Community Profile

Pledge Status

Active

Pledge Date

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Program Year

2026

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Action Item Report

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Town of Irondequoit

Rochester, NY

John Perticone

Supervisor

Pledge Summary

Irondequoit is a unique Town on the southern shore of Lake Ontario with a population of 50,000 residents. Bordered by water on three sides, Irondequoit surrounds Durand Eastman Park. Due to its geographical location, land stewardship and environmental conservation are at the forefront of the Town's priorities. Irondequoit's Supervisor, Town Board, staff and residents are committed to helping improve pollinator habitats on public land, while partnering with local organizations to educate the community to do the same.

Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2026

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 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.
  • 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 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

  • 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.
  • Integrate monarch butterfly conservation into the city’s Park Master Plan, Sustainability Plan, Climate Resiliency Plan or other city plans.
  • Reduce or eliminate the use of herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals that are harmful to monarchs and pollinators and urban wildlife.