Community Profile

Pledge Status

Complete

Pledge Date

Monday, March 29, 2021

Program Year

2021

Achievement

Leadership Circle

2021

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Action Item Report

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City of Peekskill

Peekskill, NY

Andre Rainey

Mayor

Pledge Summary

The City of Peekskill is located approximately 45 minutes from New York City in the Hudson Valley, with a diverse population of 20,000. The City hosts several community gardens, and has 8 municipal parks within the 4 square miles of the City. The City of Peekskill is committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with the signing of the Mayor's Pledge, and looks forward to engaging residents in building pollinator habitats in the City.

Community Spotlight

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Milkweed planting area at the Riverfront Green

This is one of the areas where milkweed has been planted in Peekskill. This area is along a heavily used walkway at our Riverfront Green. Signage providing information on the Pollinated Pathway is put out to inform walkers.

Action Items Committed for 2021

Communications and Convening

  • Launch or maintain a public communication effort to encourage residents to plant monarch gardens at their homes or in their neighborhoods. (If you have community members who speak a language other than English, we encourage you to also communicate in that language; Champion Pledges must communicate in that language.)
  • Engage with community garden groups and urge them to plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants.
  • 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 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.

Program and Demonstration Gardens

  • Plant or maintain a monarch and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden at City Hall or another prominent or culturally significant community location.
  • Launch, expand, or continue an invasive species removal program that will support the re-establishment of native habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
  • Display educational signage at monarch gardens and pollinator habitat.

Systems Change

  • Integrate monarch butterfly conservation into the city’s Park Master Plan, Sustainability Plan, Climate Resiliency Plan or other city plans.