Milton named NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat.

After 15 months of hard work from hundreds of community members, on Aug. 27 Milton was officially designated a National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Community Wildlife Habitat.

Milton is just the 72nd community in the country to earn the honor, and just fourth in the state, said Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Cindy Eade, who led the effort with the help of the Milton Community Wildlife Habitat Project Committee, city staff and community volunteers.

"This was a tremendous effort involving numerous residents, business leaders and school officials," said Eade. "But a large share of the credit goes to our many fantastic volunteers - especially to Will Check for getting the project started and Girl Scout Sarah Ellison for seeing us through to the end."
The Community Wildlife Habitat project created multiple habitat areas in backyards, school yards, corporate properties, community gardens, parkland and other spaces, said Eade. Its ultimate goal is creating community where people and wildlife can flourish.

To celebrate the achievement, Milton will host a certification ceremony Sept. 18 at Friendship Community Park, 12785 Birmingham Highway (click here for directions). The event is open to the public and will begin at 6 p.m. with a tour of Crabapple Crossing Elementary NWF schoolyard Habitat, followed by a program at 6:30 in the park.
 Parking is available at the school. 
 For more information, please contact Eade at 678-242-2509 or cindy.eade@cityofmiltonga.us.

ABOUT THE NWF COMMUNITY HABITAT PROGRAM

NWF’s Certified Wildlife Habitat program has been helping people take personal action on behalf of wildlife for more than 40 years. The program engages homeowners, businesses, schools, churches, parks and other institutions that want to make their communities wildlife-friendly.
The Community Wildlife Habitat project is part of NWF’s Certified Wildlife Habitat™ program.  These projects benefit the entire community of plants, wildlife, and people through the creation of sustainable landscapes that require little or no pesticides, fertilizers, and excess watering. These landscapes help keep water and air resources clean. They are healthier for people and the environment, and are less resource-dependent than conventional landscapes. Habitat landscapes can serve to beautify our urban areas and give residents pride in their neighborhoods.
Since 1973, NWF has provided millions of people with the basic guidelines for making their landscapes more wildlife-friendly. There are more than 160,000 certified habitats nationwide.  For more information, please go to: www.nwf.org/community.