Every decision we make on land impacts wildlife. The Four Things for Wildlife series helps you think about how you can help wildlife wherever you find yourself! This page explores opportunities for doing right by wildlife in every action you take every day!
1. Minimize use of toxic substances.
Humans have discovered or created an innumerable array of substances that make our lives simpler, safer, or more productive. Many of these substances are essential to modern life. But sometimes they may be overused or applied for convenience or tradition, rather than for absolute necessity. And when these substances are toxic to wildlife, their indiscriminate use can do unnecessary harm. That’s why one way everyone can help wildlife is to always find ways to minimize, or even eliminate, uses of toxic substances, such as rodenticides, insecticides, herbicides, and lead. Rodenticides consumed by target animals, namely small mammals, can then become toxic or have sub-lethal effects on predators or scavengers that consume them before or immediately after their death. Insecticides and herbicides can reduce diversity and cause mortality among native insects or the plants wildlife depend on. For example, use of herbicides in roadsides or along field margins is one way milkweed abundance has declined so much over the last few decades that it has threatened the stability of monarch butterfly populations. Commercial applicators of pesticides should always follow label instructions that seek to minimize negative impacts to the environment. Everyone should also apply principles of Integrated Pest Management that necessitates pesticides be used as only one tool amid many other options in the production of crops or the protection of human well-being. Non-commercial applications should be used as a last resort and always in accordance with label restrictions and within the law. Lead is another common and persistent toxic substance released into the environment by people, namely hunters and anglers. Because lead ingestion by wildlife can cause death among many species of birds, hunters and anglers should learn more about and consider using non-lead alternatives like steel shot, copper bullets, or steel, tungsten, or tin fishing weights. Using toxic substances only as a last resort and always in limited quantities will help more wildlife thrive and protect the health of the places they live for generations to come.
2. Emit less light, noise, and carbon.
Wildlife often thrive amid people whether on our farms, in our yards, or throughout our cities. And with a global population growing exponentially and touching every corner of the world, no wildlife species are out of reach of human’s influence. Although many species, and especially the common species found throughout Iowa, are well adapted to living alongside people, there are ways we can still help them get by a little easier by the choices we make and the things we emit into our shared world. Light pollution is a major challenge for many species of wildlife, and especially those that are active during the night. It can disrupt foraging, interrupt natural rhythms of day-and-night, or send mixed signals to migrating birds and steer them off course or into harm’s way. Light pollution is simply the word for the extra light people put out into the night sky. Some of this light is obviously essential for human well-being. But much of it could be reduced or redirected to help wildlife by making sure light beams are always pointed down where people need the light and not cast up into the sky or by using timers or motion sensors to only trigger outdoor lights when they’re needed. Often coming along with light pollution near where people and wildlife live is noise pollution. Noise pollution can interrupt wildlife communication that is essential for reproduction and survival. People can reduce the amount of superfluous noise they put into the environment by favoring quieter equipment or designing noise barriers around homes or throughout cities. Finally, it’s important for people to reduce the amount of carbon and other harmful greenhouse gases we emit to help wildlife not just here in Iowa but all across the globe from the threat of climate change. These heat-trapping gasses go into the atmosphere and are changing the climate in ways that have ripple effects for people, ecosystems, and wildlife everywhere. That means anything we can do to emit less carbon such as driving or flying less, using less energy through greater efficiency or technology, seeking out renewable energy sources, or buying local foods and goods can help wildlife and people avoid the most threatening aspects of climate change.
3. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
Pollution from waste, and increasingly plastics, threatens wildlife worldwide and right here in Iowa. That’s why the first principle of environmental stewardship we all learned in grade school – reduce, reuse, recycle – is still as important as ever. Litter degrades ecosystems and exposes wildlife to unique risks such as entanglement or suffocation. Researchers are also increasingly finding plastic substances in microscopic doses in all our major ecosystems and inside wildlife that ingest it intentionally or accidentally. That’s why reducing our use of plastics is essential for wildlife. When reduction is not possible, finding new uses for plastics and any other goods is a desirable second outcome. Recycling is the third most desirable outcome, followed finally by disposal. Reducing, reusing, and recycling more will expose wildlife to fewer threats and help them thrive.
4. Slow the spread of invasive species.
Invasive species pose threats to every ecosystem in Iowa and arguably impact every species of wildlife in some way. Invasive species take many forms. Sometimes they’re exotic fungal pathogens, like the fungus that causes white nose syndrome in bats or Dutch elm disease in elm trees. Oftentimes they’re insects like the emerald ash borer that has wreaked havoc on Iowa’s ash trees or the spongy moth that threatens our oaks, willows, and poplars. Other times they’re plants, like burning bush, Japanese barberry, or Miscanthus ornamental grasses that outcompete native plants and alter ecosystem function and structure. And sometimes they’re animals themselves, like Eurasian carp, rusty crayfish, zebra mussels, or even outdoor or feral cats. What all these invasive organisms share in common is a single common source – human introduction. In most cases, these human introductions are accidental. An exotic plant placed in a landscape that moves in the stomach of a bird to a nearby natural area. An invasive insect larva in a piece of firewood taken on a cross-state camping weekend. A microscopic mussel in the water of a live well released in the next day’s fishing hole. These simple and well-meaning mistakes can spell grave danger for wildlife and the ecosystems they rely on, which is why it is critical everyone learns the risks of invasive species and does what they can to cut down on their movements. Favor native plants and seeds bought from local nurseries and dealers. Clean, drain, and dry your boat and fishing gear. Keep cats indoors. Clean your boots and hiking gear before moving between sites. Don’t move firewood. All these measures and more can help make sure the invasive species challenges we have today don’t get worse tomorrow, and that new pests and pathogens from far away are not introduced as the next invasive species threatening Iowa ecosystems and wildlife.