Village of Great Neck Plaza
Great Neck Plaza, NY
Ted Rosen
Summary for 2023
Mayor’s Monarch Pledge The Village of Great Neck Plaza has joined other communities in taking the pledge to help stem the decline of the monarch butterfly. While most butterfly species can feed on a variety of host plants, monarch caterpillars can only survive on a diet of milkweed. That’s why monarch butterflies are often referred to as milkweed butterflies! Our Village took an active part to try to restore the population of this beautiful species of butterfly. This July, we participated by buying a Garden for Wildlife Native Plant Collection from the Garden by Wildlife by National Wildlife Federation. We first identified the different areas in our Village that we could plant these collections. Some plants were more suitable for areas of full sun and others were better planted in areas of partial shade. Then we ordered over 200 plants, which included sets of Whorled Milkweed, Monarch Munchables and pollinator Power plants. With the help of our Department of Public Works, who planted these plants, we watched as they grew and grew. The plants are all annuals so we will look forward to seeing them return next year and hopefully many other years afterward. We will review the success of the gardens next year and plan to order additional plants and offer them for free to the homeowners, condo, and co-op buildings in our village. We look forward to seeing the beautiful monarch butterflies and even hummingbirds flying through our village.
City of Sanford
Sanford, FL
Art Woodruff
Summary for 2023
Sanford is a city in central Florida with a population of 61,051. the city sits on Lake Monroe a tributary of the St. Johns River. It has many beautiful parks and community and butterfly gardens. Sanford is a Monarch City Usa, 9th in the state of Florida. We are committed to saving pollinators and the Monarch Butterfly population. We encourage residents to build and create pollinator habitat throughout the city of Sanford.
Village of Hawthorn Woods
Hawthorn Woods, IL
Dominick DiMaggio
Summary for 2023
The Village of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, located just 35 miles north of the City of Chicago with approximately 9,062 residents, is an upscale, friendly “rural by design” community. As a certified Bee City USA and Tree City USA affiliate, an Audubon International Sustainable Community, and an International Dark Sky Community, the Village is fiercely committed to protecting our natural resources, boasting twenty-four park sites and four pollinator habitats – Brierwoods Preserve, Meadowlark Park and Arboretum, Indian Creek Preserve, and the Hawthorn Heritage Outdoor Museum Trail. Mayor Dominick DiMaggio of the Village of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, has committed to saving the Monarch butterfly and other pollinators with the signing of the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge and looks forward to expanding pollinator environments throughout the community.
Town of North Hempstead
Manhasset, NY
Jennifer DeSena
Summary for 2023
The Town of North Hempstead is a suburban community located on Long Island, New York and has a population of over 200,000 residents. In 2018, the Town of North Hempstead first took the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge and have taken the pledge every year since. Through the pledge, the Town has committed to and already taken many actions to help the monarch butterfly including increasing public awareness of the issue, encouraging residents to build gardens for monarchs in their homes, and creating monarch habitat on Town owned land. For more information on the Town's Sustainability Initiatives including protecting monarchs and other pollinators visit: northhempsteadny.gov/sustainability
City of Shavano Park
City of Shavano Park, TX
Bob Werner
Summary for 2023
City of Shavano Park is a small city of about 3,500 located in northwest Bexar County at the edge of the Texas Hill Country, approximately twelve miles north of downtown San Antonio, and along the Olmos and Salado Creeks. Shavano Park and the rest of south-central Texas are visited annually by the migrating Monarch butterflies and home to many native wildflowers that support the species. City of Shavano Park pledges to continue education efforts that emphasize the importance of Monarch butterflies to the region's habitat and encourage the planting of native wildflowers that support Monarch butterflies by residents and businesses owners of the City.
City of Phoenix
Phoenix, AZ
Kate Gallego
Summary for 2023
Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the country and is located in the beautiful Sonoran Desert. Phoenicians are committed to the vision of becoming the most sustainable desert city on the planet, and have a strong ethos of habitat conservation, wise water use, and support of native plant species. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego signed the Mayor's Monarch Pledge to raise awareness and galvanize efforts to expand crucial habitat and food sources for monarch butterflies. The city looks forward to working with residents and stakeholders to increase the prevalence of native plants throughout the city to support pollinators.
City of Toledo
Toledo, OH
Wade Kapszukiewicz
Summary for 2023
The City of Toledo is located in Northwest Ohio in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) along the Maumee River. Some sections of the City are in the Oak Openings Region which is a globally rare ecosystem composed of over 130 square miles of Michigan and Ohio. The natural habitat of this ecosystem consists largely of oak savanna and grassland prairie with diverse plants and wildlife species. We recognize our City is on a significant corridor for the Monarch Butterflies and other migratory wildlife. Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz of Toledo, OH is committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with the signing of the Mayors Monarch Pledge and looks forward to engaging residents in preserving, establishing and adequately maintaining pollinator gardens in the City.
Borough of Carnegie
Carnegie , PA
Stacie Riley
Summary for 2023
The Borough of Carnegie is located in southwestern Pennsylvania and has an estimated population of 8,000. The borough is home to the beautiful Carnegie Municipal Park as well as three additional community parks and rain gardens located throughout the business district. Mayor Riley of Carnegie, PA has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with her signing of the Mayor's Monarch Pledge and looks forward to engaging residents in building more pollinator habitat throughout the borough.
Nibley City
Nibley, UT
Larry Jacobsen
Summary for 2023
Nibley is located in northern eastern Utah in the center of the beautiful and scenic Cache Valley. It is a small, bedroom community with a rural feel and a population of 7,500. One of the many features of Nibley is its abundant park system which includes Firefly Park. Firefly Park supports wild populations of both fireflies and monarchs and features a large pollinator garden that is tended to by the community. Mayor Jacobsen has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with his signing of the Mayor’s Pledge and looks forward to engaging residents in building more pollinator habitat throughout the city and pursuing opportunities to educate the public on the value of pollinators in our ecosystems.
City of Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Dean Trantalis
Summary for 2023
Incorporated on March 27, 1911, encompassing approximately 36 square miles with an estimated population of 186,220, Fort Lauderdale is the largest of Broward County's 31 municipalities and one of the ten largest cities in Florida. Embraced by the Atlantic Ocean, New River and a myriad of scenic inland waterways, Fort Lauderdale truly lives up to its designation as the "Venice of America." Mayor Trantalis has committed to raise awareness for the monarch butterfly by signing the Mayors' Monarch Pledge and continuing to build community support for increased butterfly habitats throughout the City. Community Spotlight: The Snyder Park Butterfly Garden and educational program was made possible through key partnerships with the National Recreation and Parks Association, Kids Ecology Corps, and Flamingo Road Nursery.
