Community Profile

Pledge Status

Complete

Pledge Date

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Program Year

2023

Achievement

Leadership Circle

2023

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Action Item Report

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City of Manassas

Manassas, VA

Michelle Davis-Younger

Mayor

Pledge Summary

Manassas is an urban habitat of 45,000 people located 20 miles southwest of Washington, DC. The city is 10 square miles and has 230 acres of parkland and open space. In 2020 the city adopted a goal that Manassas would be a sustainable and resilient city that values the environment, encourages access to nature, and provides a safe, pleasant and healthy community for residents of all ages, abilities and incomes. A strategy to achieving that goal includes, "Supporting the conservation of local and regional biodiversity by promoting the protection and enhancement of native plant communities and pollinator and wildlife habitats while managing invasive plant and animal species."

Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2023

Communications and Convening ▸

  • 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.
  • Engage with gardening leaders and partners (e.g., Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, Nature Centers, Native Plant Society Chapters , other long-standing and influential community leaders) to support monarch butterfly conservation.
  • Engage with city parks and recreation, public works, sustainability, and other relevant staff to identify opportunities to revise and maintain mowing programs and milkweed / native nectar plant planting programs.
  • Engage with community garden groups and urge them to plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants.

Program and Demonstration Gardens ▸

  • Add or maintain native milkweed and nectar-producing plants in gardens in the community.
  • Plant milkweed and pollinator-friendly native nectar plants along roadsides, medians, or public rights-of-way.
  • Plant or maintain a monarch and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden at City Hall or another prominent or culturally significant community location.
  • Host or support a native seed or plant sale, giveaway or swap.

Systems Change ▸

  • Launch, expand, or continue an effort to change municipal planting ordinances and practices to include more native milkweed and native nectar producing plants at city properties.
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