TOP TEN THINGS TO DO TO MAKE PALOS PARK A BETTER PLACE FOR PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE

10. Avoid excessive outside lighting, because it decreases good opportunities for night time celestial observation. The Police Department recommends that you do provide enough lighting for security purposes,

9. It goes without saying that we should not litter, but let's take Rid Litter Day one step further. When we are out for as stroll or jog, bring a bag to pick up trash throughout the year!

8. Minimize use of power lawn implements. Many of us moved to the Village for its quiet country charm. While getting a little exercise, you might even hear the shrill of a soaring hawk or the scolding of a blue Jay-

7. Provide bird feeders, especially during winter months. Land occupied by homes and lawns once provided a bounty of fruit, seed, insects, and nectar for formerly abundant wildlife.

6. Provide nest boxes for wildlife such as bats, bluebirds, screech owls, wood ducks and so much more. Dead trees that used to serve as homes are quickly removed. Where dead trees do not pose a hazard to homes or play areas, consider leaving them stand.

5. Decrease fertilizer and pesticide on lawn areas. What makes our grass green often finds its way into once clear creeks and ponds. Guess what color it makes them? Green Fertilizers cause an overgrowth of algae. Decrease insecticide use. Many beneficial and harmless wildlife die back because of careless pesticide use. Crystalline forms of pesticide spread on lawns, often ingested by birds, causing nervous disorders and death.

4. Keep cats inside; they are efficient and indiscriminate killers of millions of songbirds annually. If not for the bird's sake, then for your cat's, as they are on someone else's menu, coyotes.

3. Mulch leaves and grass to enrich soil for trees and shrubs which also reduce need for fertilizers. When leaves fall in amounts too great to mulch, they can be gathered and composted for future gardening use.

2. Plant native trees and shrubs. These plants are better suited for our environment and provide more benefits for native wildlife.

L Decrease size of lawn areas that require constant maintenance by converting them to prairie and woodland wildflower beds. Doing this accomplishes much of what has been listed above.

If you have any questions about how to reach the goals of this TOP TEN LIST, call Dr. Ken Stoffel at (708) 8636363.