The program recognizes homeowners, businesses, schools, churches, parks and other institutions that make a municipality wildlife-friendly, and Alpharetta’s practice of combining population growth with conservation, officials said.

The city’s Natural Resources Commission adopted a project to create multiple habitats in back yards, school yards, corporate properties, town gardens, parks and other spaces, officials said. The commission and Alpharetta’s Wild Side program encouraged businesses and residents to provide food, water and shelter to support wildlife, and to participate in sustainable gardening practices.