Volunteers from a Lake Bluff community group told the Sustainability & Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee on Aug. 19 that the village has earned habitat certification from the National Wildlife Federation and asked the committee to recommend a village proclamation and display of certification signs.

"As you have probably heard, we got the certification to be a national wildlife Federation, habitat certified community," said Luciana Titanic, a resident and member of the local group, at the meeting. Members said they will ask the village board for a proclamation and that displaying a sign alongside existing Tree City USA and bird-city signs would help publicize the designation.

The group described certification as a points-based program administered by the National Wildlife Federation. Speakers said points are earned for administration, education, demonstration gardens, institutional participation and household certification. "Each home gave us 1 point," a volunteer explained, and schools and public institutions contributed more points under the program’s rubric. Group members reported they achieved more than 150 points from roughly 120 certified entities, including residents, schools and other institutions.

Volunteers said they plan continued outreach at the farmers market and want to partner with the committee on education. "We will be asking the village for a proclamation of the certification," one presenter said, adding that the proclamation supports annual recertification efforts and visibility. They also requested the village post a sign where residents enter the village to highlight the designation.

Committee members congratulated the volunteers and discussed next steps for village-level publicity. The presenters left informational folders from the National Wildlife Federation for committee members and staff to review.

Speakers

Luciana Titanic — Volunteer, local National Wildlife Federation-certified community group; resident of Lake Bluff.
Lisa Schwarz — Volunteer, local certified group; resident (address provided in transcript)
Annie Anderson — Volunteer, local certified group; resident.
Chair Runer — Chair, Sustainability & Community Enhancement Ad Hoc Committee.
Drew — Village staff member (first name only)

Authorities

[{"type":"other","name":"National Wildlife Federation habitat certification program","citation":"NWF community habitat certification (point-based program)","referenced_by":["national-wildlife-federation-certification-ceremony"]},{"type":"other","name":"Tree City USA","citation":"Tree City USA program","referenced_by":["national-wildlife-federation-certification-ceremony"]}]

Actions

No formal committee motion was taken to approve proclamation language on Aug. 19. Volunteers said they will approach the village board seeking a proclamation and sign placement; committee members expressed support and asked staff to coordinate talking points.

Discussion / Direction / Decision

Discussion: Volunteers described the certification point system, outreach activities (farmers market, signage) and the importance of institutional participation for recertification.
Directions: Volunteers will approach the village board for a proclamation and sign placement; committee to coordinate talking points and publicity.
Decisions: None formalized at this meeting.

Clarifying details

[{"category":"certification_points","detail":"Threshold and points earned for National Wildlife Federation habitat certification","value":"~150 points across ~120 entities","units":"points/entities","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Luciana Titanic"},{"category":"application_fee","detail":"Resident application fee for property certification","detail":"Application fee was $25 per property as cited by volunteers","value":25,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Luciana Titanic"},{"category":"sign_sizes","detail":"Certification sign size options discussed","value":"9x12 inches and 2x3 feet","units":"inches/feet","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Luciana Titanic"}]

Proper_names

[{"name":"National Wildlife Federation","type":"organization"},{"name":"Tree City USA","type":"program"},{"name":"Village of Lake Bluff","type":"agency"}]

Community_relevance

{"geographies":["Village of Lake Bluff"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["residents","schools","park district volunteers"]}

Meeting_context

{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":3,"duration_minutes":30,"items_count":1},"implementation_risk":"low","history":[{"date":"ongoing","note":"Group reported months of work leading to certification; community outreach at farmers market"}]}

Searchable_tags

["wildlife-habitat","National Wildlife Federation","certification","community-outreach","Tree City USA"]

Provenance

{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"seg_1011.775","local_start":0,"local_end":200,"evidence_excerpt":"The 3 of us are here with the group that got the certification from the National Wildlife Federation. So we're gonna state our names and and then we're gonna talk just for a few minutes.","global_start":1011,"global_end":1026,"reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"seg_1754.97","local_start":0,"local_end":200,"evidence_excerpt":"I'm gonna leave behind just a few of these, folders that come from the National Wildlife in case anybody is interested in what we were giving out.","global_start":1754,"global_end":1759,"reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}