The Habitat Project
The SFEMG has reimagined the Yard Habitat Certification project as The Habitat Project. The mission of THE HABITAT PROJECT (THP) is to educate and assist the Santa Fe community members in sustaining diverse habitats by supporting wildlife in residential yards and other locations through plant selection, placement, and maintenance practices.
A working list of Keystone Plants for the Santa Fe area
YHC Habitat Project Public Resource Guide
The Habitat Project draws inspiration from David Tallamy’s book, “Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard,” as well as the Xerces Society’s Santa Fe Pollinator Trail pilot program.
The Habitat Project will rely on the Keystone Plant List, A working list of Keystone Plants for the Santa Fe area, the Santa Fe Native Plant Project’s “A Guide to Native Plants for the Santa Fe Landscape,”www.sfemg.org/santa-fe-native-plant-project and NMSU horticultural publications from the Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service (ACES) https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_h/index.html.
Other resources include the National Wildlife Federation’s Native Plant Finder website, which enables you to discover the most suitable plants to support wildlife based on your zip code: https://nativeplantfinder.nwf.org/. The Xerces “Pollinator Habitat Assessment Guide” is available at xerces.org. Additional relevant resources can be found in the THP Habitat Project Public Resource Guide.
The project’s mission is to inform the public on how to create and enhance wildlife habitats on their properties. This includes resources to support the ecosystems of plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, birds, amphibians, and mammals. As more land is developed for housing and commercial ventures, wildlife is increasingly squeezed out, forcing them to travel greater distances between viable living sites. This loss of habitat and its resulting adverse effects on wildlife have profound implications for our planet and for us as part of the planet’s ecosystems.
The goal is not to maintain a neat, tidy yard but rather to create a healthy habitat. The good news is that this often requires less maintenance work, which is welcome news for New Mexico gardeners.