One of the easiest ways to protect fish and wildlife is to reduce plastic use and clean up trash.
If animals eat paper, plastic or food pieces, it leads to digestive issues and can be fatal. Throwing food scraps and trash out of cars also attracts wildlife to the road, endangering the animals and drivers.
Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources also suggests turning off outdoor lights at night and making windows more visible for migrating birds.
Light pollution can disorient birds, draw them off course and cause collisions with buildings.
The DWR says thousands of birds also die each year flying into windows. To help, residents can install screens and break up window reflections with film, paint and string.
The Wasatch Back can support wildlife throughout the year by reporting animal sightings through the iNaturalist app or eBird. The reports help inform state officials when making conservation decisions for local species.
Earth Month is celebrated throughout April. Earth Day was celebrated April 22.
