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Small changes have a big impact
Wildlife struggle in unexpected ways with everyday aspects of our society. From trash to light pollution, learn how small changes at home can have huge impacts on the wildlife around you
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Reduce, reuse and recycle to support wildlife
The amount of trash we create and how we dispose of it matters for wildlife. Reducing, reusing, and recycling helps to keep dangerous chemicals and materials out of landfills where wildlife often scavenges through our trash. Plastic waste like old mesh, six-pack can rings, and yogurt cups, can entrap and kill wild animals. Plastics left in the environment degrade and become microplastics as ultraviolet rays and mechanical action break them down into smaller and smaller pieces, which can easily infiltrate the broader environment. Watch the program, Microplastic Pollution: The Big Problem with Tiny Plastic.
Unfortunately, our recycling systems are imperfect and, thus, not the only solution. Reducing and re-using materials are the best strategies to keep trash out of wildlife habitat. To avoid contributing to population booms for urban pests like rats, and to reduce conflicts with animals in your backyard, secure trash in closed containers wherever wild animals might access it.
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Avoid landscaping materials that can harm wildlife
One easy way to help wildlife at home is to be mindful of the types of materials you use in your yard, which is also habitat for wildlife. Plastic mesh, often deployed to keep birds from stealing berries and deer from consuming plants, can entangle and entrap snakes and birds. Instead of plastic mesh, use barriers made from loosely woven natural materials that expand when an animal is caught and biodegrade quickly when discarded or ripped from place. If a natural barrier is impractical, use a stiff, woven metal like chicken wire instead of flexible plastic mesh.
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Cut down on artificial lights to reduce bird window collisions
The lights that shine out of office windows, illuminate streets, and cast shadows through backyards also glare onto plants and animals that evolved for a night lit only by the meager glow of the moon and stars. The pervasive effects of artificial light can be highly disruptive to birds, mammals, and other wildlife and even plants (Does Night Lighting Harm Trees?). In October 2023, nearly 1,000 birds died after colliding with windows in Chicago, making it the largest mass bird die-off in decades.
But there are many strategies to help prevent bird window collisions. To reduce nighttime bird strikes on office buildings, ensure your office lights are off at night. To reduce the impacts of general light pollution, outdoor lights should face downward and be turned off when not in use. Motion-sensing lightbulbs are a great way to reduce unneeded light at night. Communities can install streetlights that only face downward or have covers that direct light only toward the ground.
Light pollution has vastly altered Illinois’ night sky. To see the night sky as it would have appeared before pollution from artificial lights, visit Illinois’ only internationally-recognized Dark Sky Park in Champaign County at Middle Fork River Forest Preserve. This park, featured in the Voice of the Wild podcast, is a favorite of local astronomers and a wonderful preserve for wildlife. To join in efforts to reduce impacts from light pollution, check out Audubon’s “Lights Out” program and International Dark Sky Week.
Starry nights are only possible when we turn out the lights.
The sky is a natural wonder that unites everyone in Illinois, our nation, and the world. The Milky Way, the orange glow of Jupiter, the constellations Orion, and the Big Dipper all capture our attention and fill us with awe....