City of Palm Desert
Palm Desert , CA
Kathleen Kelly
Summary for 2021
The City of Palm Desert is a California city nestled in the heart of the Coachella Valley. With a diverse demographic, 362 days of sunshine and a population of approximately 53,000, Palm Desert is home to many beautiful parks, community gardens and other outdoor activities. Palm Desert is also home to The Living Desert Zoo & Botanical Gardens, which puts conservation into action by promoting environmental sustainability, including species preservation of many desert plants and animals, including butterflies. Mayor Kathleen Kelly of Palm Desert, California has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators by signing the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge and looks forward to partnering with the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens to engage residents in building more pollinator habitats throughout the City.
City of San Marcos
San Marcos, TX
Jane Hughson
Summary for 2021
San Marcos, Texas is an exciting, historic community in the heart of Central Texas midway between Austin and San Antonio. Founded in 1851 along the spring-fed San Marcos River, the city has actually attracted human beings for more than 12,000 years. Archaeologists have found artifacts of ancient native Americans who lived, fished and hunted along the banks. Monarch butterflies have been declining in numbers for the past twenty years, and because San Marcos is located on the I-35 corridor, our city is in the middle of the migration route for many species including monarch butterflies. That means our city has a direct impact on monarch populations as they move across the country each year. As a city we are dedicated to conservation and have implemented several programs to enhance monarch habitat across San Marcos.
City of Moorhead
Moorhead, MN
Shelly Carlson
Summary for 2021
City of Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill, CA
Rich Constantine
Summary for 2021
Morgan Hill is a city in Santa Clara County, California, at the southern tip of Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a community of roughly 48,000 people that is bounded by the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and the Diablo Range to the east. Mayor Constantine of Morgan Hill, CA has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with his signing of the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge and has already taken the first step by planting milkweed at the Morgan Hill Community Garden. He also looks forward to engaging residents by having them follow suit and plant milkweed at their own residences to build more pollinator habitat throughout the city.
BIDDEFORD
BIDDEFORD, ME
Alan Casavant
Summary for 2021
Biddeford is a city of about 21,000 people. It is located in southern Maine, along the Atlantic coast, and it shares the Saco River with its Twin City of Saco. It is home to the University of New England, and, in the past few years, has been witnessing amazing redevelopment in its downtown and mill district. Once the home of a world famous textile industry, the brick buildings of the old mills have been transformed into housing, restaurants, distilleries, breweries, artist studios, and more. The Mayor of the City, in partnership with the city's many volunteers, has pledged to create habitat for the preservation of the Monarch butterfly.
City of Evanston
Evanston, IL
Stephen Hagerty
Summary for 2021
Evanston is a city in the Chicagoland area, on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. It has a population of 72,439 as of 2020. The City of Evanston has a longstanding commitment to sustainability, climate action. and livability. City staff work hard to manage its trees and green spaces to create healthy ecosystems. A robust group of dedicated community members are active in advocating for and working to develop urban natural spaces that host native wildlife and precious pollinator habitat.
Village of Winthrop Harbor
Winthrop Harbor, IL
Michael Bruno
Summary for 2021
We are Winthrop Harbor - a small town full of charm and character. With a population of 6700 on shores of Lake Michigan Winthrop Harbor is a throwback community, where time seems to slow down so you can enjoy every moment. A town with Ramsar wetlands, trails to explore, beaches to discover, and fishing stories to be lived out. No matter the season, there is always a memory to be made. Winthrop Harbor's planning is directed to becoming an eco-tourism destination.
City of Columbia Heights
Columbia Heights, MN
Amáda Márquez Simula
Summary for 2021
Columbia Heights is a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis, MN and has a population of 20,000. The city is urban, has bus lines, all levels of income, housing, business, schools and is the 7th most diverse city in MN. Mayor Márquez Simula of Columbia Heights, MN 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 habitats throughout the city.
City of Brecksville
Brecksville, OH
Jerry N. Hruby
Summary for 2021
Nestled in the lands of the Western Reserve, Brecksville was founded in 1811. It is located at the southern border of Cuyahoga County in northeast Ohio, in the heart of rolling woodlands, approximately fifteen miles south of Cleveland. The City encompasses 19.54 square miles and the 2020 census reported that Brecksville had a population of 13,948, and it’s not much more than that now. We like being small. Legislative authority is vested in a seven-member City Council elected at large. Jerry N. Hruby is Mayor and has held office since 1988. Our young people are educated in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District which is consistently rated as one of the best school districts in the state. Perhaps the most distinguishable feature of Brecksville is that 1/3 of those 19.54 square miles are parkland including the Cleveland Metroparks Brecksville Reservation and the adjacent Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In 2016, the City established a Community Garden, using property that was once a basketball court. One year later, the Chippewa Garden Club and the community garden gardeners planted a Monarch WayStation just outside the fenced garden area. Mayor Hruby is committed to extending this effort to other areas of the City including our beautiful residential yards. He has appointed the Chippewa Garden Club to be his representative in this challenge!
McKinney Monarch Initiative
McKinney, TX
George Fuller
Summary for 2021
The City of McKinney is proud to join hundreds of cities across the United States in support of the monarch butterfly and other pollinators by signing the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. The McKinney Monarch Initiative supports the creation of habitats as the monarchs make their annual 2,500-mile migration to and from their overwintering grounds in Mexico. Together with our partners, we can help create beneficial ecosystems to ensure the future of the monarch butterfly and other pollinators.
