10 Most Wildlife-Friendly Cities in the U.S. 2024

Prospering untamed life isn’t generally the first thing that strikes a chord in quite a while. Consistently, notwithstanding, urban areas are finding a way extra ways to help natural life populaces and instruct residents about the significance of the climate. Wildlife-Friendly Cities in the U.S.

In 2019, the National Wildlife Federation positioned the 100 biggest urban communities in the U.S. as indicated by their commitment to natural life protection standards. The non-benefit association’s rankings depended on a few rules, including how much land was put away for parks, support for natural life projects, and government funded training on ecological issues. The urban communities that procured top rankings incorporate average sized cities as well as the absolute biggest urban communities in the United States, and address each area of the country.

 

10 Most Wildlife-Friendly Cities in the U.S.

Here are 10 of the most wildlife-friendly cities in the United States:

1. Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas’s capital, is ranked as the best city for wildlife in part because of its efforts to boost diminishing monarch butterfly numbers. Austin is located inside the monarch butterfly’s major migration path, which means that monarch butterflies travel twice a year, highlighting the importance of the city’s efforts. Preservation of natural vegetation, encouragement of homeowners to plant pollinator gardens, and public education are all part of Austin’s conservation efforts.

According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Austin has the most certified wildlife habitats of any city in the United States, with 2,616 of them being schools with planted habitat gardens as an educational tool.

2. Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta came in second thanks to its Climate Action Plan, which aims to expand on the city’s existing 3,000 acres of parkland. Atlanta’s climate plan calls for more trees to be planted and more green areas to be created, despite the fact that it is already one of the country’s most wooded cities.

The National Wildlife Federation has designated six Atlanta neighborhoods as Community Wildlife Habitats, recognizing people’s efforts to establish wildlife-friendly gardens. When combined, these green spaces can serve to lessen the city’s urban heat island effect.

3. Portland, Oregon

Portland, often known as the City of Roses, takes first place because of its 12,591 acres of public parks and empty areas. According to the Trust for Public Land, 90% of Portlanders live within a 10-minute walk to at least one park.

The Chinook salmon, a locally endangered animal that is an important part of the Pacific Northwest’s aquatic ecology, is one of the city’s wildlife protection priorities. The Portland Area Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Program keeps track of how local rivers are doing. Salmon may be found in 125 of Portland’s 300 miles of rivers and streams, according to city officials.

4. Indianapolis, Indiana

According to the NWF, Indianapolis ranks first on the ranking with 1,101 approved wildlife habitats. Seventy-one of them are schoolyard habitats or outdoor school programs in which kids learn how their behaviors might help local wildlife.

Indianapolis also has an extensive park system. Eagle Creek is the city’s biggest park, at 4,279 acres, and one of the country’s largest municipal parks. White-tailed deer, largemouth bass, and bald eagles are among the animals that call it home.

5. Chula Vista, California

Because of its efforts to fight water use problems, Chula Vista, a city in southern California just south of San Diego, is fifth on the list. The city’s NatureScape program encourages residents to convert lawns with native plant gardens, which attract pollinators while conserving water.

The city has also established the CLEAN group, which is a collaboration among government, businesses, and community organizations aimed at addressing environmental challenges. In recent years, the organization has concentrated on pollution reduction, drafting a climate action plan, and public education.

6. Cincinnati, Ohio

The Cincinnati metropolitan region has nearly 115,000 acres of public green space, making it one of the most accessible cities in the United States. The Bender Mountain Nature Preserve, located on the west side of town, is home to 50 acres of woodlands that safeguard wildlife and native plants. The Cincinnati Nature Preserve, on the city’s eastern outskirts, safeguards another 1,162 acres of private land. Volunteer monitoring teams are also organized by the center to assist safeguard species such as eastern bluebirds, butterflies, and native amphibians. Finally, the city’s Plant Native effort acts as an educational resource for residents interested in increasing biodiversity in their lawns and gardens.

7. Seattle, Washington

Seattle has 489 parks covering 6,441 acres, including 2,500 acres of public forest space. Discovery Park, the city’s largest park, covers 534 acres and is a significant conservation area for birds and marine wildlife.

Researchers utilize Seattle to examine how urban surroundings may be constructed to support wildlife because of the city’s large amount of forested land. The Seattle Urban Carnivore Project asks members of the public to report wildlife observations, which helps to show how and where carnivorous species and people may coexist.

8. Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte’s ranking as a top ecological city is partly due to its teaching initiatives in the field of native animals and wildlife. Charlotte, like Austin, is on a monarch butterfly migration flyway, and the city is working to protect the species. The Butterfly Highway, a statewide educational program that teaches people how to develop native landscapes that attract monarch butterflies and other pollinators, includes Charlotte. The program’s major objectives are to replace typical lawns with native plants, reduce insecticide consumption, and mitigate urbanization’s effects on wildlife.

9. Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh, one of the strongest cities in the country, is managing its expansion with wildlife-friendly measures. Raleigh, like Charlotte, is a part of the Butterfly Highway project, which tries to reverse a butterfly declining population. It is also countering its growing population with new public parks, which account for 11% of the city’s total area.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, the southeast’s biggest natural history museum, is also located in Raleigh. The museum hosts citizen scientist activities that assist track populations of native plants and animals, in addition to financing studies and informing tourists.

10. Washington, D.C.

Thanks to its extensive park system and measures to improve local ecosystems and safeguard animals, Washington, D.C. earns the final spot on the NWF list. The National Park Service manages more than 6,700 acres of public parks in the nation’s capital, accounting for 20% of the city’s total size. The city’s park system is the best in the country, according to the Trust for Public Land, and 98 percent of D.C. residents live within a 10-minute walk of a public park.

To identify species and ecosystems that require protection, Washington D.C. has created a Wildlife Action Plan and a Habitat Restoration Program. The initiatives subsidize the restoration of wetlands and streams, the protection of native wildlife, and the eradication of exotic species.

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