Marlton Lakes becomes 7th neighborhood community in the state to receive the title ‘Certified Wildlife Habitat Community’ by the National Wildlife Federation

Marlton Lakes, a neighborhood located at the southern end of Evesham Township, is joining with the municipality to proudly announce that Marlton Lakes has recently earned the title of “Certified Wildlife Habitat Community”.

This title was awarded to the neighborhood as an achievement through The National Wildlife Federation (NWF). Marlton Lakes is now only the 7th neighborhood community in the state of New Jersey to reach this accomplishment.

The process of becoming a Certified Wildlife Habitat Community involves a series of requirements outlined in a point system by the non-profit NWF, which is focused on the conservation and restoration of wildlife habitats to ensure a sustainable and healthy environment for future generations.

Through the NWF’s program, individuals and communities learn to create or restore habitat through gardening practices that provide basic needs for welcoming wildlife, while fostering a sense of community.

Certified individual gardens are designed to offer basic provisions for wildlife, such as food, water, cover and places to raise young. Additionally, the practice of sustainable gardening is encouraged. Some of these practices include reducing water usage, planting native plants, removing invasive plants, and eliminating the use of pesticides.

The certification process began for Marlton Lakes when two friends and longtime residents of the neighborhood introduced The “Gardening for Wildlife Garden Certification” project to the community in March 2023.

Dr. Aili Pogust and Amy Gonzalez are two gardeners and lovers of nature who have been living in the Marlton Lakes community for more than 38 years. However, in their time living in Marlton Lakes, both observed habitat loss and a decline in various forms of wildlife in their community.

According to the nonprofit Pinelands Preservation Alliance, in the Pinelands area of Southern New Jersey, there are 34 species of mammals, 36 species of fish, 24 amphibians, 30 reptiles, 144 birds, and more than 10,000 invertebrate species that are considered threatened or endangered due to human impact and habitat loss.

Knowing that Marlton Lakes is within the Pinelands boundaries, and with knowledge of these statistics, Pogust and Gonzalez felt compelled to invite neighbors to consider their surroundings and work together with conservation and preservation in mind.

Pogust and Gonzalez had both already personally certified their own individual gardens through the NWF in years prior, and they had excitedly exchanged reports between each other regarding the increase in bird species visiting their properties.

The women believed that the use of the NWF’s Certified Garden Program was the perfect template for the restoration of habitat in their community as a whole.

Pogust initiated the registration process with the NWF and took on the role of administrator. This included regular contact with the federation to report on the progress of the community and provide documentation of completed goals.

Eventually, a Facebook page named Marlton Lakes Nature Community was also created to reach and educate members within the neighborhood with important messages pertaining to wildlife and habitat issues. The creation of the page moved the project forward and became the means by which many Marlton Lakes residents were introduced to the goal of making Marlton Lakes a Certified Wildlife Habitat Community.

The NWF requires that a certain percentage of homes within a community have their individual gardens certified, which can often be a key goal that many communities interested in the Habitat Community status struggle to achieve.

However, many Marlton Lakes residents embraced the idea to certify their individual gardens. Each individual certified garden contributes to the greater whole in making the entire community more hospitable for wildlife and pollinators.

“Even the smallest changes can have a great impact, for good or for bad,” Gonzalez said. “We want to introduce the small changes that have a positive impact on wildlife and offer positive experiences for people.”

As the work continued toward certification, Marlton Lakes neighbors cheered for one another and congratulated each new household that registered their garden. An online countdown was watched with anticipation as the goal number of homes came within reach. Gonzalez and her husband also began awarding residents with homemade blue bird houses as a “thank you” and perk for joining the movement.

In addition to the Facebook page, Pogust also accomplished additional education and outreach goals through the founding of The Marlton Lakes Nature Club.

