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Local volunteers seek Village support to register Lake Bluff area with National Wildlife Federation habitat program
Summary
Growing Native Habitat Lake Bluff volunteers asked the committee to endorse registering a community wildlife habitat designation with the National Wildlife Federation, proposed outreach activities, and requested a letter of support, a proclamation and partnership on events and potential project work.
Sue Raymore and Anne (last name alternately recorded as Birkbeck/Bertevic) described an effort to register a Lake Bluff community under the National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitat program and asked for municipal support.
Raymore said the group — operating as Growing Native Habitat Lake Bluff — already organizes native‑plant demonstrations, educational walks, talks, seedling/seedling sales and collaborates with Lake Bluff Openlands and the park district. She said the National Wildlife Federation program awards points for community actions (examples include public‑site native plantings, school participation, changes to municipal policy and the presence of water sources) and that the group intends to collect points by signing up individual yards and public properties.
Raymore asked the committee for a letter of support from community government officials, a proclamation announcing the community registration, and help with outreach such as space at the farmers market. She said the group has an initial leadership team of about 10 volunteers and that some public properties (the community garden behind the public safety building, park pollinator gardens, and potential train‑station plantings) could contribute project points. The group also cited prior local work on native trees and seedling propagation.
Committee members suggested the volunteers prepare a simple checklist showing which existing sites and activities already qualify for points and how many additional individual signups are needed to reach the program threshold. The committee moved — and members discussed timing for a proclamation and whether the group could return with a roadmap at the April meeting — to recommend that the Village Board consider a proclamation supporting registration and to provide a roadmap showing how the community would meet program requirements.
A committee motion to recommend a proclamation and ask the group to provide a roadmap was made and discussed; committee members agreed to aim for the coming meeting schedule as the group prepares documentation.
