Teen-Led Wildlife Effort: Georgia student turns Johns Creek into habitat model; certification endures

A suburban Georgia community became a model for urban wildlife conservation after teenager Malcolm Barnard led a two-year campaign to turn backyards, school grounds and public spaces into wildlife habitats. According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Johns Creek earned its Community Wildlife Habitat certification in 2012, becoming the organisation’s 60th certified community in the United States and only the second in Georgia at the time.Johns Creek, a growing city northeast of Atlanta, might not immediately seem like the setting for a major wildlife initiative. However, Barnard recognised the importance of protecting natural habitats in a rapidly developing suburban environment. According to National Wildlife magazine, he first discovered the NWF’s Community Wildlife Habitat programme while working on a school project. The programme encourages residents to make their properties more welcoming to wildlife by providing essential resources such as food, water, shelter and places where animals can raise their young. Inspired by the initiative, Barnard approached Johns Creek officials with the idea of pursuing certification for the entire city.The effort quickly grew beyond a s...