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To get rid of destructive bugs in your garden, create habitat for the "good ones" and leave the pest control to the birds. More >

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A strong belief in our role as stewards of the earth and a deep love of wildlife has enabled Ed and Amber Zygmunt to make the most of what they had and even more of what they didn't.

An endeavor to "...leave every place you've been a little bit better than you found it" is behind many of this Susquehanna County couple's decisions, including the one to turn their 50-acre property, dubbed "Perennial Acres", into a stellar example of how to foster a haven for wildlife by returning native habitat to the ecosystem.

Ed and Amber have taken an aggressive approach to removing the invasive plants that once blanketed their land. Purple loosestrife, multiflora rose and Japanese knotweed are just a few of the invasives they've replaced with flora designed to attract and support wildlife diversity. Habitat provided by fields of native wildflowers now protects and sustains a host of small mammals and birds. Ed and Amber have also established an "edge" along their farmland borders by planting native shrubs and herbaceous plants. Working with a Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program they created this type of field border to meet the needs of animals known as "edge species", such as rabbits and quail that require shallow vegetation for quick concealment.

Growing new habitats and restoring those that were lost are the overarching goals of the Zygmunts' conservation plan for their property. Since 1996, they have been realizing these goals through partnerships with government agencies and private organizations. They have worked through the Department of Environmental Protection to convert 15 acres of farmland into high-quality wetlands and are also developing a forest management plan with the PA Bureau of Forestry for their wood lot.

Not surprisingly, Ed and Amber's backyard has been certified by the National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Wildlife Habitat program. More than 1/4 acre of their back garden has been filled with native plants that furnish hummingbirds, butterflies, frogs, bats and other wildlife with food, water, shelter and space to raise their young.

Alone, Ed and Amber's habitat restoration projects would each have enormous positive environmental impact; coexisting on the same 50-acre tract, the impact is even greater. Because the Zygmunts recognize the long-term value of their efforts, they have partnered with their local land trust to place a conservation easement on their property. This legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. By placing an easement on Perennial Acres, Ed and Amber have been true to their property's name, ensuring that the healthy ecosystem they have worked so hard to restore will remain in perpetuity.