Community Profile

Pledge Status

Complete

Pledge Date

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Program Year

2022

Achievement

Signatories

2022

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Action Item Report

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Evans City

Evans City, PA

Cheri Deener-Kohan

Council President of Evans City PA

Pledge Summary

Evans City is settled in a valley surrounded by large hills and beautiful landscape. This quaint Pennsylvania town is conveniently located just north of Pittsburgh and just south of two state parks, Moraine and McConnell's Mill. And an environmental education Center, the Jennings Commission. These are all in Butler County, PA. Our population with the 2020 census is at 1,850 people with equal groupings of young couples starting out, families with children looking for quiet environment for them live and learn and an older population that were born, raised, and plan to live out their lives here. We have a family dairy, Marburger Dairy, that is a national champion in the buttermilk and chocolate milk taste competition and their milk products are shipped across the United States. We are also known for our sweet corn that another local farmer started many years ago to feed his family of 13 and now stills feeds the 3rd generation of this family which has increased exponentially. They start in March with preparing their fields for planting and have sweet corn ready for the 4th of July holiday picnics, as well as corn to sell at community grocers in Butler County. Evans City has many programs and services available for its citizens like, EDCO a community park and pool, 4-H group, elementary school housing K-6 grade, active library programming, girl/boy scout troops, a senior citizens complex, student baseball fields from T-ball to high school age, and a Master Gardener with in our boundaries. All these opportunities would make this commitment to the monarch butterflies and their habitat a value to our community. Butler County has many agricultural aspects and is a learning center for all ages. We try to educate our folks by highlighting and encouraging a better understanding of the plight of our wildlife with the barn owl and osprey habitats at Moraine State Park, and our involvement over the years by hosting Earth Day activities at EDCO Park and down by the Breakneck Creek. Some Earth Day activities and booths are Rural Water Conservation, honey bee habitats, seedlings trees to be planted, warning about the use of pesticides and herbicides, re-entry of the barn owl native to our area, and organic gardening. Now we can add to Earth Day the importance of helping monarch butterflies. Some additional activities and events that we are thinking about this year are to get the word out of how important conservation of our land, air, water, and all wildlife is and highlighting and lifting the interest of all, on increasing the population and maintaining viability of the monarch butterflies. When it comes to interest and effort in committing to the monarch population and pollinator conservation, it is our aspiration that Evans City would be looking to plant more sustainable plants for the butterflies within our park, as well as, help to maintain a pollinator garden at our library that also houses our municipal government. We are also participating in the Science Day at our school to start the discussion and initiate families and kids to participate in this effort of aiding, assisting, supporting and conserving our area and homes to help sustain the monarch population. Our vision for our small town of Evans City in rural Pennsylvania is one of hope....hope for the health, welfare, and sustainability for our monarchs now and for the future.

Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2022

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.

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.

Systems Change

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