Town of New Castle
Chappaqua, NY
Lisa Katz
Summary for 2023
The Town of New Castle retains a bucolic feel and low-density residential character. Chappaqua and Millwood continue to serve as the Town’s main centers of retail activity and community gathering. Through the purchase or acquisition of a number of undeveloped properties, the Town has dedicated over 200 acres for open space and recreational use in New Castle, enhancing both active and passive recreational opportunities and fortifying the Town’s natural condition. The preservation of these aspects of the Town – its residential character; bucolic, natural, peaceful sense of place; and healthy environment – remain a primary focus. These features, along with the excellent schools and the Town’s proximity to New York City, are the aspects of New Castle that attract new residents and are most prized by community members.
City Of Marengo
Marengo, IL
John Koziol
Summary for 2023
Marengo is a community of 7,200 residents on the western side of McHenry County, one of the collar counties of Chicago. Many residents are interested in vegetable and flower gardening, but there is also a lot of turf managed by the city/ park/ schools/ churches/ HOA's that could be converted to pollinator gardens. There is a facebook page called Marengo-Union Mayors Monarch Pledge that has 159 followers, and where the site stewards have been gleened from. 2021 was the first year for Marengo in this program, and 8 sites were started successfully
City of Harvard
Harvard, IL
Michael Kelly
Summary for 2023
The City of Harvard is a community of 9,400 residents in the northwest corner of McHenry County, one of the collar counties of Chicago. Downtown Harvard has a newly updated streetscape of perennial plants that the park dept maintains. There is a facebook page Harvard Monarch Pledge that has gathered 80 local gardeners from which the stewards were appointed. Harvard developed 5 new pollinator gardens last year, and hopes for more this year on city/ park/ church/ school/ HOA properties
City of Perris
Perris, CA
Michael Vargas
Summary for 2023
Perris is a city in Southern California with a population of roughly 80,000 diverse residents. The city is home to twenty-five wonderful parks and now twenty-one satellite community gardens. Mayor Vargas is happy to take the Mayors' Monarch Pledge and join other elected officials on educating residents about how they can make a difference at home and in their community for monarchs and all pollinators.
Village of Mount Prospect
Mount Prospect, IL
Paul Wm. Hoefert
Summary for 2023
The Village of Mount Prospect is in the northwest suburbs of the greater Chicagoland area with a population of 56,000. The Village prides itself on its tree lined streets and green spaces. Mayor Hoefert is committed to continue our work providing butterfly and pollinator habitat by signing the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge. We look forward to continuing to improve our public greenspaces and promoting the establishment of more habitat.
Town of Bedford
Katonah, Bedford Hills, and Bedford, NY
Ellen Calves
Summary for 2023
The Town of Bedford is home to over 17,000 residents located in northeast Westchester County, New York (about an hour north of NYC) with three hamlets: Katonah, Bedford Hills and Bedford Village. The Town Conservation Board and Open Space Acquisition Committee have led land and natural resource preservation efforts for many years and the Town's partnership with Bedford 2030, Healthy Yards, and Westchester Pollinators has led to enhanced town policies and resident action around climate change, removal of invasive species, planting of native plants, a seasonal ban of gas powered leaf blowers, an iNaturalist challenge, the Bedford Pollinator Pathway, and resident education. Supervisor Ellen Calves is thrilled to take the Monarch Pledge to renew Bedford's pledge to protect not only the monarch but all pollinators and beneficial insects to our natural world.
City of Pembroke Pines
Pembroke Pines , FL
Frank C. Ortis
Summary for 2023
The City of Pembroke Pines is one of the largest communities in Florida. We are home to over 170,000 people and have been committed to maintaining our Tree City USA certification for 30 years and counting. Our residents are passionate about their community gardens and joyfully tend to them to maintain the necessary habitats for our pollinators. We encourage people to Join Us - Progress with Us.
Village of Wilmette
Wilmette, IL
Senta Plunkett
Summary for 2023
The Village of Wilmette is located in the North Shore suburbs of the City of Chicago. Wilmette has a population of roughly 28,000. The Village is located along Lake Michigan and is home to extensive urban forests and a large tree canopy. President Plunkett of Wilmette, IL has committed to saving monarch butterflies, preserving native pollinators, and making progress on a variety of Village sustainability initiatives. Village Trustees and staff look forward to engaging residents in upkeeping and expanding our pollinator habitat throughout Wilmette.
City of Champaign
Champaign, IL
Deborah Feinen
Summary for 2023
The City of Champaign, in east central Illinois, has a population of approximately 90,000 people. Along with our neighboring City of Urbana, Champaign is the home of the University of Illinois. Mayor Deborah Feinen and the Champaign City Council have provided clear direction and leadership to City staff that our green infrastructure is a community priority. Mayor Feinen spearheaded this effort by issuing the City's first Monarch Conservation Month Proclamation in 2016.
City of Houston
Houston, TX
Sylvester Turner
Summary for 2023
The City of Houston is the largest city in Texas and fourth-most populous city in the United States with over 2.3 million residents. Houston is situated in the convergence of the piney woods and the gulf coast prairie, with 10 major bayous and waterways leading to Galveston Bay. Mayor Sylvester Turner has committed to protecting the monarch butterfly and other pollinators through actions taken by City of Houston staff to propagate and plant milkweed plants, establish and restore native habitat, and engage the community in monarch conservation.
