The Montclair Backyard Habitat Project is committed to building a cleaner, healthier environment for both wildlife and people by encouraging environmentally responsible yard and garden care, creating space for wildlife in suburban yards, and preserving local habitat. Clean local streams are an important part of this equation.

What lands in Toney’s Brook – trash as well as yard runoff carrying pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers – makes its way to the Passaic River, Newark Bay, and finally the Atlantic Ocean, endangering human health as well as wildlife all along the way.

It’s easy to turn your yard into a beautiful haven for birds, butterflies and other desired wildlife while doing your part to protect our waterways. Families that take steps such as composting, landscaping with bird- and butterfly-friendly native plants, reducing or eliminating pesticides and herbicides, and reducing water use can certify their yards with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) as backyard habitats.

We are only 60 points short of the 250 needed to gain national recognition for Montclair as a NWF Community Wildlife Habitat, and each certified home brings us a point closer to this goal.

To find out how to certify your yard, visit our Web site, montclairwildlife.com. And please join us at Toney’s Brook on Sunday. Wear work clothes and be prepared to get a little wet and have some fun while helping us make our local stream – and the Atlantic Ocean – a little cleaner.

If you have any questions, contact me at DAWasmuth@aol.com.