Certified Wildlife Habitat® program gives individuals and families another opportunity to take part in that work — one habitat at a time.
Every Habitat Helps
Whether you have acres of land or a small outdoor space, you can make a difference. Creating habitat where you live is a simple way to support wildlife and help conserve the natural heritage of South Dakota for future generations.
Helpful Resources
Ready to learn more about creating wildlife-friendly habitat? The National Wildlife Federation offers a variety of resources to help you choose native plants, create habitat, and make your outdoor space more welcoming to wildlife.
Native Plant Finder
Find native plants that are well suited to your location. Enter your ZIP code to discover native plants and keystone species that can help support local wildlife.
Habitat Essentials
Learn more about the five essential elements wildlife needs: food, water, cover, places to raise young, and sustainable practices.
Why Native Plants?
Discover what makes a plant native and why native plants are so important for supporting wildlife and healthy ecosystems.
Keystone Plants
Explore lists of keystone plants organized by ecoregion and discover which plants can provide important resources for wildlife in your area.
Tips, Tools & Videos
Find helpful guides, videos, and practical information for gardening and landscaping with wildlife in mind.
Why Garden for Wildlife?
Learn more about how creating wildlife habitat can benefit wildlife, people, and the environment.
Be Part of the Garden for Wildlife® Movement
Garden for Wildlife® is about planting with purpose —
creating places where wildlife and people can thrive together.
Wildlife gardening can happen almost anywhere: in backyards and gardens, at schools and community spaces, or wherever people live, work, learn, play, and worship. By choosing native plants and providing the essentials wildlife needs, each of us can help create healthier habitat in the places we call home.
A Certified Wildlife Habitat® is one way to put these ideas into action. Whether you’re creating a small garden or transforming a larger outdoor space, your efforts can become part of a growing network of habitat supporting birds, pollinators, and other wildlife.
Every garden can make a difference.
Ready to Create Your Certified Wildlife Habitat®?
You can make a difference for wildlife right where you live. Whether you have a large yard, a small garden, or another outdoor space, your efforts can provide valuable habitat and contribute to a healthier future for wildlife in South Dakota.
Take the next step and certify your habitat today.