Evanston Recertified As A Community Wildlife Habitat

Press release from the City of Evanston:

The City of Evanston has been recertified as a Community Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) for the second year in a row thanks to the work of community members and Citizens’ Greener Evanston.

Natural Habitat Evanston, a program of Citizens’ Greener Evanston, led the citywide effort to earn the certification for the first time in 2019, helping to achieve one of the goals set by the City’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP).

The NWF’s Community Wildlife Habitat program partners with cities, towns, counties, neighborhoods and communities to become healthier, greener and more wildlife-friendly. Community Wildlife Habitats garden and landscape with wildlife in mind, promote the use of native trees and plants, work to reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides and chemicals, and integrate wildlife-friendly practices into sustainability plans and park master plans.

Communities achieve certification by conducting community outreach and education and by certifying individual private and public properties as wildlife habitats. The City had many accomplishments over the past year helping them to achieve recertification:

• Citizens’ Greener Evanston worked with the City to secure additional funding and volunteers through the Channel Habitat Fund to expand and enhance restoration areas at the Ladd Arboretum and Harbert-Payne Woods.

• Citizens’ Greener Evanston created the Fund for Evanston Trees in order to help the City protect its elms and also contributed 31 American elms to replace public trees.

To learn more about the NWF's certification program, visit nwf.org/CommunityWildlifeHabitat or call 800-822-9919.

This press release was produced by the City of Evanston. The views expressed here are the author’s own.