Starting a Community Wildlife Habitat™

Turning your community into a Community Wildlife Habitat doesn't happen overnight, but the investment is well worth the time.

1. Pick a Community Wildlife Habitat Team Leader

For your Community Wildlife Habitat project to be successful, you will need a motivated and dedicated person to guide the Habitat Team and community. This individual, known as the Community Wildlife Habitat Team Leader, will be responsible for the following duties:

• Cultivate and direct the Habitat Team
• Organize and mobilize the community
• Create goals for the community with the assistance of the Habitat Team
• Work with a wide variety of resources within the community from government agencies to local non-profits
• Work with local agencies and businesses to obtain funding for the community's project
• Educate the community on the principles of the Certified Wildlife Habitat™ program
• Be the point of contact for NWF staff

2. Build a Community Wildlife Habitat Team

A team effort is required for your Community Wildlife Habitat project to be sustainable. While each team will be unique, we recommend a team of four to ten people who represent various viewpoints in the community. NWF can assist you in building your team by putting you in touch with certified Certified Wildlife Habitat participants, Habitat Steward volunteers and other contacts in your area.

A sample Habitat Team might include representatives from a selection of the following:

neighborhood association land trust conservation organization birding club garden club wild bird feeding store chamber of commerce plant supplier/nursery community center affordable housing provider

local or county government senior center or organization school district administration community gardening association local PTA/PTO student environmental/ecology club place of worship local business nature center

3. Register Your Team and Put Together a Plan of Action

Once you've formed your Habitat Team, your first project will be to research your community and develop goals, a vision statement and an action plan based on the results of your research. With the information you gather, you will be able to complete the Community Wildlife Habitat Registration Form (Note: This form is a PDF document, size 550 Kb. Need PDF help?).

Once your community registers its Community Wildlife Habitat project with NWF, you will receive

• Several copies of your Community Wildlife Habitat registration certificate
• A point of contact at NWF for ongoing assistance and support
• Information on how to get NWF materials
• A listing on NWF's Community Wildlife Habitat webpage

Learn how to earn points toward certification.

• 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.