Community Profile

Town of Bedford

Katonah, Bedford Hills, and Bedford, NY

Ellen Calves

Supervisor

Pledge Summary

The Town of Bedford, located in Westchester County just north of New York City, spans nearly 40 square miles, with 26% preserved as open land. Bedford has been at the forefront of environmental action on multiple fronts, including waste management and energy efficiency. The town enforces stringent leaf blower regulations and maintains a pesticide-free policy for parks and highways. Several public display gardens, cared for by town employees and dedicated volunteers, serve as models of sustainable landscaping. Additionally, more than 200 residents have committed their properties to the Pollinator Pathway program, supporting vital habitat for pollinators.

Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2025

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.
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 ▸

Host or support a native seed or plant sale, giveaway or swap.
Facilitate or support a milkweed seed collection and propagation effort.
Plant or maintain a monarch and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden at City Hall or another prominent or culturally significant community location.
Plant milkweed and pollinator-friendly native nectar plants along roadsides, medians, or public rights-of-way.
Initiate or support community science (or citizen science) efforts that help monitor monarch migration and health.
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 ▸

Change weed or mowing ordinances to allow for native prairie and plant habitats.
Increase the percentage of native plants, shrubs and trees that must be used in city landscaping ordinances and encourage use of milkweed, where appropriate.
Reduce or eliminate the use of herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals that are harmful to monarchs and pollinators and urban wildlife.
Launch, expand, or continue one or more ordinances to reduce light pollution to benefit urban wildlife.

Past Pledge Archive

Mayor Name	Program Year	Pledge Date	Achievement
Supervisor Ellen Calves	2025	12/17/2024	Leadership Circle	View Pledge
Supervisor Ellen Calves	2023	3/23/2023		View Pledge

Pledge Status

Pledge Date

Program Year

Achievement

Links and Uploads

Action Item Report