City of Riverside
Riverside, CA
Patricia Lock Dawson
Summary for 2025
The City of Riverside has a proud history of promoting healthy living spaces including native plants and fostering areas of growth for natural habitats for insects and wildlife. With a population of roughly 326,000, the city is home to the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, the beautiful Santa Ana River and UCR Botanical Gardens. Mayor Lock Dawson of 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. This year, we plan on issuing a proclamation to raise awareness, hosting or supporting a native seed sale or swap, displaying educational signage, and updating city landscaping ordinances where applicable to increase the usage of native plants.
Town of Garner
Garner, NC
Buddy Gupton
Summary for 2025
Garner is a town of approximately 44,600 people located in Wake County and just seven miles from our Capitol City of Raleigh, NC We have an active and expanding Parks System which includes a passive park at Lake Benson and a nature park in an adjacent location. Our Town has recently acquired additional land in excess of 100 acres, part of which will soon be open as Yeargan Park. The additional land will allow us to increase recreational space and also expand our trails and greenways. Garner is committed to improving habitats within our parks and to adding native plants for pollinators.
Town of Hempstead
Hempstead, NY
Don Clavin
Summary for 2025
The Town of Hempstead is proud to be America's largest township, with a population of approximately 780,000 people, and 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. During the Town's first three years of taking the Pledge, since 2022, Leadership Circle status has been achieved. For the fourth year participating in the pledge, the Town is committing to various actions that build upon programs established in 2022, 2023, and 2024, including 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 maintaining several demonstration gardens at Town facilities. The Town owns and operates a greenhouse focused on native pollinator plant species that will be able to support many of these action items.
City of Temiskaming Shores
Temiskaming Shores, ON
Jeff Laferriere
Summary for 2025
Temiskaming Shores, a city of approximately 10,000 people in Northern Ontario, is a vital service hub for the surrounding forestry and agriculture sectors. Nestled along the shores of Lake Timiskaming, the city recognizes the importance of protecting pollinators, including the monarch butterfly, to support local ecosystems and biodiversity. Mayor Laferriere has committed to monarch and pollinator conservation by signing the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, demonstrating the city’s dedication to creating and preserving pollinator-friendly habitats. As part of this commitment, Temiskaming Shores will issue a proclamation to raise awareness about monarch conservation, encourage residents to plant monarch-friendly gardens, and establish or maintain pollinator-friendly demonstration gardens, including at City Hall. The city will also enhance public green spaces by planting native milkweed and nectar-producing plants to support monarchs and other pollinators. Through these initiatives, Temiskaming Shores is taking meaningful action to protect pollinators and inspire the community to participate in conservation efforts.
Town of Morrisville
Morrisville, NC
TJ Cawley
Summary for 2025
Lanark County
County of Lanark, ON
Toby Randell
Summary for 2025
Lanark County, located in rural Eastern Ontario, is home to approximately 75,000 residents and is celebrated for its stunning natural landscapes, charming small towns, rich cultural heritage, and vibrant maple syrup industry. Lanark County has shown a strong commitment to pollinator habitat conservation by promoting the restoration of native habitats, encouraging biodiversity, and involving the community in various conservation efforts. More specifically, Lanark County has initiated roadside pollinator habitat restoration efforts, focusing on transforming roadside areas into native meadow habitats to support pollinators and enhance local biodiversity. Through the Mayors' Monarch Pledge, this year Lanark County is committing to engaging the community in habitat conservation for monarch butterflies by raising public awareness, encouraging community participation, and collaborating with municipal departments to create and maintain habitats. Additionally, the County aims to foster a supportive environment through community-driven initiatives and educational efforts.
Town of Apex
Apex, NC
Jacques Gilbert
Summary for 2025
The Town of Apex is a growing area located in Wake County, North Carolina. The Town is located in the piedmont region of North Carolina and serves as a critical waypoint for the eastern Monarch migration. Mayor Jacques K. Gilbert and Apex Town Council are committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with their renewal of the Mayor's Monarch Pledge and look forward to engaging with Apex residents to continue to increase pollinator habitat throughout the Town.
City of Fayetteville
Fayetteville, AR
Molly Rawn
Summary for 2025
Fayetteville, Arkansas is a city of approximately 103,000 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 area’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 new jobs and accelerated economic development. Fayetteville’s population has increased by approximately 40% from that of 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 Rawn is leading Fayetteville in taking steps to protect our monarch and pollinator populations through direct stewardship and educational activities. These efforts, bolstered by the participation of additional 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 St. Louis Park
St. Louis Park, MN
Nadia Mohamed
Summary for 2025
The City of St. Louis Park is a fully developed first tier suburb of Minneapolis. Understanding the impacts of this development level, St. Louis Park has committed to being a leader in environmental stewardship as one of its strategic objectives. St. Louis Park is also home to 52 parks and the Westwood Hills Nature Center which educates and connects the urban population with the natural environment. Mayor Mohamed of St. Louis Park is committing to promote the addition and enhancement of habitat in parks and throughout the city that supports and protects the monarch butterfly and other pollinators by signing the Mayor’s Pledge.
City of Pickering
Pickering , ON
Kevin Ashe
Summary for 2025
Over the past several years, Pickering has developed and implemented a number of initiatives to support the Monarch butterfly and other important pollinators such as birds, bats and bees. Through participation in the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, Pickering will continue to help create Monarch habitat, raise community awareness about the importance of these species, and educate residents on roles they can play. Through collaboration we also endeavor to encourage other Canadian cities to do the same.
