Fairfield County is home to a diverse variety of habitats, including coastal forests, woodlands, shrublands, grasslands and meadows, bluffs and rocky outcrops, vernal pools, ponds and lakes, rivers and streams. When these habitats are threatened by development, human impact, and natural forces, so are the plants and animals that call these places their home.

Wildlife habitat in southern Connecticut is rapidly decreasing due to interminable suburban development, forest fragmentation, erosion, and pollution, continually forcing wildlife to cope with less space, fewer resources and increased human interaction. Wildlife respond to the ever-changing landscape by altering migration patterns, mating habits, and seeking out territory ever closer to human activity, threatening both humans and wildlife alike.

What can you do to help wildlife in Fairfield County?

Everyone can help protect wildlife. Everyday habits can have a big impact on saving animals. Here are a few things you and your family can do to help protect Fairfield County’s wildlife:

1. Provide wildlife habitat in your backyard: Create safe places for birds, insects, mammals, amphibians, fish, and reptiles to breed, raise young, and thrive. Providing shelter and food for animals will create a balanced ecosystem that will yield a bountiful garden and opportunities to view nature’s glory. For more information on how to create a backyard wildlife habitat, click here.

2. Respect wildlife and give them space: Humans have constrained wildlife habitat with development and forest fragmentation, which is why we are encountering wildlife in our backyards on an ever-increasing basis, in many cases they have nowhere else to go. If you see a deer, raccoon, fox or even a coyote or bobcat in your yard, don’t be alarmed. They are just as uncomfortable around humans as you are around them. Chances are they are just passing through in search for food or a mate. Leave them alone and they will depart peacefully. For more information on why there might be large wild mammals in your yard, click here.

3. Understand the wildlife food web: Understanding the wildlife food chain can help to gain an understanding of what your favorite animals need to survive in your yard, and often that includes your not-so-favorite animals. For more information about the local wildlife food chain, click here.

4. Protect the environment that we all coexist within: Wildlife is everywhere - in cities and towns, on farms, in mountains, beaches, and forests. Everything you do to protect the environment — recycling, reducing the use of plastics and petroleum-based products, reusing products, conserving water and energy — helps to preserve the environment in which the animals live. For more information on simple ways you and your family can make a big difference for the environment, click here.

5. Give wildlife a break: Automobiles pose the greatest risk to individual wild animals. When you are driving, be aware of possible animal activity on the side of, above, and on, the road. Animals are terrified of cars and trucks, and unexpectedly dart out into the road due to their instinctive fight-or-flight response. Many animals such as frogs, turtles, and songbirds are often victims of automobiles that are being driven too fast for the driver to notice. For more information on how to prevent animals strikes while driving, click here.

6. Plant native flowers, shrubs and trees: Planting a selection of native flowering plants, grasses, trees and shrubs in your yard sustains wildlife throughout the seasons and will ensure year-round habitat biodiversity. For more information on how to create a native garden that promotes biodiversity, click here.

7. Be an educated consumer: The choices we make when shopping for food, personal care items, household products, and can have a direct impact on wildlife here in Connecticut and all over the world. For more information on being a wildlife-friendly consumer, click here.

8. Spread awareness: Education is the foundation of conservation. Talk to your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers about protecting wildlife. Communicate your concerns with local officials and lawmakers. You may think that one voice will not make a difference, but every voice matters for the animals that rely on us to advocate on their behalf.