It is a landscape populated with berry trees, exotic flowers, a small fireplace, a pond, and numerous animals – right in Jersey City.
Diane Dragone and Tom Horan, who live on Wright Avenue in the western part of town with their two children, Daniel and Gigi, have not only cultivated a portion of their property for the enjoyment of nature, but also to create a safe haven for the area’s birds and stray cats.
They have been recognized recently by the National Wildlife Foundation with an official designation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat, one of a number of such places across the U.S.
Now, the back yard is subjected to periodic, unannounced visits by Wildlife Foundation representatives to make sure Dragone and her family are maintaining the habitat.
Dragone said the designation required that she take a test, and have the necessary plants and sheds to shelter the animals. Then she was issued an ID number and received a sign saying Certified Wildlife Habitat.
Earlier this month, the couple welcomed friends and family to the house for a blessing of the animals on the religious holiday commemorating the patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi (a statue of whom is in their backyard). It was also a sad occasion, as the day before, a beloved stray feline named Chanel was run over by a car on the street where they live.
Dragone, the founder of the Jersey City-based Kennedy School of Dancers, ruminated last week about her unusual back yard.
“My avocation should have been animals; I should have had a farm,” Dragone said.
Robert Bryson, a friend of the family, joked about the backyard habitat and Dragone’s love of animals.
“The animals, they all talk to each other,” he said. “I think she’s getting the name of Mrs. Doolittle.”Creating a habitat
Dragone recalled the animals who have settled at one time or another in her backyard over the past 20 years.
“We have some raccoons, possums and woodchucks, squirrels, and tons of migratory birds,” Dragone said. “We live four blocks from the Hackensack River, but we are also near Holy Name Cemetery where a lot of animals gather.”
Jersey City is also near the Meadowlands region, a haven for various types of exotic birds and wildlife that are sometimes hard to spot.
Last week, Dragone showed off the flora and fauna that either grow in the backyard or have been attempted but failed, whether it was moonflowers flourishing successfully, or cherry trees that never took to the soil.
According to the National Wildlife Foundation’s website (www.nwf.org), individuals applying to certify their backyards must have sufficient food sources such as native plants and seeds, water sources such as a birdbath and pond, places for shelter such as a birdhouse, places to raise young creatures (e.g. dense shrubs), and sustainable gardening like mulch and compost. Also, the soil must be free of contaminants.
What also makes the habitat worth maintaining are the numerous stray cats inhabiting the next door neighbor’s backyard that make frequent visits to Dragone’s yard, she said. Bless them all
Dragone said that over the years, her family has sheltered many disabled cats, either with an ailment like a leg injury, or blindness. She has also gotten people to adopt more than 80 cats and dogs after nursing them back to health.
At the recent blessing ceremony for the animals, Kearny priest Father John Corbett offered the official blessing via cell phone, as he was unable to attend in person.
Friends and family gathered in the backyard. Horan recited words of prayer and gratitude to God for all animals after the priest gave his blessing.
“Thank you for all the animals of the world,” he said, “and thank you for all the animals that you created. May I respect them and see your love in them every day of my life. Amen.” Comments on this story can be sent to rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com