Contact - Backyard Habitats

The Backyard Habitat Certification Program is a collaborative effort of Bird Alliance of Oregon and Columbia Land Trust. We are always happy to hear from program participants! Contact either organization for more information.

Send us a message

If you would like us to attend or present at an event, please complete our Outreach Request Form.

The main site contact form.

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General Info

General Program Interest

Thank you for your interest in the Backyard Habitat Certification Program! Here's some information to help you get started:

What is the Backyard Habitat Certification Program?

The Backyard Habitat Certification Program is a partnership between Columbia Land Trust and Bird Alliance of Oregon designed to help you transform your outdoor space into thriving wildlife habitat using native plants. We serve properties in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, and Clark counties.

Who can participate?

Whether you're a homeowner, renter, business, or represent a community site, you can make an impact! We certify properties up to one acre in size. Every space matters in our collective effort to create wildlife corridors throughout urban areas.

How does certification work?

The certification process includes:

Enrolling in the program through our website
Creating habitat using native plants and sustainable practices
Scheduling a site visit with one of our trained volunteers
Receiving your certification level (Silver, Gold, or Platinum) and yard sign

What resources are available?

Our resource library contains hundreds of materials to help you at every stage of your habitat journey, from plant selection to wildlife features. These resources are free and available to everyone, even if you're outside our service area.

Ready to get started?

Visit our Grow a Habitat page for step-by-step guidance, or enroll today to begin your certification journey!

Still have questions?

Please use the contact form below and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. We're here to help!

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Address(Required)

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Name of Organization(Required)

Organization's Website (if applicable)

What kind of outreach request do you have?(Required)

Presentation

Table at an event

Flyers

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Audience

How many people do you expect to attend/reach at the event?(Required)

What is your intended audience and outreach? For example, what cities/neighborhoods are you targeting, what are the target demographics, what are the attendance requirements, etc.(Required)

Location and Duration

What is the address/location of your event?(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code

Does this outreach event have a specific date yet?(Required)

Yes

Do you have a date range or season for when this event would happen?(Required)

Event Date(Required)

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Day

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Presentation

What content/topic are you looking for in a presentation?(Required)

Would this presentation be a part of a larger event?(Required)

Yes

Event

What is the name of your event?(Required)

Event's Website (if applicable)

What is the purpose of your event?(Required)

Has Backyard Habitat Certification Program participated in the past?(Required)

Yes

What year(s) and with whom did you work?(Required)

Do you provide any of the following? (check all that apply)(Required)

Table

Chairs

Dedicated parking

Accessible by public transportation

Wheelchair accessible

Food

Load in and load out procedures

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We are unable to provide presentation equipment other than a laptop (e.g. projector, projection screen, microphone, chords to connect lap etc). Are you able to provide all necessary presentation equipment?(Required)

Yes

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Event Fee?

Is this a fundraiser?(Required)

Yes

Are you charging attendees an entrance fee?(Required)

Yes

How much are you charging?(Required)

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Flyers Instead?

If we can't attend your event, would you like us to mail you flyers to distribute instead?(Required)

Yes

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Flyers Mailing

How many flyers would you like?(Required)

Please enter a number from 1 to 50.

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Anything else?

Is there anything else you would like us to know about this request?

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Ready for Certification or Upgrade

Hello, program participant. Congratulations on reaching this milestone in your habitat journey! We're excited to help you move forward with a certification or an upgrade.

What happens next?

Once we receive this form:

We'll send you a certification readiness checklist to help you confirm you're ready for a certification or upgrade visit
We'll connect you with one of our trained certification volunteers
The volunteer will schedule a visit to your property directly with you
During the visit, they'll assess your habitat using our certification criteria
If certified, you'll receive the certification yard sign on the day of the visit
Within a few months, you'll receive a follow-up letter with your certification sticker and benefits

Important reminders:

Program Participants: This form is for program participants who have already had their initial visit with a Habitat Technician. If you want to join the program and get certified, please visit our Enroll page
Scheduling: We depend on volunteer availability and certify year-round. It may take from a few days to several months for a volunteer to become available. We cannot schedule visits for specific months, but volunteers will work with you to find a mutually convenient time
Spring and summer: These are our busiest seasons. While we understand everyone wants to show their yard at its best, we must certify throughout the year to keep up with demand

We look forward to hearing from you!

Backyard Habitat Certification Renewal

Thank you for your continued support of the Backyard Habitat Certification Program!

Renewing your backyard habitat certification at the same level is completely FREE and easy. Follow these three steps to renew your certification online:

Review our certification criteria here: http://backyardhabitats.org/certification-criteria/
Survey your yard to determine its habitat value and to control for invasive weeds. Be sure to note how many native trees and shrubs you have planted throughout your participation in the program and take an (optional) picture of the yard to send our way.
Update your yard data using this webform: https://backyardhabitats.wufoo.com/forms/s1fab3u41cyjz0u/

Why renew your Backyard Habitat Certification?

Help us sustain a strong backyard habitat program. Tracking progress over-time allows us to demonstrate that Backyard Habitats result in measurable, positive impacts in neighborhoods.
Continue receiving invitations to our Open Garden Events and access to exclusive resources. Yards with expired certifications become "inactive." This means you'll stay in our system in case you ever want to reinstate your certification, but you will no longer receive invitations to our discounted Native Plant Sales or Open Garden events.

Ready to UPGRADE to a higher certification level?

If you have made additional improvements to your yard and would like to have a volunteer assess your yard for a potential certification upgrade (i.e., advancing from silver to gold or gold to platinum), just let me know. I'll arrange another certification visit from one of our trained volunteers.

Thank you for making your yard an important part of a region where wildlife and people thrive together!

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Growing Our Community

Get involved with our growing community!

We strive to create an inclusive community through our program. Find ways to connect with other nature-minded individuals, or check out some of the impactful projects we’re collaborating on with community partners.

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Collaborations

Friends of Backyard Habitats Facebook Group

Send us a message

General Info

General Program Interest

What is the Backyard Habitat Certification Program?

Who can participate?

How does certification work?

What resources are available?

Ready to get started?

Still have questions?

Audience

Location and Duration

Presentation

Event

Event Fee?

Flyers Instead?

Flyers Mailing

Anything else?

Section Break

Ready for Certification or Upgrade

What happens next?

Important reminders:

Growing Our Community

Get involved with our growing community!

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