New Coastal Community Wildlife Habitat Benefits Wildlife and Neighborhoods

North Carolina is one of the most rapidly growing states in the country. Though there may be some benefits to such an increase, a surge in population numbers inevitably leads to heightened competition for resources, which brings increased development to accommodate the influx. As such development gains momentum, the toll on natural resources and land scapes becomes all the more evident, with wildlife paying the price. For those who recognize this impact, the race to combat development and the destruction of critical wildlife habitat is ongoing with no clear finish line in sight. 

Thankfully, there are solutions available with lasting benefits for both wildlife and our communities, and NCWF chapters are a leading force to provide wildlife habitat in an ever more densely populated region. Among these is the implementation of habitat enhancements on private lands, ranging from municipal properties to individual backyards. Initiatives including NCWF’s Butterfly Highway program and National Wildlife Federation’s Gardening for Wildlife programs, such as the Certified Wildlife Habitat program, offer structured and supportive opportunities to implement these habitat enhancements.

The Journey to Wildlife Certification: Saint James’ Success Story

Currently, there are over 3,200 registered Butterfly Highway Pollinator Pitstops and over 15,200 Certified Wildlife Habitats registered across the state. Some entire communities have even committed to expanding their impact by pooling local Certified Wildlife Habitats — designated as Certified Community Habitats. One such instance culminated just this year, involving the arrival of a newcomer to a coastal town and his acknowledgment of the potential impact of the community for the wildlife species that also call it home. 

“I saw that there were no Certified Wildlife Communities east of Raleigh, which I found a little alarming,” said Ernie McLaney, longtime conservationist and NCWF chapter member. “And I thought ‘How could that be true? Would Saint James really be the first one?’” 

Saint James is a town on the coast of North Carolina, just south of Wilmington. Its proximity to the coast and its some 250 ponds positions Saint James as an indispensable habitat for coastal wildlife species. McLaney quickly realized this upon his move to Saint James in 2023. “There’s so much lush vegetative landscape here. Folks were already providing food for the birds, and forty-two percent of the landmass here was already protected under conservation stewardship,” said McLaney. “So, they already had all the elements in place. I just needed to find people to help get it certified.”

Luckily, this was not McLaney’s first experience in certifying Community Wildlife Habitats. A former member of the Habitat and Wildlife Keepers (HAWK) NCWF chapter in Matthews, McLaney has long been interested in and passionate about wildlife conservation. Through HAWK, he assisted the chapter in certifying Matthews as a Community Wildlife Habitat, with support from NCWF and the National Wildlife Federation. 

After Matthews was successfully certified, McLaney was given another daunting challenge: certifying the city of Charlotte.

 “After we certified Matthews, NCWF reached out and charged me to start something in Charlotte, too.” McLaney said, “So we started a chapter there and got started on the certification process. But I found out that Charlotte already had a huge number of Certified Wildlife Habitats, even before we got started.”

Charlotte was not far behind Matthews in becoming certified, ushered along by landowners and groups who had already stepped up to the plate and registered their own properties as Certified Wildlife Habitats before the Community Wildlife Habitat process had even begun. Luckily, Saint James, too, already had a community of partners poised for the task ahead.

Mobilizing Community for Wildlife

Not long after his move to St. James, McLaney met with the St. James Conservancy, vocalizing his interest in making the town a Community Wildlife Habitat. Not only were they receptive to his idea, but they invited him to become a member of the Executive Board, jumpstarting McLaney’s outreach to the broader community. He picked up partners in the Garden Club at St. James, St. James Ponds Committee, and other local birding and gardening groups. McLaney says it takes a village, and at this point in the journey, the proverbial village showed up, giving presentations to the Saint James Town Council, informing them of the many benefits of certifying Saint James as the first coastal Community Wildlife Habitat.

The next step was to mobilize the community by encouraging individuals to convert their own properties into Certified Wildlife Habitats by providing wildlife with food, water, cover, and places to raise young. They quickly caught on.

 “I noticed that when somebody certified their property, it wasn’t long before their neighbor did, too. They saw this thing working and they talked about it with each other, which ultimately made people think ‘Well, if you can do that, so can I.’ It was nice to see that spread, it was inspiring,” said McLaney. 

Saint James is situated on a migratory flight path along the East Coast, where many migratory birds pass through on their migration routes each year. People in Saint James quickly realized that the food sources they were incorporating into their yard, particularly native flowering plants with fall-ripening berries, drew these birds. In McLaney’s words, the community gained the understanding that if you have the right habitat, the amount of wildlife you can see is incredible. 

But this collective change had implications beyond the community of Saint James. McLaney was approached by the Oak Island Beautification Committee to come speak about the process of establishing a Community Wildlife Habitat, and how this little town just across the Intracoastal Waterway might join Saint James in becoming a wildlife-friendly haven. 

Saint James’ larger neighbors are gaining interest, with Wilmington actively in the process of accruing points for certification and being registered as a Community Wildlife Habitat. The Cape Fear Garden Club is leading the process with the help of McLaney, NCWF’s Lower Cape Fear Wildlife Chapter, and NCWF vice president of conservation partnership, Natalie Bohorquez.

“The goal is for this somewhat scattered network of certified communities to become a patchwork of interconnected wildlife habitats, on the coast and across the state,” explained Bohorquez. “As that happens, it opens up an opportunity for more people to become involved. People vacation to and travel along the coast, and hopefully seeing what’s being done here might influence their actions moving forward. That could mean planting native plants in their yard, picking up trash in their neighborhood, or certifying their entire community. It all has a cumulative impact on wildlife, particularly within this statewide community of people doing the same thing.” 

Moving Forward

Establishing these Community Wildlife Habitats is no small task, but the benefits for coastal wildlife, and wildlife statewide, are immeasurable. It will require the collective effort of passionate individuals, groups, and communities who are committed to safeguarding North Carolina’s wildlife. 

“You can’t be selfish while you’re doing this,” McLaney said. “You can’t say ‘Look at what my group did’. You have to look at the bigger picture and the long-term outcome, which is getting your community certified for wildlife and raising the conservation education bar within your community. If you can have that mindset and bring in other people who can help you out along the way, good things can really happen quickly.”