New Britain Borough is a “Community Wildlife Habitat”
Left to Right: Bird Town Committee members Jane McGroarty, Dave Horne, Marge Eberz, Lori Kesilman, Tom Price, and Lucy Siegfried. Rear and Center: Borough Manager John Wolff and Mayor James Donovan
In 2022, New Britain Borough was certified as a National Wildlife Federation “Community Wildlife Habitat,” becoming only the fifth municipality in the state of Pennsylvania, and the 147th in the nation, to earn this certification.
The National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitat program empowers towns and cities to take action for wildlife in their own communities. The program provides community leaders with a program framework to restore wildlife habitat and educate and engage community members while working to attain the National Wildlife Federation’s certification as a wildlife-friendly community.
Certified communities 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 stewardship plans and master park plans. They also engage community members in habitat restoration projects and educate residents about gardening and landscaping with wildlife in mind.
In the words of the National Wildlife Federation, New Britain Borough earned its certification for, “exceptional action to preserve, enhance, restore and connect wildlife habitat while also communicating the importance of habitat stewardship to the public … and contributing to establishing a network of thriving communities where people, wildlife and plants can all flourish.”
In order to gain this certification, the Borough’s Bird Town Committee succeeded in certifying a substantial number of properties in the Borough (over 70 private properties and all our public spaces) as wildlife habitat.
A wildlife habitat is free of pesticides and provides food, water, cover, and nesting sites. A vital component of such a habitat is native plants, which are often the only usable food sources for native insects and birds.
The Borough’s EAC is now responsible for overseeing and promoting this program in the Borough and works to ensure that the Borough earns re-certification at the end of every year.
Borough residents are still urged to certify their properties as wildlife habitat, as additional property certifications help us attain that re-certification. A link to the property certification application can be found below and submitted online.
Links to Resources:
National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitat Home Page
https://communitywildlifehabitat.nwf.org/
Certification Application
