Community Profile

Program Year

2023

Status

Active | Certified

Last Certification Date

6/9/2023

Certified Since

3/1/2012

Habitat Locations

By City - Willimantic

Registered On

3/1/2012

Links and Uploads

View Links and Uploads

Willimantic

Willimantic, CT

City or Town

Population: 18000

Summary

Willimantic is the downtown city area of the town of Windham in a part of Connecticut known as the “Quiet Corner." The community’s name comes from an Algonquian Indian term for “land of the swift running waters." In the 1800s, the rivers attracted textile factories, including The American Thread Company, which produced the first spool of thread ever made. The town’s historic heritage has been preserved in a Mill Museum, a Railroad Museum, numerous Victorian homes, a 1907 footbridge and many renovated mills. Willimantic is now the home to one of the four state universities and a community college. There is a strong sense of community, as shown by its many festivals and civic organizations, including the Garden Club of Windham, a sponsor of the Community Wildlife Habitat project.

My Certified Wildlife Habitats

My Annual Activity Points

Total Re-Certification Points

Community Spotlight

Native plant-pollinator Garden

This 'brown field' along the Willimantic river once housed a gas station but is being cleaned up and turned into a park. We began by planting the areas along the sidewalk.

Schillberg Butterfly Garden

We added a Butterfly Garden to the Grass covered town green.

Monarch on Butterfly Weed

We held a town-wide project to encourage planting of milkweed, giving away plants and publicizing it's importance to Monarchs through public talks and other media.

Garden Club Plant Sale

Our garden club plant sales include and emphasize native plants, as well as other non invasive pollinator plants. We use the opportunity to give out information on sharing our space with wildlife, and the important role gardeners play.

Past Certification Archive

Program Year	Status	Certification Date
Initial Certification	Certified	3/1/2012	View
2018	Certified	5/6/2021	View
2019	Certified	5/6/2021	View
2020	Certified	5/6/2021	View
2021	Certified	5/6/2021	View
2022	Certified	9/20/2022	View
2023	Certified	6/9/2023	View

The National Wildlife Federation