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NWF community wildlife habitat program

National Wildlife Federation's
Community Wildlife Habitat

St. James has been registered to become a Community Wildlife Habitat. In order to achieve community-wide certification we will need to certify a percentage of individual properties (homes, parks, businesses, and others) and conduct education and outreach programs. The sections below list the requirements properties must meet in order to become certified wildlife habitats. Your yard may already qualify if it has these. It's easier than you think!


There are currently about nine certified wildlife communities in North Carolina. St. James would be the first and only community or town east of Raleigh to become a Community Wildlife Habitat.
 

St. James as a
Community Wildlife Habitat

Becoming a NWF Community Wildlife Habitat needs your involvement and support. Though we have registered with NWF, our community must meet specific goals, provide education programs, and complete some tasks before we become fully certified. For starters, we need at least 150 properties in St. James to become individually certified. Other properties we can certify for points include our community gardens, town building landscapes, nature preserves, fire station landscapes, and golf courses. The Dosher Wellness Center, St. James Properties, the town Community Center, and other properties can also be certified. They just need the elements above.

We have a project coordinator who is managing the process for us and we welcome your help. The most important thing you can do right now is to get your property certified and get your neighbors to do the same. The good news is that most properties in St. James already have most of the required elements in place in order to be certified. And, it takes less than 15 minutes on line to complete the application. The NWF fee is $20. You can also order an official NWF certification garden flag to show off your efforts. Hard copies of the application are available if you prefer.

Keep an eye on our progress by monitoring the St. James certification process on the NWF webpage.
                       
            




For questions, please contact SJC Board Member Ernie McLaney erniemclaney1@gmail.com
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