City of Lathrup Village
Lathrup Village, MI
Kelly Garrett
Summary for 2022
The City of Lathrup Village is located approximately 15 minutes outside of the City of Detroit. Lathrup Village is nestled in the middle of the City of Southfield. Mayor Kelly Garrett is very interested in the conservation of the Monarch butterfly and other pollinators so much so that she annually plants flowers with sole purpose of attracting more Monarch butterflies to her home. Mayor Garrett is committed to doing her part in around the City of Lathrup Village to save the Monarch and other pollinators.
City of Lakeland
Lakeland, FL
Bill Mutz
Summary for 2022
Lakeland is a city in Central Florida with a current population of 117,281 and a population growth of 1.48%. Lakeland is located just south of the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve and has 38 named lakes within its city limits. Lakeland prides itself in having 76 park facilities and an urban forest consisting of 65,000 plus trees. Hollis Garden, Lakeland's downtown botanical display garden, is a Certified Butterfly Garden with the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) and many other park areas throughout the city are dedicated to native plantings that provide habitats for Monarch Butterflies and other pollinators. Mayor Mutz of Lakeland, Florida has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators by signing the Mayor's Monarch Pledge and looks forward to engaging residents in building more pollinator habitats throughout the city.
City of Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay, ON
Bill Mauro
Summary for 2022
Thunder Bay is the largest city in Northwestern Ontario with a population of roughly 108,000. Situated along the north shore of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, Thunder Bay is nestled on the edge of the wild boreal forest and surrounded by stunning natural habitat. Mayor Mauro is proud to sign the Mayors' Monarch Pledge to strengthen Thunder Bay's ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability through the EarthCare Sustainability Plan. With over 100 parks and parkettes, and more than 32km of paved recreational trails, Thunder Bay recognizes the importance of urban nature. With the help of the dedicated volunteers from the Thunder Bay Urban Greenscapes Volunteer Group, we will continue to work towards conservation of the Monarch Butterfly and other pollinators by educating and empowering citizens, engaging in community conservation efforts, and encouraging the planting of milkweed throughout our community. We can all work together to protect, enhance, and create essential pollinator habitat.
Pottstown Borough
Pottstown, PA
Stephanie Henrick
Summary for 2022
Our community is a historic community dating back to 1752 and has been an industrial community for the past 120 years. Like most urban areas in our country, Pottstown has seen struggles over the last 40 years, yet is populated by residents who have a spirit, vibrancy and commitment to community improvement both in terms of physical infrastructure, as well as quality of life for its residents. An important part of that community improvement is through the existence of our five community gardens which are managed by a local nonprofit known as Mosaic Community Land Trust. These five gardens are located in the heart of a food dessert and provide residents the access to grow their own healthy produce. Harvesting between 6500-7000 pounds on an annual basis, these gardens not only feed the community. but also provide a green space sanctuary in an urban setting for residents to gather, learn and grow. Each of the five gardens are filled with plants to attract monarchs and pollinators, including a 50 sq ft. butterfly garden located on site of the community garden at Barth Elementary School. In addition to the gardens, Pottstown also hosts an annual garden contest that encourages and rewards residents to improve their yards and enhance community beautification. For the past five years, this contest has included a "Bees and Butterfly" category that encourages residents to have gardens that will attract pollinators and monarchs. These continued efforts are what makes our town committed to conversation as we enhance our community.
City of Fayetteville
Fayetteville, AR
Lioneld Jordan
Summary for 2022
Fayetteville, Arkansas is a small city of approximately 87,500 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. In the last 10 years Fayetteville’s population has increased 19% from the 2010 census count of 73,580 people. This rapid growth can 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 Saint Paul
Saint Paul, MN
Melvin Carter
Summary for 2022
As Minnesota's Capital and second most populous City, Saint Paul boasts some of the highest quality parks in the nation and more shoreline on the Mississippi River than any other city. By signing the Mayors' Monarch Pledge, Mayor Carter strives to build a Saint Paul that works for all of its residents, including Monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
City of Cotati
Cotati, CA
Mark Landman
Summary for 2022
Founded in 1893, Cotati has long been considered the "Hub" of Sonoma County, by virtue of its central location, and its distinct and historic hexagonal plaza, a design that exists in only two cities in all of the United States. Cotati is surrounded by bucolic vistas of oak-studded hills, vineyards, and majestic redwoods. Cotati offers all the benefits of living in a small city, with the cultural advantages of being located near major urban centers and a highly acclaimed state university. Cotati's roots are steeped in agriculture and music, and our citizens are proud of the diverse and unique community that has been shaped by over 100 years' history. Mayor Landman and his colleagues on the Cotati City Council have supported the protection of the Monarch Butterfly and other pollinators beginning with this initial pledge, and look forward to expanding our actions further in the coming years.
Town of Hempstead
Hempstead, NY
Don Clavin
Summary for 2022
The Town of Hempstead is proud to be America's largest township, with a population of approximately 770,000 people, and also one of the nation’s oldest, dating back to 1644. Bordering New York City to the east, and the Hempstead Bay estuary and Atlantic Ocean on the southern border, the town encompasses more than 142 square miles, 20,000 acres of wetlands, and 180 miles of coastal waterways. With 2022 being the first year the Town of Hempstead will be taking the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, the town is committing to various actions that include public outreach and education about native pollinator plants that support monarch populations, a citizen science project where the town will be tagging monarch butterflies in partnership with Camp ANCHOR in Lido Beach, and installing several demonstrating gardens at town facilities. The town owns and operates a greenhouse that is focused on native pollinator plant species that will be able to support many of these action items.
City of Troy
Troy, MI
Ethan Baker
Summary for 2022
The Stage Nature Center in Troy, Michigan, is owned by the City of Troy and operated by the Troy Nature Society, is certified as a Monarch Waystation. Every fall we conduct a program to tag and release Monarch Butterflies that is designed to track their location of release/capture and dates. We have the monarch waystation that is certified as such to support monarch habitat. It is basically a garden that is focused on providing plants that support monarch butterflies. This was installed by a girl scout troop several years ago. You can find out more about monarch waystations here: https://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/ . Staff also does a monarch tag and release program every September with the public. It is part of a large-scale community science program, that is also coordinated though Monarch Watch, to help understand the dynamics of the monarch’s unique fall migration. We tag and release both wild and reared monarchs (that I have raised at the nature center). Here is more info on monarch tagging: https://monarchwatch.org/tagging/index.html#recoveries Our programs at the Stage Nature Center will continue and we pledge to further enhance these Nature Center specific programs and work city wide toward better policy.
City of Corinth
Corinth , TX
Bill Heidemann
Summary for 2022
Corinth is a city in North Texas with a population of roughly 23,000. Mayor Heidemann of Corinth, TX 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 city.
