Building your own backyard habitat

A site for nature lovers

You can learn how to entice wildlife into your backyard on eNature.com.

(CNN) -- The sights and sounds of wildlife can be as close as your own backyard. Just log on to eNature.com to find out what it takes to have a backyard wildlife habitat -- an inviting home for whatever wild things live in your neighborhood.

The Web site is the winner of the Webby's People's Voice Award for the Best Educational Web Site for 2002.

The National Wildlife Federation created the backyard wildlife habitat program in 1973 and eNature brought the program to the Internet in July of 2001.

To date, the National Wildlife Federation has certified over 29,000 backyards as wildlife habitats. In order to get your own backyard certified, your space has to provide species with four basic elements required for their survival: food, water, cover, and a place to raise their young.

"Developers today are taking away so much of the natural habitats that it is really necessary for the home owner to start paying attention to their own backyard and give back to the creatures," says Kathryn Gable, backyard habitat owner in Atlanta.

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So how do you get started? Begin by answering questions on eNature about your backyard -- its plants, animals, water sources, and potential hiding places and nesting sites for the local critters.

ENature can give you advice and step-by-step instruction for attracting all kinds of creatures to your new oasis. You can also share your habitat with others by uploading images of it onto the Web site.

A balcony habitat

Creatures in need of shelter are everywhere, from the wide-open spaces to the heart of big cities. In fact, one of the smallest certified habitats is an apartment balcony in New York City, where the owners have been able to provide food, water, and shelter to creatures in the area.

Are you wondering what poisonous snakes live in your area? The site features experts who can answer your questions about local fauna. The Field Guide also has a comprehensive list of more than 4,800 plant and animal species in North America with detailed descriptions and pictures.

There is also a ParkFinder guide listing parks, descriptions, species lists, maps and other resources for enjoying the outdoors.

But you can begin to enjoy nature by starting with your own backyard.

"It is not just one backyard. We all share the same backyard, and if one person creates a nice habitat and the person next door creates a nice habitat and it continues around the neighborhood," Gable says, "everyone takes an interest."