Photos by Rick and Nora Bowers / www.bowersphoto.com
Chickadee Check-off: A simple YES in the check-box on your state tax form leads to many dollars raised for conservation efforts in your home state. Numerous small donations add up to huge gains for the benefit of non-game wildlife species.

By Jake Kulju

Since the late 1800’s, wildlife has helped to establish the Midwestern region of the United States as a commercially viable and an aesthetically beautiful place to live. The abundant fishing, hunting and trapping that still take place in these nature-rich states has become ingrained into the cultural identity of most Midwesterners.

Most of the wildlife in the Midwest, however, is classified as non-game. That is the songbirds, little critters and various chirping, ribbitting and slithering animals that we don’t hunt, trap, fish for or eat. The slightly more technical definition of non-game wildlife is all animal species not commonly taken for sport or commercial purposes. In the last 20 years, Midwesterners have showed increasingly enthusiastic support for the preservation of habitat and conservation practices that ensure the fostering and protection of non-game wildlife.

Catch the rest of the story in the April Issue of NatureScape News!        Next Highlight