Tukwila’s festival features Animal Planet backyard host

The keynote speaker at Tukwila’s eighth annual, free Backyard Wildlife Festival on May 10 is the host and co-producer of the backyard habitat portion of the Discovery Channel television series “Animal Planet.”

David Mizejewski transforms yards and gardens into thriving habitats for birds and other wildlife on the popular show that has been airing since 2005 (see http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/backyard/backyard.html.) He also manages the National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Wildlife Habitat program, which has teamed up with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary program for dual enrollments.

Mizejewski spent his youth romping in suburban woods, fields and marshes, learning about the surprising diversity of wildlife that inhabit those areas, observing the connection between native plant communities and wildlife populations, and developing a life-long passion for wildlife-friendly gardening.

He is the author of the award-winning book “Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Wildlife”, published in 2004 by Creative Homeowner. He worked as a naturalist at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Georgia and Long Branch Nature Center in Virginia, and directed an urban forestry grant program for the National Tree Trust in Washington, D.C.

Tukwila, the first city in the state of Washington to be certified as an official Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, is hosting the free, day-long festival.

Festival events like Mizejewski’s talks at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and WDFW wildlife biologist and author Russell Link’s annual “Native Plants for Wildlife Gardens and Landscapes” workshop at 1 p.m., are at the Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Ave. S., just south of Boeing Field. But other activities, like the backyard wildlife habitat garden tours and “Procession of Species” parade are off-site.

See http://www.backyardwildlifefair.org for a detailed schedule of events.