Contact: Elenor Hodges, Executive Director
Telephone: (703) 228-6427
E-mail: elenor@arlingtonenvironment.org

Arlington, Va., November 10, 2005 - The results have been tallied for the Wildlife Habitat Neighborhood Challenge, a nine-month contest to identify the most wildlife-friendly neighborhood in Arlington. Three neighborhoods were recognized at a ceremony yesterday at Fort C.F. Smith in Arlington.

Receiving top honors was Douglas Park, with an award for the most properties certified. Douglas Park had a total of 54 properties certified as wildlife habitats in its boundaries and received a gift certificate for $300 from Lebanese Taverna. Also recognized were Ashton Heights with the most new certifications in 2005 (46) and Lyon Park for the most certified properties per square mile (42.7). Ashton Heights and Lyon Park received prizes from My Organic Market and Heidelberg Pastry respectively. (Lyon Park was actually third after Ashton Heights and Douglas Park which had 102.1 and 86.5 certified properties per square mile.) All properties certified as wildlife habitats must provide food, water, shelter, and places to raise young.

“We were extremely pleased with the involvement of the residents of Arlington’s civic associations--it was quite a competitive contest,” said Elenor Hodges, Executive Director of Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment. A total of 250 properties were certified between January 1 and September 30 when the Neighborhood Challenge ended.

As a result of the success of the challenge, Arlington County has been officially designated as a Community Wildlife Habitat. As such, it is the first county in Virginia and tied as the first county in the nation to receive the honor. The designation, given by the National Wildlife Federation, is awarded to communities that certify a significant proportion of their lands as wildlife habitat. Arlington County has a total of 403 certified properties.

The Arlington Community Wildlife Habitat effort began in 2001 when a coalition of county government and private partners came together with the goal of enhancing the county through the creation of wildlife friendly landscapes. Spearheading the effort were representatives from Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment; Gulf Branch and Long Branch Nature Centers of Arlington’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department; the Virginia Native Plant Society; the Virginia Cooperative Extension; the Arlington Wild Birds Unlimited store and many motivated county residents.

The Arlington County initiative was a top down, bottom up effort, with all five County Board members certifying their own yards along with hundreds of other Arlington residents. The diversity of habitats certified in Arlington reflects the diversity of the community, with single-family homes, duplexes, apartments, condominiums, schools, community gardens, nature centers, parks, libraries, senior centers, and businesses all taking part.