Community Profile

Pledge Status

Complete

Pledge Date

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Program Year

2021

Achievement

Leadership Circle

2021

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Action Item Report

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Town of Fountain Hills

Fountain Hills, AZ

Ginny Dickey

Mayor

Pledge Summary

Fountain Hills is a beautiful town in the Valley of the Sun, just east of Scottsdale, Arizona. Nestled in the Sonoran Desert and surrounded by mountains, Fountain Hills has unparalleled natural beauty with desert terrain and incredible views. The town’s world famous fountain rises to a daily height of 330 feet, and during special occasions the water plume can reach its full height of 560 feet. The town hosts multiple festivals and events throughout the year. Beginning January 8, 2018 the Town of Fountain Hills, Arizona was awarded the rare distinction of being designated an International Dark Sky Community by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA). With a population of approximately 25,000, Fountain Hills has the charm of a small town and has been cited as “a welcome oasis on the outskirts of a metropolis.” A spirit of volunteerism and a high level of community involvement help make Fountain Hills an amazing place to live. The citizens of this close-knit town love the wildlife that they share their community with and the town looks forward to becoming a Community-wide Certified Wildlife Habitat.

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Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2021

Communications and Convening

  • Engage with community garden groups and urge them to plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants.
  • Create a community art project to enhance and promote monarch and pollinator conservation as well as cultural awareness and recognition.
  • Issue a proclamation to raise awareness about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the species’ need for habitat. This proclamation must incorporate a focus on monarch conservation.

Program and Demonstration Gardens

  • Host or support a native seed or plant sale, giveaway or swap.
  • Plant or maintain a monarch and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden at City Hall or another prominent or culturally significant community location.
  • Launch or maintain an outdoor education program(s) (e.g., at schools, after-school programs, community centers and groups) that builds awareness and creates habitat by engaging students, educators, and the community in planting native milkweed and pollinator-friendly native nectar plants (i.e., National Wildlife Federation’s Schoolyard Habitats program and Monarch Mission curriculum).
  • Earn or maintain recognition for being a wildlife-friendly city by participating in other wildlife and habitat conservation efforts (i.e., National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitat program).
  • Host or support a monarch butterfly festival that is accessible to all residents in the community and promotes monarch and pollinator conservation, as well as cultural awareness and recognition.

Systems Change

  • Launch, expand, or continue one or more ordinances to reduce light pollution to benefit urban wildlife.