FAQ’S

 
 

WHAT IS A HABITAT? A habitat is the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

WHAT ANIMALS, BIRDS AND INSECTS RELY ON HABITAT? Grassland birds, pollinators and even insects count on habitat for protection and survival.

  • Habitat creates protected areas for rabbits, deer, field mice, groundhogs, snakes and more.

  • Pollinators like butterflies, bees, wasps and beetles use habitat to move pollen and fertilize plants naturally.

  • Grassland bird species like sparrows, wrens, owls, hawks, kites, eagles, sandpipers, warblers, waxwings and quail make habitat their home. 

HOW DOES HABITAT HELP ANIMALS AND OTHER SPECIES? Habitat is like nature’s grocery store and is a resource of food for animals, birds and pollinators. It also happens to be where these animals, birds and bees live and are most comfortable. As their habitat, the land provides a natural buffer of protection for them to live, nest, feed and thrive. Some species rely on habitat for their home, and when habitat goes away, more species have to share less land, which puts a strain on the biodiversity of our lands.

WHY IS HABITAT GOOD FOR NATURE? When we reap everything from the land, we destroy the habitat that’s naturally in place. Wildlife like birds and the bees have to travel further to find food, taking valuable energy from that species. We as consumers must understand that pollinators are critical to promoting a healthy food system and biodiversity. If we don’t help protect our pollinating friends, our own food lifecycle is at risk.

HOW DOES CREATING HABITAT HELP FARMERS? Having a portion of untouched farm land creates a healthier and more natural system for growing food. For example, when birds eat seeds, they naturally spread them over a larger swath of land, promoting balance for that farm. The habitat land is also free of chemicals and acts like a natural sponge, pulling toxins and other chemicals from the soil that are left from production farming.  

OTHER HABITAT RESOURCES

WORLD RESOURCE INSTITUTE https://www.wri.org/ 

CLIMATE.GOV https://www.climate.gov/

POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP https://pollinPollinator Partnershipator.org/ 

XERCES SOCIETY https://www.xerces.org/

WORLD WILDLIFE FUND (WWF): https://www.worldwildlife.org/

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION: https://www.nwf.org/

THE HONEYBEE CONSERVANCY: https://thehoneybeeconservancy.org/

DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE: https://defenders.org/

NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY: https://www.audubon.org/

CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL: https://www.conservation.org/

DO OUR FARMERS HAVE COMPLIANCE? Yes. When we contract with farmers, we require them to agree to our compliance standards. We spot-check our farmers to ensure they are meeting our habitat acreage requirements and planting the right mixture of habitat flowers.

HOW DO HABITAT BUFFERS HELP WATER QUALITY IN ADDITION TO WILDLIFE? Our habitat buffers act as a sponge, absorbing excess nitrogen and phosphorous from the farm fields, before it reaches our waterways. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus contribute to algae blooms, resulting in poor water quality.

HABITAT FACTS BY THE NUMBERS:

  •  Loss of habitat and climate change is affecting the survival of thousands of species.  More than 40 percent of insects face extinction.

  • We lose 3 acres of farmland every minute to urbanization and deforestation.

  • 75% of our food depends on birds, bees and other pollinators who help put nutrients back into the soil.

  • Unless we protect their natural habitat, as many as one million plant and animal species are in threat of extinction.

  • The loss of habitat for birds, bees and other pollinators is putting our annual crop production at risk.

  • Biodiversity loss is expected to accelerate for the next 25 years.