A Hopewell Valley Central High School graduate has turned her Girl Scout Gold Award project into a new regional recognition program that helps residents transform their yards into wildlife-friendly habitats. Tabitha Webster created “Certified Sourland Habitat,” which the Sourland Conservancy formally launched this month, naming its first certified homeowner in Hillsborough.
“I wanted to empower people to realize that even small actions, like planting native species or reducing pesticide use, are super important for the environment,” Webster said, adding she hopes the project inspires others to get involved.
Webster, who just graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School and will attend Skidmore College this fall, logged more than 80 hours developing the program with input from local advisors and habitat experts. The Gold Award—earned by fewer than six percent of Girl Scouts—recognizes projects with measurable, lasting community impact.
The Sourland Mountain region is a critical ecological area, home to many threatened species. It has also lost more than one million trees since 2020 to the emerald ash borer, intensifying the need for backyard stewardship, the Conservancy notes. One panelist who advised Webster called the program an effective way to educate neighbors about native plants and create contiguous habitat “in their own yards.”
How certification works
Certified Sourland Habitat offers three participation tiers—Bronze Copper, Silver Maple and Goldenrod—so beginners and native-plant veterans alike can take part. Actions range from simple yard tweaks to community-scale projects; participants receive a certificate and can opt to purchase a yard sign, with sign-ups available at sourland.org/preserve.
Examples of checklist items include:
- Bronze Copper (step 1): plant a keystone native, provide a clean water source for wildlife, replace outdoor lights with motion/yellow bulbs, pledge to go pesticide/rodenticide/fertilizer-free, and follow NJ Invasive Species Strike Team guidance to control invasives.
- Silver Maple (step 2): add a keystone shrub, plant groups of native grasses/flowers, create a brush pile, participate in a backyard bird count, add “soft landings” under trees, and collect rainwater.
- Goldenrod (step 3): establish a habitat corridor with at least four neighbors, make windows bird-safe, leave leaves and seed heads through winter, and reach at least 70% native plantings or replace half the lawn with natives.
Once a level is completed, participants email the checklist and a short survey to the Conservancy; they can then order an optional yard sign (currently $40).
First certification awarded
The Conservancy’s first certified participant, Ina Sivriver of Hillsborough, said her family’s yard has evolved from turf and non-natives to a landscape with native shrubs like blueberry that support pollinators and birds.
“Six years ago, our yard was all grass and nonnative plants,” Sivriver said. “As I learned about the benefits of landscaping with native plants, we began to remove the burning bush and other invasives and replace them with native shrubs like blueberry that have gorgeous fall color and produce flowers and berries to provide pollinators, birds, and us! Every spring and fall, we add a few more plants. Now, I collect seeds and start plants from cuttings and share them with my neighbors.”
Learn more, download the checklist and register at sourland.org/preserve.
