St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home program is an ecological landscaping inspiration and consultation service. Trained Habitat Advisors provide tailored advice and resource connections to help people create high-quality natural spaces where they live.
Site Visits
Site visits are available for stewards of residential yards (owned or rented), schoolyards, workplaces, common ground and vacant lots. Our advice and resource connections are geared specifically toward parcels in the St. Louis area under 5 acres.
Note: The current waitlist for site visits is 3+ months. Consultations are scheduled from March through November. Certification Assessments are scheduled from June through November.
If you’d like to get started right away, you might find some helpful ideas and resources on the STL Naturescaping Info Hub.
Gateway Consultation
- $50 (Free for residents in priority areas. Check eligibility.)
- For relatively new OR experienced native gardeners seeking help brainstorming ideas or troubleshooting a problem area. We provide a basic overview of what is already present and discuss the benefits of implementing practices to benefit wildlife and humans. We will help identify a priority project and provide recommendations.
- Also appropriate for those taking on stewardship of an existing BCH Certified yard and need guidance on maintaining it.
- Up to 1 hour, on-site visit with a trained Habitat Advisor.
- Report with findings and recommendations, and connections to resources for a priority project.
Wildlife Habitat Certification Assessment
- $80 (Free for residents in priority areas. Check eligibility.)
- For those who believe their landscape meets the criteria for certification.
- Please check the certification criteria here before choosing this option.
- Up to 2 hours (typically 90 minutes), on-site visit with a trained Habitat Advisor.
- Qualifying landscapes will receive a certificate and a yard sign with the certification level.
- Connections to resources.
Confluence Consultation
- $200
- For experienced gardeners committed to transforming their landscape, we provide an in-depth exploration of what is already present, potential solutions for problem areas, other enhancements, and next steps for wildlife habitat certification.
- Up to 2 hours (typically 90 minutes) on-site visit with a trained Habitat Advisor.
- Includes a detailed written site-visit report sent by email after the site visit.
- Fee includes a follow-up Gateway Consult or Certification Assessment at no charge.
Service Area
Our service area is limited to 50 miles by road from the center of St. Louis City. You can check your address with the map linked here. Contact us if you have questions about eligibility.
Fee Structure
Our generous program sponsors help to keep our services affordable to all. There is a fee to help cover our operational costs, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. For active members of St. Louis Wild Ones, the fee is reduced by 50%.
Fees for Residential Site Visits:
- Gateway Consultation – $50
- Certification Assessment – $80
- Confluence Consultation – $200
Fees for Institutional Site Visits:
- For small community institutions such as schools, nonprofits, or religious communities, the suggested fee for a Consultation or Certification Assessment is $100
- Larger institutions are asked to contribute $500 for a Consultation or Certification Assessment.
Free Site Visits in Priority Areas
There is no fee for Gateway Consultations or Certification Assessments within our priority areas. (Check eligibility)
As part of a broader effort to ensure all Missourians have access to nature in their communities, the Missouri Department of Conservation has adopted a tiered approach to focus its urban community conservation efforts in the St. Louis region. The highest priority are areas that have historically experienced disinvestment and where residents have limited access to nature. Bring Conservation Home is partnering with this effort to help ensure that all St. Louis-area residents are supported in improving the natural habitat value of their spaces for birds, butterflies, and people.
Certification Levels
Wildife Habitat Certification is available for Residential or Institutional Landscapes. Below is an overview of criteria for Residential Certification.
FREE yard sign is available upon certification.
The same sign can be used for all three levels of certification.
Silver
$ 99
Per Month- Clear some invasive plants
- 5% naturescaping
- 2 of 4 canopy levels
- 1 wildlife stewardship element
- 15+ native plant species
- 1 stormwater management element
Gold
$ 99
Per Month- Clear most invasive plants
- 15% naturescaping
- 3 of 4 canopy levels
- 2 wildlife stewardship elements
- 25+ native plant species
- 2 stormwater management elements
- 1 education/volunteerism element
Platinum
$ 99
Per Month- Clear all invasive plants
- 50% naturescaping
- All 4 canopy levels
- 3 wildlife stewardship elements
- 50+ native plant species
- 3 stormwater management elements
- 2 education/volunteerism elements
Upcoming Events
Partners for Native Landscaping
Spring 2026
Partners for Native Landscaping is an annual outreach education series presented in collaboration with other mission-aligned organizations with the goal of inspiring and helping individuals to create gardens that are not only beautiful but are also habitats for native wildlife.
St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour
May 17th, 2026 in Ladue & Olivette – $20 tickets available after April 15th
Each year, Bring Conservation Home teams up with St. Louis Wild Ones to present a tour of native plant gardens in a different part of the St. Louis metro area. The 2026 tour will feature private gardens in Ladue and Olivette with an Info Stop + Native Plant Sale at Five Oaks on Warson.
Bring Conservation Home Expo
September 20th, 2026
The Bring Conservation Home Expo will be at Tower Grove Park. It will feature activities, exhibits, native plants & art for sale.
Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors
OAK LEVEL
DOGWOOD LEVEL
SPICEBUSH LEVEL
BLAZINGSTAR LEVEL
Rolling Ridge Nursery
Quiet Village Landscaping
Pretty City Gardens and Landscapes LLC
