Earning Points Toward Certification

Once your Community Wildlife Habitat project is registered, you can start earning the points you'll need to become officially certified. Your team can do this by getting out into your community, educating your neighbors, certifying habitats and organizing community projects. Some projects or habitat certification points earned before registration may also be counted. Please check with your NWF contact.

How many points do you need to certify?

The number of points you'll need depends on how big your community is.

Community's Population	Total Points Needed to Certify
1,000 or less	190
1,000 - 5,000	250
5,000 - 10,000	325
10,000 - 15,000	350
15,000 - 20,000	375
20,000 - 25,000	400
25,000 - 50,000	450
50,000 - 100,000	500
100,000 - 300,000	625
300,000 - 500,000	750
500,000 - 1,000,000	1,000
1,000,000 or more	1,250

How do you earn points?

When you submitted the registration form, you earned at least 40 points for your community. The remainder of the points must be earned in the following four areas:

I. Habitat Certification Goals

There is a sliding scale for habitat certification points, based on population size.

• One point for each home, townhome, or apartment certified as a Certified Wildlife Habitat site.
• Three points for every public site, workplace, park, community garden, farm, place of worship, or other common area certified as a Certified Wildlife Habitat site.
• Five points for every Schoolyard Habitats site certified.
• Ten bonus points if each member of the Habitat Team certifies their yard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat site.

Points Needed	Sliding Scale Based on Population Size	Minimum in each section
		Home	Common Area	School
40	1,000 or less	20	2	1
100	1,000-5,000	50	2	1
150	5,001-10,000	75	3	2
175	10,001-15,000	100	3	2
200	15,001-20,000	100	4	3
225	20,001-25,000	150	4	4
250	25,001-50,000	150	5	5
300	50,000-100,000	200	6	5
400	100,001-300,000	300	7	5
500	300,001-500,000	400	10	5
750	500,001-1,000,000	600	10	6
1,000	1,000,001 or more	800	10	6

II. Education Goals

Points	Activity
5	Establish a resource library for your project
5	Establish a information kiosk where community members can get information about your project
5	Create a CWH project brochure specific to your community
10	Create a website where community members can learn about your project
10	Write a regular column in your community paper/newsletter to educate community members about your project
10	Secure a feature article in the local media about your project
5	Second feature article
10	Hold a series of at least three workshops to educate community members about wildlife gardening
15	Hold a Habitat Stewards training
10	Host an annual event whose focus is educating the community about the goals of your project
10	Each member of Habitat Team completes Creating Places for Wildlife, NWF's online Distance Learning Program
5	Create and distribute a native plant list for your community
10	Give a garden tour that features certified habitats
TBD	Other Education Project (please discuss with NWF staff)
	Minimum required is 40 points

III. Community Projects Goals

Points	Activity
10	Examine your community’s weed ordinances, and work to change them to be more native plant and habitat friendly
10	Work with local park agencies to convert parkland to wildlife friendly landscapes.
10	Host a workshop to educate builders and developers in your community about what they can do to conserve habitat during the site selection, planning, and conservation phases of their projects.
5	Create an information booth at least one community event (up to three)
5	Coordinate a stream or trail clean-up
5	Plan a native plant rescue (at a site to be developed or demolished)
10	Organize a native plant sale
5	Organize an invasive plant removal at a public site
10	Work with local nurseries to label and/or provide native plants
10	Pass a community resolution supporting the Endangered Species Act (consult NWF staff for details)
10	College or university in your community enrolls as a NWF Campus Ecology member
10	College or university in your community takes the Campus Climate Challenge
10	Conduct a conversation with your NWF state affiliate to determine if they can assist with your project
5	Bonus points NWF affiliate partners with your project
10	Conduct a conversation with your NWF field office to determine if they can assist with your project
5	Bonus points NWF field office partners with your project
5	Each Habitat Team member that serves on community board or council related to environmental issues (up to 3)
5	Each presentation to organization not yet associated with CWH project (up to 5)
10	Restore native plant communities along stream and riverbanks to provide habitat and buffer waterways from urban and agricultural runoff.
10	Hold a Frogwatch Training.
10	At least 3 residents sign up to be Frogwatch volunteers and submit at least 2 months of data.
TBD	Other Community Project (please discuss with NWF staff)
	Minimum required is 50 points

IV. Administrative Goals

Points	Activity
Required	Maintain a project notebook
Required	Identify the individuals that will make up the post-certification Habitat Team
3	Per new volunteer registered with volunteer team (up to 20)
10	Per partner organization affiliated with your project (up to 5)
10	Each grant application submitted (up to 3)
	Minimum required is 20 points

• Community Wildlife Habitat™ FAQ - Typical questions that communities ask when starting the process.

• Community Wildlife Habitat™ Listing - Discover the registered and certified communities in your state.

• Become a Habitat Steward Volunteer - The National Wildlife Federation's Habitat Stewards program trains and offers volunteers who love gardening to help others certify their yards or communities.

• Garden for Wildlife Home - Find out how you can turn your garden into a wildlife friendly haven.