The club meets once a month in the Clubhouse for the private community, where Pogust creates an informative, interactive and fun learning experience for participants. The curriculum is friendly toward all age groups and intergenerational engagement is encouraged. The Nature Club is the platform for community connection, education and action as well as a place for new friendships to begin between neighbors.

According to Pogust, the club is, “a vehicle to serve and engage with others”.

Just some of the activities The Club and other volunteers have participated in include birdhouse making, neighborhood trash removal and beautification projects, and caring for three certified rain gardens that were installed at Marlton Lakes common areas, as well as the landscaping at neighborhood entrances.

One other important item required in NWF Community Certification process is engagement with government.

To that end, Pogust and Gonzalez presented at a meeting of the Evesham Township Environmental Commission to display the work residents of Marlton Lakes were accomplishing.

The commission showed a great interest in the presentation, and commissioners enthusiastically supported the project. Additionally, the township administration issued a formal letter in support of the Marlton Lakes Community and their work.

“I am so truly impressed by the remarkable achievement that Dr. Aili Pogust, Amy Gonzalez, and all the other residents of Marlton Lakes have brought to their neighborhood through their passion for environmental stewardship and improved biodiversity,” said Councilwoman Heather Cooper, who serves as liaison to the Evesham Environmental Commission. “These residents have preserved and protected the ecosystem of their neighborhood, which in turn benefits our township as a whole. This grassroots effort serves as a testament to what can be accomplished when friends and neighbors work together for a common goal to better their community.”

Dr. Pogust also remained diligent in furthering her education by participating in several intense courses offered by Rutgers Environmental Stewards Program and other curriculum significant to the Pinelands environment, including a course of water health and invasive plant species. This commitment to learning also earned points toward NWF certification.

Members of the community were also invited to learn when guest speakers from the Pinelands Preservation Alliance and The Native Plant Society gave presentations during Nature Club meetings. On another occasion, residents brought lawn chairs to enjoy an educational film under the stars, lakeside, on an outdoor screen.

Mayor Jaclyn Veasy also appointed Gonzalez as a full member of the Environmental Commission during the process, which allowed Gonzalez to remain engaged, educated and able to gain resources that would be helpful to the environment of Marlton Lakes. This also helped to move the Certification Project closer to completion, as involvement with such positions is encouraged by the NWF.

With new relationships and resources, Gonzalez was able to participate in town-wide opportunities to educate others about Certified Habitat gardening, thereby advancing the NWF mission and closing in on the necessary points for the Community Certification.

All these efforts were recorded and reported to the NWF throughout the process, and on May 7, 2024, the NWF added the Marlton Lakes neighborhood of Evesham Township to their map of Certified Wildlife Habitat Communities!

Marlton Lakes has now proudly earned a title that indicates an awareness and sensitivity toward their special location. Holding the title promotes good stewardship of their natural resources and properties for the benefit of the wildlife and people living in the Pinelands area of Evesham Township.

Undoubtedly, the lively neighborly spirit that has always existed in Marlton Lakes was provoked in a new and exciting way throughout this process. It is because of the communal bond and love for their natural setting in the Pinelands that Marlton Lakes neighbors came together to meet this goal. 

Those interested in seeing some of this work firsthand are invited to visit the private lake community as it opens to visitors during the Garden Club of Marlton’s Fourth Annual Marlton Garden Tour on June 1. (Rain date June 2)

All gardens on the tour are individually certified wildlife habitats featuring native plants.

Marlton Lakes is excited to offer their community as a place to learn more about native plants, gardening for wildlife and sustainable practices.

Learn more about the Garden Tour at marltongardentour.com

Members of The Evesham Green Team and The Native Plant Society will also be at this event to support Marlton Lakes in their achievement and to support the Garden Club of Marlton. Learn more about the Garden Club of Marlton at thegardenclubofmarlton.org

Other Links

To learn more about certifying a garden, visit nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Certify.aspx

To learn more about native plants, visit npsnj.org/

To learn more about the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, visit pinelandsalliance.org