City of Des Moines
Des Moines, IA
Connie Boesen
Summary for 2025
The City of Des Moines Iowa is in the heart of the Midwest and in the heart of the fall Monarch Migration flight way. The City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation along with the Blank Park Zoo, Science Center of Iowa, and Des Moines Botanical Center all work together to promote and provide support for Monarch Conservation and education in our beautiful city for the 754,000 people that call it home. Mayor Boesen has committed to conservation and sustainable practices that enhance our city as well as provide habitat for monarch butterflies, pollinators, and wildlife in our city.
City of Kennedale/Keep Kennedale Beautiful
Kennedale, TX
Brad Horton
Summary for 2025
Kennedale is a vibrant city with a growing population, nestled on the southern edge of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The Keep Kennedale Beautiful Commission in partnership with the city takes care of the pollinator garden and Monarch Waystation, both conveniently located at TownCenter Park in the heart of Kennedale. This park, surrounded by iconic landmarks such as the Library, City Hall, and the 911 Memorial, serves as a hub for community events that attract both locals and visitors. Kennedale is passionate about creating a pollinator-friendly community. By involving residents and emphasizing the importance of native plants, milkweed and pollinators, the city strives to build a sustainable environment for future generations. The Keep Kennedale Beautiful Commission, comprised of appointed board members and dedicated volunteers, passionately cares for the city and its natural beauty. Visit their Facebook page at Keep Kennedale Beautiful for more details and ways you can contribute.
City of Cedar Park
Cedar Park, TX
James Penniman-Morin
Summary for 2025
Cedar Park is a community of approximately 90,000 residents just north of the City of Austin. The city and its residents are committed to protecting the monarch and pollinator conservation through efforts to engage community members in the education of this important endeavor. Mayor Penniman-Morin is passionate about the conservation of the monarch and the importance of developing outreach and educational programs, installation of pollinator gardens and overall conservation efforts to promote native plants and wildlife.
Village of Sugar Grove
Sugar Grove, IL
Sue Stillwell
Summary for 2025
Sugar Grove is a Village in Illinois with a population of roughly 10,000. The Village is home to many parks and open spaces and we would like to incorporate more native pollinator habitat and community gardens. The newly elected Village President of Sugar Grove, Sue Stillwell has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with the signing of the Mayors' Monarch Pledge and looks forward to engaging residents in building more pollinator habitat throughout Sugar Grove.
City of Mountain Park
Mountain Park, GA
Charles (Bill) Kolbrener
Summary for 2025
Mountain Park is a 98 year old city located 15 miles north of Atlanta Georgia. Our city is less than a square mile and is a designated wildlife preserve. Our commitment to the monarchs is second to none. We have a strong citizen leader who has taken the time to plant milkweed throughout the city along with other pollinator plants. These plantings are specifically placed for the monarchs and other vital pollinators. Recently Mountain Park became part of the Lillian Carter Butterfly Trail. To enhance our communities dedication to the monarchs our City Council recently approved designated plant beds for several pollinator plants to help create a habitat for the monarchs. These areas will be used as a visual component to our green and lake areas as well as a place for educating the public about the monarchs and the importance of pollinating plants.
Apple Valley
Apple Valley, MN
Clint Hooppaw
Summary for 2025
Apple Valley has a population over 50,000 people. The City is interested in improving and maintaining pollinator habitat in the City through enhancing areas with native plantings and utilizing native seeding in any new project areas.
Village of Sag Harbor
Sag Harbor , NY
Thomas Gardella
Summary for 2025
Sag Harbor Village is a small, quaint village nestled on the east coast of Long Island. The Village is dedicated to maintaining and preserving all local wildlife. Mayor Gardella of Sag Harbor, NY has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other local populations with his signing of the mayor's Monarch Pledge.
City of Knoxville
Knoxville, TN
Indya Kincannon
Summary for 2025
Knoxville Tennessee is a progressive and rapidly growing city known for the Sunsphere, vibrant arts scene, rich history, beautiful marble, the University of Tennessee (Go Vols!), the Urban Wilderness, and so much more. The Tennessee River runs through the city and provides beauty as well as a space for water sports like fishing, canoeing, and rowing. Knoxville was once the first capital of the state, is the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hosted the 1982 World's Fair, and is now the new home to One Knox Soccer and the Knoxville Smokies! Knoxville is in Knox County Tennessee and has about 191,000 residents and is the third largest City in the state behind Memphis and Nashville. The City has also become a leader in Sustainability. We have electric buses, electric fleet cars, charging stations throughout the city, all of our street lights were converted to LED about 5-7 years ago, we have solar panel lots, and we are Certified as a Wildlife Habitat. Conservation and the environment are important to us. Educating neighbors and creating spaces for the Monarch Butterfly is one piece of this work that we are proud to now engage in.
City of Mansfield
Mansfield, OH
Jodi Perry
Summary for 2025
The City of Mansfield, with a population of approximately 48,000 and home to 22 parks spanning over 2,500 acres in Richland County, Ohio, is committed to supporting pollinators and their vital role in our ecosystem. We pledge to educate our citizens and visitors about the importance of native pollinator gardens and their benefits. As part of this initiative, we plan to establish several pollinator-friendly gardens across our parks to attract and support Monarch butterflies, birds, bees, and other essential pollinators. Together, we can protect these incredible species and foster a thriving natural environment for generations to come.
Village of Oakwood Hills
Oakwood Hills, IL
Kelly Ruhnke
Summary for 2025
The Village of Oakwood Hills is a small community surround by larger cities. We take pride in community and environment around us. We have a beautiful park with a baseball field, basketball court and 2 soccer fields, a large playground and 2 pavilions that all bump up to our protected fen. In our park we have a large Butterfly Garden that was placed by a local Girl Scout Troop. They planted only native plants that would be found our area as well as various types of milkweed. Because that garden was placed along out fen, we found lots of new milkweed growing. In the park, there are never any chemicals used. No fertilizer, no weed killer, we work together with our landscaper to make sure everything is designed for pollinators. Our fen has a team of wonderful volunteers to make sure it remains a healthy ecosystem for generations. Or fen has lovely hiking trails that will lead you into our County Conversation District. In the middle of our small town boasts a lake. To keep our lake clean and protected we do no allow any power boats. The landscape design was inspired by the local environment and only native plants were used for plating's. We don't just focus on a small part of our Village, we protect everything as one big ecosystem. My hope is that with the steps we have made to protect our wildlife, we can inspire others to do the same
