Village of Palos Park
Palos Park , IL
John F. Mahoney
Summary for 2023
The Village of Palos Park is a unique and active community in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago. Residents enjoy a good balance of business, community events, great trails and outdoor recreation nestled in the mist of dense wooded land. The Village is a wonderful place to live and raise a family in a natural environment and the ecosystem is encouraged and respected. The Village has had butterfly and pollinator gardens for several years. We continue to protect and value this aspect of the ecosystem.
Village of La Grange
La Grange, IL
Mark Kuchler
Summary for 2023
The Village of La Grange (pop. 16,321) is a vibrant community supported by excellent Police, Fire, Public Works, Community Development, Finance and Administrative services. With walkable and charming neighborhoods, a robust downtown, over 50 diverse restaurants, numerous independent and national retailers, and a convenient location at the crossroads of La Grange Road, Ogden Avenue, and the Metra BNSF line, La Grange is a destination for food, fun, and entertainment in the western suburbs of Chicago. President Kuchler and the La Grange Village Board support the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge and together with community partners will work towards creating more pollinator habitat throughout the Village.
City of Durham
Durham, NC
Elaine O'Neal
Summary for 2023
Durham is known as the Bull City and the City of Medicine. It’s a two-hour drive from the beach, a three-hour drive from the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is North Carolina’s fourth largest city by population at about 285,000 residents. Mayor O'Neal is excited to support the Mayor's Monarch Pledge by issuing a proclamation during Pollinator Week in June. The City will also engage community garden groups and urge them to plant native and nectar-producing plants and host or support a native seed or plant sale, giveaway or swap.
City of Fayetteville
Fayetteville, AR
Lioneld Jordan
Summary for 2023
Fayetteville, Arkansas is a city of approximately 98,000 people located in the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas and home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville and the Northwest Arkansas region has experienced unprecedented growth in recent decades due in part the region’s scenic beauty, low cost of living, and the home presence of multiple fortune 500 companies such as Walmart and Tyson Foods, which have brought jobs and economic development. Fayetteville’s population has increased 33% from the 2010 census count of 73,580. This rapid growth will undoubtedly impact the local ecology without proactive efforts to protect our natural resources and ecosystem. By participating in the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, Mayor Jordan is leading Fayetteville in taking steps to protect our monarch and pollinator populations through direct stewardship and education activities. These efforts, combined with the participation of several other municipalities across the region, will serve to raise local awareness and increase pollinator habitat and the presence of the monarch butterfly in Fayetteville and throughout Northwest Arkansas.
City of Kirksville
Kirksville, MO
Mari Macomber
Summary for 2023
The City of Kirksville is located in northeast Missouri with a population of over 17,500. On March 20, 2023 Mayor Zac Burden proclaimed April 2023 as Mayors' Monarch Pledge Month to demonstrate the City's commitment to creating habitat for the monarch and educating citizens about how they can make a difference. Residents are encouraged to plant native milkweed and nectar plants in locations where they live, work, learn, play and worship. The City will also investigate and identify locations in right of ways and city owned land where milkweed could be introduced.
City of Pontiac, IL
Pontiac, IL
William Alvey
Summary for 2023
Pontiac, IL is a city in central Illinois with a population of 11,000. The city is located on Historic Route 66 and welcomes thousands of visitors each year. We are proud of the welcome we give our human visitors and want to extend that same welcome to the monarch butterflies whose migration patterns travel over our community. Mayor Alvey and the city staff are dedicated to stopping the decline of our state insect by signing the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge and creating pollinator habitats throughout the community.
City of Stillwater
Stillwater, OK
Will Joyce
Summary for 2023
We are planting a butterfly garden utilizing a landscape architect to attract the Monarchs. This planting will be at Boomer Lake, a large recreation area in Stillwater.
Granbury
Granbury, TX
James Jarratt
Summary for 2023
Granbury Texas is a city in north Texas, located 35 miles southwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, with a population of 12, 000. Granbury is located squarely on the monarch butterfly migration route. Mayor Jarratt is keenly interested in energizing the community to roll out the 'Welcome Mat' for migrating Monarch Butterflies through educational programs, an established demonstration garden maintained by Lake Granbury Master Gardeners and a year-'round effort to plant milkweed, culminating in an annual celebration during the migration - Romancing the Monarch Butterfly Festival the first Saturday in October.
Toms River Township
Toms River, NJ
Maurice "Mo" Hill
Summary for 2023
Toms River Township is a large town in Coastal New Jersey that roughly 95,000 people call home. We have a unique mix of natural conditions, from sandy beachfront areas to heavily forested cover, wetlands to farmlands, preserved open space to dense residential areas. Toms River has purchased hundreds of acres to preserve as open space, providing habitat for wildlife. Each year, we continue to make great strides in water conservation, preserving open space, clean recreation on the water, and so much more. I support the National Wildlife Federation and its community engagement initiatives, and look forward to continuing the work to ensure pollinators, and especially Monarchs, are thriving for years to come. - Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill
Village of Hebron
Hebron, IL
Robert Shelton
Summary for 2023
Hebron, Illinois is a rural village with a population of 1,386. The village is nestled on the stateline of Wisconsin and in the far north of McHenry County. We are primarily a farming community surrounded by the Hebron Township. Village President Robert Shelton has committed to saving the Monarch Butterfly and other pollinators by signing this pledge. He looks forward to engaging the community in building more pollinator habitats throughout the village.
