Are you interested in learning about wildlife habitat for your property and community? Lancaster Conservancy is excited to offer a series of classes that will equip you with conservation landscaping tools; key solutions to solving our water, climate, and habitat crises.

Who are these classes and certification for?

Whether you’re a homeowner hoping to learn skills to transform your own property, a seasoned landscaper or groundskeeper looking to advance your professional knowledge, or a passionate community member that wants to learn how they can help transform their neighborhood, school, or place of worship into a thriving space for wildlife – these classes are for you!

Do I need to take the prerequisite to take the other classes?

The first class, Habitat Advocates: Building Biodiversity in our Community, is required before taking any other classes, whether you wish to complete the certificate or just take individual classes. Having the shared experience of this first class will help to build common language and essential baseline knowledge for all future classes whether you’re an expert or new to ecological gardening.

How does the certification work?

Anyone completing all 10 classes and the final Native Garden Design and Build class qualifies to be a certified Habitat Advocate. The 10 classes will be offered each year so that you can slowly work towards completing the certification over time if you do not wish to sign up for all of the classes in one season.

Can I sign up for individual classes?

Yes! Participation in individual classes is welcome with the exception of the Native Garden Design and Build class, which is a final demonstration of skills and experience for the certification.

How old do you need to be to participate?

Attendees ages 16 and over are invited but must be accompanied by an adult if younger than 18.

Why are there three ticket levels for each class?

The Conservancy does not want financial barriers to keep our community from being able to expand their knowledge about native plants and ecological gardening. People registering for the class can choose between three ticket options: “Reduced Cost,” “At Cost,” and “Pay It Forward” (which helps cover the cost of those looking to attend the program at the “Reduced Cost”). If the “Reduced Cost” ticket rate still presents a barrier to attending these classes or completing the certificate program, please reach out to Keith Williams at KWilliams@lancasterconservancy.org to discuss options.

Do you need continuing education for this certification?

It is highly recommended that certified habitat advocates attend additional classes annually upon completion of the certificate. To expand knowledge and experience in this field, additional habitat advocate classes will be offered in the future as a supplement to these initial classes.

Still have questions? Please reach out to Linda Ferich at LFerich@lancasterconservancy.org. 

This project was made possible by the Lancaster Clean Water Partners and the Lancaster County Community Foundation through the Lancaster Clean Water Fund.