In 2019 we set out to certify the City of Buffalo as a National Wildlife Federation Community Wildlife Habitat in an effort to educate people about environmental stewardship and how to live alongside nature, not fight against it. We didn’t do it alone, with the help of 126 private residents, 41 parks, 36 community gardens, 10 schools, 5 businesses and 2 colleges we managed to achieve this monumental goal in 18 months, compared to the original 3 year projection. As a result, the City of Buffalo became the largest certified habitat in New York State and the 16th largest in the country! Through our certification we have provided a proven program framework for engaging citizens in tackling environmental problems, built a community unified by a common goal, beautified our city and provided national recognition for our efforts to protect wildlife.

This project would not have been possible without the generosity of the Paul & Helen Charitable Trust, Erie County through then-Legislator Lisa Chimera and the City of Buffalo through Common Council member Joseph Golombek.

Update: We are proud to say that the NWF Community Wildlife Habitat certification for the City of Buffalo and Erie County has been continued through 2023!  The ongoing effort required to maintain these certifications shows that we are dedicated as a community to the cause of maintaining and fostering the environment that we all share, and setting an example for others while we do so.  Thank you to everyone who’s put in so much hard work to help maintain this certification for our Green Queen City!

A full-size .pdf file copy of the City of Buffalo’s NWF certification can be found below!

When we first conceived the plan to certify the City of Buffalo as an NWF Community Wildlife Habitat, that was just the beginning.  Our goal is to create a region wide ecosystem where wildlife can thrive and the quality of life improves for everyone.  Wildlife does not recognize borders, and when it comes to the environment we shouldn’t either.

In December of 2021, we achieved the next step in our plan by certifying all of Erie County as an NWF Community Wildlife Habitat, making it the sixth largest such habitat in the entire country.  In 2023, with the help of countless supporters, the county was able to maintain its certification and plans to do so into the future indefinately.  And we’re not going to stop with Erie County; if you want to know more, read about our plans to certify Niagara County as an NWF Community Wildlife Habitat, below!

If you are interested in certifying your private garden or know of a park or school that would be interested, please have a look at the National Wildlife Federation Habitat Checklist here and feel free to contact us at BRRAHabitatProject@outlook.com.

We would like to recognize and thank the Niagara River Greenway for their generosity without which this project would not be possible.

A full-size .pdf file copy of Erie County’s NWF certification can be found below!

With the City of Buffalo and Erie County certified we are now trying to extend this project even further and get Niagara County certified next. This might be outside of our normal geographic footprint, but we believe that environmental stewardship is a collaborative effort and should be promoted all over western New York. Lake Erie, the Niagara River, and Lake Ontario all fall along a migration pathway for birds and butterflies, so we want to ensure that there are habitable spaces all along these waterways for animals to enjoy.  When we achieve this goal, it will be the first Certified Wildlife Habitat Migratory Pathway in the country and would greatly benefit not just the migrating animals but those that live in this area year-round as well.  Animals don’t adhere to boundaries so the goal is to make as many areas habitable for them as possible.    

If you are interested in certifying your private garden or know of a park or school that would be interested, please have a look at the National Wildlife Federation Habitat Checklist here and feel free to contact us at BRRAHabitatProject@outlook.com.