Certified Wildlife Habitat

Jim Creek is proud to be a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. Due to Rapid and large-scale changes to our lands and waters mean wildlife are losing the habitats they once knew. Every habitat garden is a step toward replenishing resources for wildlife such as bees, butterflies, birds, and amphibians-both locally and along migratory corridors. Jim Creek had to prove it was a Certified Wildlife Habitat by ensuring it met 5 different criteria: Food, Water, Cover, Places to Raise young & Sustainable Practices.

Food: Plants provide the basic foods for wildlife. Feeders can be used as a supplemental source of food. Remember that some creatures will become food for others in a balanced habitat. We encourage a natural diversity of wildlife in our park to ensure a health ecosystem. Jim Creek naturally provides plant foods such as berries, nectar, fruits, sap, pollen and foliage/twigs. Supplemental feeders include Hummingbird. Did you notice the Apple Trees behind the Deluxe Cabins on your way into the park or the abundant blackberry bushes near Coho Campground?

Water Source: Wildlife need a clean water source for drinking and bathing. In addition to Jim Creek itself, we also have Little Jim Creek, Upper & Lower Twin Lakes, Lake LaBarge, Chain Lake, Cub Creek and Cub Creek Reservoir that all provide natural water sources for wildlife.

Cover: Wildlife need shelter from bad weather and hiding places - for both predators and prey. Throughout Jim Creek, you will find plenty of wooded areas, bramble patches, rock piles, den shrubs, thickets, evergreen, brush and log piles and meadows and prairies that provide plenty of cover for wildlife.

Places to Raise Young: In order to provide a complete habitat, there must be places for wildlife to engage in courtship behavior and to mate, and then to bear and raise their young. Jim Creek provides plenty of meadows and prairies, dead trees and snags, dense shrubs and thickets and mature trees. The Walter R. Briggs Old Growth Forest is home to over 200 acres of trees and is a nesting area for the Marbled Murrelet, an endangered species protected on Jim Creek.

Sustainable Practices: Managing the landscape and gardens can have an effect on the health of the soil, air, water and habitat for wildlife- as well as people. Some practices are more environmentally-friendly and sustainable. Jim Creek uses mulch and ground cover to retain soil moisture and limit erosion, creates compost piles through a Bio-Dump, practices integrated pest management, uses native plants, and removes invasive exotic species. In fact, if you ever wondered why you cannot bring your own boat or canoe onto Twin Lakes, it is because we try to limit the exposure of invasive species and animals they may be hiding on other boats, canoes and kayaks. We even have a "Twin Lakes lawnmower" that is only used at the lake to try and limit invasive species.