Digging Deeper: Backyard Habitat Certification Program

The Backyard Habitat Certification Program (BHCP) enters its 20th year of operation this year. This program, co-managed by Bird Alliance of Oregon and Columbia Land Trust, now covers Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, and Clark Counties. BHCP focuses on five main elements: planting native plants, removing noxious weeds, reducing pesticide use, improving stormwater management, and increasing wildlife stewardship within participants’ yards and at community sites within the urban areas. These pockets of habitat form important corridors to support wildlife, manage stormwater, and increase access to green spaces within urban spaces.

Since our expansion to the four-county area in 2020, BHCP has focused on digging deeper into its work in these urban spaces. Foremost in our goal is centering equity within our work. We know that green spaces aren’t evenly distributed throughout the four-county area due to historic and systemic disparities in investment within different neighborhoods. Not only do these disparities affect whether or not you have access to green spaces, but research shows that these same communities experience up to 13 degrees higher temperatures in peak summer weather than neighborhoods with more greenspace, creating what is known as the Urban Heat Island Effect.

BHCP encompasses more than just residential yards. Our program also works with community spaces such as schools, places of worship, and businesses. Utilizing specific funding that Bird Alliance of Oregon was awarded in 2022, our program has been able to focus on supporting community sites that emphasize public equity and accessibility within a certain geographic area. This is only one of many ways that we see climate change disproportionately affecting marginalized communities.

By Katherine Noble. For more information on local birds, visit birdallianceoregon.org. To learn more about how you can enroll in the Backyard Habitat Program or what you can do in your outdoor space, visit our website at: www.backyardhabitats.org