Community Profile

Pledge Status

Did Not Report

Pledge Date

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Program Year

2024

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Action Item Report

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Westhampton Beach

Westhampton Beach, NY

Ralph Urban

Mayor

Pledge Summary

Westhampton beach is a small coastal community on the south shore of Eastern Long Island. Over the past several years we have notice a dramatic decline in Monarch Butterflies and other pollinators. It is very important that we do whatever we can to reverse this trend. We have collaborated with our local Westhampton Beach Library to establish a pollinator garden in our Maria Z. Moore Community Park and look forward to expanding this effort to other gardens and parks in the Village.

Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2024

Communications and Convening

  • 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 developers, planners, landscape architects, and other community leaders and organizers engaged in planning processes to identify opportunities to create monarch habitat.

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.
  • Plant milkweed and pollinator-friendly native nectar plants along roadsides, medians, or public rights-of-way.
  • Add or maintain native milkweed and nectar-producing plants in gardens in the community.
  • Launch, expand, or continue an invasive species removal program that will support the re-establishment of native habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

Systems Change

  • Increase the percentage of native plants, shrubs and trees that must be used in city landscaping ordinances and encourage use of milkweed, where appropriate.
  • 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.
  • 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.