National Wildlife Federation and Bellingham Community Wildlife Habitat Project Sponsoring the Bellingham Neighborhood Habitat Challenge

Join National Wildlife Federation and Bellingham Community Wildlife Habitat Project for the first ever Bellingham Neighborhood Habitat Challenge. Promoting education and awareness about wildlife habitats in the surrounding communities. Kickoff during the Bellingham Sustainable Connections Imagine This: Home & Landscape Tour scheduled for June 30 and July 1, 2007. It's easy and affordable -- attracting wildlife by providing food, water, shelter and a sustainable place to raise their young. A certified site can be as small as a container garden on your patio.

Bellingham, WA (PRWEB) June 30, 2007 -- Join National Wildlife Federation and Bellingham Community Wildlife Habitat Project for the first ever Bellingham Neighborhood Habitat Challenge. Promoting education and awareness about wildlife habitats in the surrounding communities.

The Neighborhood Habitat Challenge is a campaign to increase city wide participation in backyard wildlife habitat certification.

Bellingham Community Wildlife Habitat Project volunteers will launch the Neighborhood Habitat Challenge during the Sustainable Connections Imagine This: Home & Landscape Tour scheduled for June 30 and July 1, 2007.

The goal is 1,000 participants (homes, businesses, display gardens, etc.) in Bellingham and surrounding areas to certify as a Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary. It's easy and affordable -- all you need are trees, shrubs and flowers that attract butterflies and birds or other wildlife; providing food, water, shelter and a sustainable place to raise their young. A certified site can be as small as a container garden on your patio. And what fun you and your family can have viewing and learning about Wildlife, just like on the show "Creating Backyard Habitat" (NWF) featured on Animal Planet.

By meeting a goal of 1,000 residential, business and schoolyard certified habitats, Bellingham will receive recognition as the first community over 50,000 population to become a Community Wildlife Habitat in Washington with the National Wildlife Federation.

Packets of information on the challenge will be available on the tour at the Kincaid residence and special incentives will be offered for those who register their backyard on the spot.

Special recognition and prizes will be awarded the first neighborhood to gain 30 newly registered habitats.

Certifying your yard is an informal volunteer activity. No one comes to inspect your yard and it does not limit homeowner rights or your ability to develop your property.

Visit online http://www.nwf.org/backyard/.

With your help we are confident we can reach our first goal of 500 newly certified yards by October 2007. So, are you willing to support our project by certifying your yard?

• Bellingham Community Wildlife Habitat Project is a Bellingham-based non-profit whose mission is to promote Wildlife Habitats in both backyards and patios. Volunteers attend farmers markets, and other community events to increase awareness about protecting Wildlife Habitats in the community. For more Bellingham information contact 360-715-2923. For other Community Wildlife Habitats across the country visit: http://www.nwf.org/community/cwhsites.cfm.

• National Wildlife Federation is a non-profit organization inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future. For further information, visit website: http://www.nwf.org or call: 800-822-9919.

• Sustainable Connections is a non-profit membership organization of well over 550 NW Washington business and community leaders working to transform and model an economy built on sustainable practices. We envision business practices that lead to Strong Community, Healthy Environment, Meaningful Employment, and Buying Local First as commonplace in our region and a model for the rest of the world. Website contact: http://sconnect.org.