Crystal Lake Park District
Crystal Lake, IL
Jason Herbster
Summary for 2022
Charged with providing park and recreation services for approximately 55,000 residents, the Crystal Lake Park District system includes 42 parks spanning over 1,400 acres and program offerings of over 1,000 annually. Facilities include the Nature Center, Main and West Beaches, Colonel Palmer House, Lippold Family Golf Center, Boncosky Softball Complex at Lippold Park, Grand Oaks Recreation/Active Adult Center, the Racket Club, Barlina House Preschool, and numerous picnic shelters. In addition to parks, facilities and programs, the district maintains miles of bike and hiking trails enjoyed by many throughout the year. It is the mission of the Crystal Lake Park District to enrich all lives through Recreation, Parks and Nature.
City of Horseshoe Bay
Horseshoe Bay, TX
Cynthia Clinesmith
Summary for 2022
Horseshoe Bay is a city of about 8,000 people in Central Texas. Our administration and City Council have committed to promoting policies to protect our air, water and natural surroundings. Our location is well within the flyway of the eastern monarch butterfly, so we are well positioned to help out. We do this by educating our public about the monarch, events, an annual mowing delay on certain areas of the city, and by promoting the planting of native flowering plants and milkweed at our homes and businesses.
Village of Lake in the Hills
Lake in the Hills, IL
Ray Bogdanowski
Summary for 2022
The Village of Lake in the Hills, Illinois is located in the far northwest suburbs of Chicago with a population of 28,982. Since 1952, Lake in the Hills has provided a high quality of life for its residents and businesses. The community is home to 34 parks, with the largest natural resource being the 240-acre Fen at Barbara Key Park. The Village's recreational programs focus on utilizing outdoor spaces to bring the community together throughout the year. Aligning with the Village’s dedication to the preservation of our natural areas, Village President Ray Bogdanowski has demonstrated his commitment to creating or preserving pollinator habitats and educating citizens about how they can make a difference. With his signing of the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, he encourages Village residents and staff to take steps to increase the planting of milkweed and nectar plants to preserve and strengthen the monarch butterfly population.
Village of Johnsburg
Johnsburg, IL
Edwin Hettermann
Summary for 2022
Village of Johnsburg is a beautiful, quaint, and bustling community, the Village of Johnsburg, Illinois welcomes all to the neighborhood, monarch's too! There is something for everyone in our village. From gorgeous views along Pistakee Lake, amazing village parks for recreational activities, to afternoons laughing with friends and family in the backyard, our village is right where you want to be. With around 6,400 residents in the village, you have the opportunity to make great friendships and be part of a growing community. Our village is expanding economically and recreationally, but we’ll never lose sight of our heritage, or give up our connection with nature or hometown values. Village President Edwin P. Hettermann and Trustee/Community Affairs Chair Beth Foreman has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with their signing of the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge and looks forward to engaging residents in building more pollinator habitat throughout the Village.
Town of Wendell
Wendell, NC
Virginia Gray
Summary for 2022
Wendell is a town in central North Carolina with a population of roughly 10,000. The town is nestled in eastern Wake County and is home to many beautiful parks such as Turnipseed Nature Preserve, Wendell Park, and Sandy Pines. Mayor Gray 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 habitats throughout the town.
City of Greensboro
Greensboro, NC
Nancy Vaughan
Summary for 2022
The City of Greensboro resides in the piedmont region of North Carolina with a population of roughly 300,000. Greensboro manages nearly 12,000 acres of parks and open spaces with assets including public gardens, regional and neighborhood parks, beautification areas, over 100 miles of trails and greenways, lakes, several community gardens, and numerous other passive and active recreational amenities and facilities. Through the establishment of multiple pollinator gardens and meadows, the development of educational signage and programming, and the identification of an ongoing need to reduce mowing and increase native habitat, the city has taken steps toward supporting our natural environment. Mayor Vaughan of Greensboro, NC has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with the signing of the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge and looks forward to further engaging residents in expanding pollinator habitat throughout the city. Current efforts that the City of Greensboro is undertaking to support monarch habitats are the Bird & Butterfly Meadow at Price Park, pollinator gardens at the Keeley Park Community Garden, Wovenworks Park, and the Meeting Place Cornerstone along the Downtown Greenway, and a partnership with the Guilford County Extension Master Gardeners to provide environmental education (currently virtual). Additional extensive efforts by City of Greensboro involve partnering with Greensboro Beautiful at the Greensboro Arboretum, which includes a formal butterfly garden, a certified Monarch Waystation, interpretive signage specifically dedicated to monarchs, and an Ornamental Grass and Pollinator Meadow. The Pollinator Meadow includes Asclepias among its perennial plantings and features interpretive signage dedicated to broader pollinator preservation. Monarch butterflies have seen a decline in the past 50 years and by informing the public and plants for this species, the Greensboro Science Center plays a critical role in helping save these unique and crucial animals. The Greensboro Science Center is home to three butterfly gardens located throughout the zoo and is the home of the future Cole Family Butterfly House and Monarch Conservation Project, which is currently under construction. The horticulture staff at the Greensboro Science Center maintain the gardens, which contain butterfly loving plants including milkweed. Water from rain collecting barrels help to irrigate the gardens. The Cole Family Butterfly House and Monarch Conservation Project will spotlight native butterfly species, with a special emphasis on the iconic, but diminishing, monarch butterfly and will create a lush, verdant garden space that will bring attention to the life and plight of monarch butterflies; serve as another focal-point species to the Greensboro Science Center's new Conservation & Research Department; will inform the community of the importance of planting milkweed (monarch caterpillars’ sole source of food); will create a fun and dynamic seasonal exhibit filled with native butterflies; and will add a new educational experience focused on pollinators and their importance.
City of Takoma Park
Takoma Park, MD
Talisha Searcy
Summary for 2022
The City of Takoma Park is a municipality of approximately 17,000 residents in Montgomery County, Maryland. Takoma Park is bordered by Washington, D.C. on the south and Prince George’s County on the north and east. Takoma Park is densely populated but feels comfortable due to its hills and large trees. Takoma Park is known as “Azalea City” because of the many flowering azalea bushes that brighten the area in the spring. Mayor Kate Stewart is committed to helping Monarchs and other pollinators thrive in our Safe Grow community.
City of Salem
Salem, VA
Renée Ferris Turk
Summary for 2022
Salem, Virginia is 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 Renee 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.
Village of Schaumburg
Schaumburg, IL
Tom Dailly
Summary for 2022
The Village of Schaumburg is located about 20 miles northwest of the City of Chicago having a population of about 75,000 people. Schaumburg is in the largest center of economic development in the State of Illinois, outside the City of Chicago. The Village has committed to the preservation of the monarch butterfly by incorporating meaningful opportunities to support the monarch in the Comprehensive Plan, Comprehensive Green Action Plan, local codes, policies, and procedures. The Village enjoys a partnership with the Schaumburg Park District, Schaumburg Township District Library, and many residents who support these initiatives.
Town of Flower Mound
Flower Mound, TX
Derek France
Summary for 2022
Located North of Grapevine Lake in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area with a population of 80,000; The Town of Flower Mound is committed to preserving the unique country atmosphere and heritage that makes Flower Mound one of the best places to live, work, and play. Through the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, the Town endeavors to further engage in the conservation of vital pollinator habitat and looks forward to a growing community effort to save the monarch butterfly.
