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<DIV>Great job on the show, David. Especially getting so much information into such a little bit of time!</DIV>
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<DIV>May I add my 2-cents worth on the value of backyard habitats on a very personal level. My brother works in the corporate world in northern Illinois and had been in the Army. His contacts with the natural world were occasional fishing and hunting trips in northern Wisconsin. His idea of gardening was to conquer the lawn and weeds. </DIV>
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<DIV>When he found out that I was changing what was growing in my backyard to benefit birds, pollinators, chipmunks and other critters and that my backyard was "certified," by NWF, he became interested in trying new things and in feeding birds with birdseed. He also became interested in native plants. Over the past four years, he has created a woodland garden under trees and several "prairie" beds of native flowers. He started taking walks to see wildflowers in the forest preserves near him, and taking his grandson. He's now very knowledgeable about species native to Illlinois. And he volunteers to help remove buckthorn and other invasives. His trips to northern Wisconsin are not to hunt, but to see what seasonal wildflowers are in bloom. He writes his Senators and Representative about environmental legislation; and most importantly, his voting decisions are now primarily based on the environmental record of candidates. It's a complete change.</DIV>
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<DIV>I agree that saving habitat and protecting biodiversity are the most important things we can do and where we should put most of our efforts. But to do so, we have to help people understand why they are important so that they can make informed choices. And Americans (according to The American Nursery and Landscape Association) spend more than $17 billion a year on gardening. It would be great if the Land and Water Conservation Fund appropriations were anywhere close to that!</DIV>
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<DIV>Mary Ann Lawler</DIV>
<DIV>Virginia Native Plant Society</DIV>
<DIV>(and retired U.S. Dept. of the Interior)</DIV>
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