National Wildlife Federation Certifies Shakespeare, Wildflower and Butterfly as Wildlife Habitat Gardens

GCE has recently completed the designation of all three of our community gardens as Certified Wildlife Habitats with The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), America’s largest wildlife conservation and education organization, through its Garden for Wildlife program. NWF celebrates this effort to create gardens that support birds, butterflies, bees, frogs and other local wildlife. Every Certified Wildlife Habitat (1) provides the four basic elements all living creatures need: food, water, cover and places to raise young, and (2) is maintained in a sustainable way that incorporates native plants, conserves water and reduces or eliminates the use of pesticides. Celebrating over 45 years, the Garden for Wildlife movement has recognized over 227,000 Certified Wildlife Habitat gardens across the United States to date, encompassing more than 2.5 million acres that support wildlife locally. The City of Evanston, through the efforts of Natural Habitat Evanston (a program of Citizens' Greener Evanston), has become the first city in Illinois to achieve sufficient certifications for NWF Community Wildlife Habitat status (see Citizens' Greener Evanston's EcoHub map for other nearby locations). Our own residential gardens, whether yards or apartment common areas, can also be recognized as wildlife habitats through the program. It's fun, easy and makes a difference for neighborhood wildlife--a perfect grassroots way to think globally and act locally by helping birds, butterflies, bees and other wildlife.

For more information on NWF’s Garden for Wildlife movement and how to qualify to have your own garden space recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat, visit https://www.nwf.org/garden or call 1-800-822-9919