Creating a Certified Wildlife Habitat Together

When Brightview Tenafly’s Executive Director, Denise Cousins asked TNC to help them create a Certified Wildlife Habitat, we didn’t hesitate to say yes. And when TNC Board member, Chad Coleman offered volunteers from Girl Scout Troop 98106 to help, a habitat was born. Together, the scouts, parents, TNC Staff, and Brightview staff and residents transformed a shady swath of manicured grass into a biodiverse opportunity for nature.

The feelings of community and accomplishment were palpable, with reports of residents at happy hour, later that day, telling their friends “they should have been there”. One resident, Muriel, even stayed until the end of the hot afternoon of planting and sharing each other’s company, complete with cookies and lemonade.

A Certified Wildlife Habitat functions as a safe haven for local wildlife providing them with food, resources, and shelter.

How we did it:

TNC Land and Facilities Manager Alex Braunstein created a plan including native plants, shrubs, groundcovers and grasses. Considering light, he sourced shade tolerant plants and shrubs from a local nursery focused on native perennial plants and seeds.

He kicked off the project by digging holes for the plants as mapped out in the plan, and placing them accordingly. Everyone worked together to loosen the plants from their pots and get them to their new homes.

Scouts watered between cookie breaks and helped cover any grass with newspaper, suppressing it from growing and providing nutrients to the soil and plants. The project was finished with topsoil and mulch to help them retain water.

What was planted:

These plants, native to the area, attract birds and other pollinators to maintain the health of the garden and surrounding habitats. They will flourish and provide an easy way for Brightview to establish a sanctuary for surrounding wildlife.

Groundcovers & Grass

• Canada Mayflower
• Wild Strawberry
• Bur Sedge

Plants & Shrubs

• Common Blue Violet
• Wreath Goldenrod
• Pennsylvania Blackberry
• Northern Bush Honeysuckle

Thanks to Wild Birds Unlimited (Paramus, NJ) for their donation of birdfeeders for this project.

For more information about Certified Wildlife Habitats: nwf.org/certify or nwf.org/-/media/PDFs/Garden-for-Wildlife/Certified-Wildlife-Habitat/NWF_Garden-Certification-Checklist.pdf