Inhabitants lead wild lives

A wildlife habitat is almost hidden in Alyssa Pisano’s backyard.

If not for a National Wildlife Federation sign posted in Pisano’s

frontyard, it would be hard for people to know she had made her a

home a habitable place for fish, frogs and birds.

Koi fish swim through a pond that was dug out along the length of

Pisano’s backyard. Water trickles into the pond via an artificial

stream, and fish share the aqueous environment with frogs. Pisano has

seen hummingbirds, finches and other wild birds visit her yard.

The brightly colored fish are easy to spot in the pond, where

green and brown frogs hide among the rocks and plants that line it.

“They’re really hard to see, because when they’re little, they

camouflage themselves like crazy,” Pisano said.

Pisano finished her backyard project to expand the pond around

April, she said.

“I did it all myself. I didn’t have a contractor. All the rocks,

except for these big ones, I moved myself,” Pisano said.

The animals share Pisano’s home with Cali, her shar-pei dog.

Cali’s job is to warn Pisano if any unwelcome animals find her way

into the yard.

Pisano has a motion-activated sprinkler set up around the pond to

spray water if any raccoons come near the pond, and Pisano said Cali

will find her if the dog hears the sprinkler.

Raccoons are not welcome near the pond because they eat fish.

Pisano’s yard is listed by the National Wildlife Federation as an

official Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Pisano began her project before

she learned of the habitat program. At the start, her goal was simply

to have a place for fish and frogs in her yard.

“I got the pond gene from my dad. We always had frogs at this

really big pond at my dad’s house,” she said.

To receive an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat designation, an

applicant must prove to National Wildlife Federation naturalists that

the habitat has food, water, shelter and places for animals to raise

their young, habitat program spokeswoman Mary Burnette said.

People don’t necessarily need a yard to have a habitat.

Burnette said the federation has awarded the designation to

butterfly gardens that have been set up at apartment balconies.

The federation promotes the program on the Animal Planet show

“Backyard Habitat.” An episode of the show was taped at the Costa

Mesa home of Forrest and Sara Breese in June.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at

o7andrew.edwards@latimes.comf7.