Community Profile

Pledge Status

Did Not Report

Pledge Date

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Program Year

2021

Links and Uploads

View Links and Uploads

Action Item Report

View Report
Download Report

Town of DeWitt

DeWitt, NY

Edward Michalenko

Town Supervisor

Pledge Summary

The Town of DeWitt sits in the heart of New York State between the Finger Lakes, the Adirondacks, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Bordered by the City of Syracuse in the west and the Town of Manlius in the east, it has been a desirable suburban community for more than 185 years. If parks, trails, and greenspaces are “natural capital,” DeWitt enjoys a wealth of beautiful, natural spaces. Several parks, a robust trail system, greenspaces and access to the Erie Canalway and the Empire State Trail are all available within the Town of DeWitt. Ryder Park, one of the most popular in DeWitt, has been home to the town’s butterfly garden for over 20 years. Town Supervisor, Ed Michalenko has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with his signing of the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge and looks forward to partnering with the Recreation Department and DeWitt Advisory Conservation Commission to engage residents in building more pollinator habitat throughout the town.

Community Spotlight

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 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.
  • Display educational signage at monarch gardens and pollinator habitat.