City of Mesquite
Mesquite, TX
Daniel Aleman, Jr
Summary for 2023
The city of Mesquite is a suburb of Dallas, Texas, and is just fifteen minutes east of downtown Dallas. The population is 143,000 and to keep the population engaged, we have a very extensive parks and recreation system dedicated to the education, preservation, and expansion of pollinator and native habitats. One such endeavor, the Paschall Park Butterfly Trail, is maintained and monitored by Keep Mesquite Beautiful and its dedicated volunteers. Annually, volunteers improve the habitat, apply for monarch butterfly host plant grants, and assist in tagging the butterfly population. Mesquite aims to be a dynamic and engaging community while ensuring native beauty is embraced at its core.
City of Salem
Salem, VA
Renée Ferris Turk
Summary for 2023
Located directly off Interstate 81, Salem is a city in southwest Virginia, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with a population of approximately 25,335. Salem's delightful downtown area is home to a variety of retail shops, restaurants, breweries, antique shops, a library, gardens, museums, parks, business offices, and backs up to Roanoke College, a liberal arts (Division III) private college. Mayor Renée Ferris Turk has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with the signing of the Mayor's Monarch Pledge and looks forward to engaging city staff and residents in building more pollinator habitats throughout the City of Salem in the future.
City of Rolling Meadows
Rolling Meadows, IL
Lara Sanoica
Summary for 2023
The City of Rolling Meadows is a city roughly 20 miles Northwest of Chicago, IL with a population of approximately 25,000 residents. The city has an abundance of parks and public space. In addition to it's public spaces and parks, there are community gardens. These community gardens are plots of green space where residents can grow produce and flowers. The City of Rolling Meadows, Illinois has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with the signing of the Mayors' pledge and look forward to encouraging residents to plant more native plants and flowers giving our indigenous pollinators more to feed on.
City of New Braunfels
New Braunfels, TX
Rusty Brockman
Summary for 2023
Founded in 1845, the City of New Braunfels boasts a highly diversified quality of life for its citizens, businesses, and visitors alike. Mayor Brockman has committed to helping save the monarch butterfly and other pollinators by signing the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. He looks forward to engaging residents in monarch conservation efforts throughout the city of New Braunfels.
City of Grapevine
Grapevine, TX
William Tate
Summary for 2023
City of Grapevine, TX is in the heart of the Dallas and Fort Worth Metroplex with a population of just over 54,000. Known for its hometown feel, and renowned festivals and events, residents and visitors enjoy over 1,600 acres of parkland, 23 trails, and more than 9 miles of shoreline along Grapevine Lake. Mayor William D. Tate is committed to reversing the decline of the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with the signing of the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge and continues to engage with the people of Grapevine in providing more habitat for these magnificent creatures.
City of Sterling Heights
Sterling Heights, MI
Michael Taylor
Summary for 2023
Founded in 1968, the City of Sterling Heights continues to be a vibrant, inclusive community for residents and businesses that is safe, active, progressive and distinctive. The Sterling Heights 2030 Visioning Plan creates a bold vision for an exceptional quality of life, offering distinctive neighborhoods, a world-class library, 31 parks and greenspaces, and low tax and crime rates. With roughly 134,000 residents, it is the second largest suburb in Metro Detroit, and the fourth largest city in Michigan. To learn more, visit sterling-heights.net.
Easthampton
Easthampton, MA
Nicole LaChapelle
Summary for 2023
Easthampton, MA, is a small city of 16,000, nestled in Western MA's Pioneer Valley. The City Council is in the midst of creating ordinances to support the City's becoming a pollinator city. Additionally, my administration is doing a comprehensive Climate Action Plan to inform action steps the City and residents can take toward monarch and pollinator conversation as well as decarbonization actions.
Town of Oakland
Oakland, FL
Kathy Stark
Summary for 2023
Oakland, established in 1887, is one of the oldest and most unique municipalities in Orange County. A day spent in the Town of Oakland will take you back in time to the old, quaint Florida of yesterday - even as new residents begin to discover what just a few have known for generations. The Town sits along the West Orange Trail, a bustling pedestrian and bike trail in West Orange County that connects to the Oakland Nature Preserve. The Preserve encompasses 128 acres of land - 48 acres of uplands and 80 acres of forested wetlands - and includes a boardwalk to Lake Apopka with a classroom-sized pavilion on the lakefront. The Town Commission has committed to being good stewards of the environment and saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators aligns with the values of the Town.
Village of Tarrytown
Tarrytown, NY
Karen Brown
Summary for 2023
The Village of Tarrytown is a Hudson River waterfront community approximately 5.7 square miles in area, with over 250 acres of park land and open space. The Village Parks Department and the Tarrytown Environmental Advisory Council have been working in partnership in recent years to increase the number of pollinator-friendly planting spaces in public areas, from new beds in local parks, to plantings outside municipal buildings, to pollinator patches in tree wells along primary thoroughfares. In addition, the Village has supported the educational efforts of the Environmental Advisory Council to help residents and their children to learn about pollinator-friendly planting for their private yards and gardens.
Elm Grove
Elm Grove, WI
Jim Koleski
Summary for 2023
Elm Grove is a village of just 3.29 square miles (6,524 in population) that was incorporated in 1955. The community was named America’s best suburb by Business Insider in 2014 and proudly became the first community in the state of Wisconsin to achieve the National Wildlife Federation’s Community Habitat designation on 1/27/23. The community takes pride in its Tree City USA, Bird City Wisconsin High Flyer, and Bee City USA designations. Our small community has 8 certified Monarch Waystations via the Monarch Watch, one of which is at our 79 acre village park, which was named in Rob Bignell’s book, Wisconsin’s Best Wildflower Hikes. Our community has been dedicated to increasing awareness about the plight of the monarch butterfly through ongoing community education and outreach programs including native plant sales, village displays, native plant gardens, book clubs, and monarch activist speakers. Elm Grove is proud to add the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge to its list of important commitments.
