Township of Scotch Plains
Scotch Plains, NJ
Joshua Losardo
Summary for 2024
Scotch Plains is home to 25,000 residents. We are fortunate to have an active community garden, garden club, and Green Team. This in addition to our beautiful parks! Recently, we installed a pollinator garden at town hall and the library. Our parks offer residents ample space to get out in nature and many make use of our nature trail at Brookside Park as well as the Watchung Reservation which borders us.
City of Pflugerville
Pflugerville, TX
Victor Gonzales
Summary for 2024
The City of Pflugerville (COP), where quality meets life, is a vastly expanding city north of Austin, with an estimated population of 73,000. The city has grown from 549 residents in 1970. Pflugerville’s uniqueness expands beyond its name and the “Pf”, Pflugerville has more than 500 acres of parks and 529 areas of open space and more than 40 miles of trails in the city’s only 25.56 square miles. Pflugerville is known for its pfamily-pfriendly atmosphere, for keeping a small-town feel in the midst of growth, and for its rich German culture; and others are noticing. The City of Pflugerville is ranked #70 on Livability's 2020 "Top 100 Best Small to Mid- Size Cities" list. Pflugerville reached 15 consecutive years of recognition as a Tree City USA from the Arbor Day Foundation and National Association of State Foresters for its efforts and commitments to urban forestry. Pflugerville has been named a Gold Star Affiliate by Keep Texas Beautiful for the fourth year in a row. Additionally, Pflugerville has received Platinum Level Scenic City Certification by Scenic Texas based on an evaluation of the city's parks, trails and open spaces, enhanced streetscapes, sign control, unique municipal features, special programs and other programs that affect overall visual appeal of the community. And finally, Pflugerville was also ranked in the 92th percentile out of over 1,200 U.S. cities on WalletHub's "2022's Best Small Cities in America" list.
City of Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro, OR
Steve Callaway
Summary for 2024
Among other related commitments, Hillsboro is a US Conference of Mayors' climate champion, Tree City USA, Bee City USA, and a partner in the Backyard Habitat Certification Program. The Hillsboro community has demonstrated its commitment to conserving nature and wildlife, including the Monarch butterfly. Nestled in the Tualatin Valley of western Oregon, Hillsboro is Oregon's 6th largest city with 108,000 community members. Known for its diverse community, strong local economy, and beautiful natural areas, Hillsboro's leaders have emphasized environmental stewardship for decades. Strong goals and actions guide stewardship efforts for the city organization, which provides a full suite of municipal services and the greater community. Hillsboro prides itself on having one of the largest preserved natural areas within the community, the several-hundred-acre Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, along with myriad other natural areas, parks, and environmental assets.
City of Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale, IL
Carolin Harvey
Summary for 2024
The vibrant City of Carbondale, Illinois rests amidst the natural wonder of Southern Illinois. Our community is free of pretense, embracing the great outdoors as readily as urban sophistication. Here, we are open to new ideas, experiences and cultures, so you are encouraged to both express yourself and be yourself, in all ways. Our community recognizes that human health depends on the health of biodiverse ecosystems that can better support the security and resiliency of food systems, healthy soil and air quality. With this pledge, the City of Carbondale is choosing to renew its commitment to assuring that pollinator-supportive landscaping and practices are prioritized in all current and future developments. Through our pledge, the City of Carbondale, Illinois commits to 1. Taking meaningful actions to protect the pollinators of Southern Illinois 2. Raising awareness about the decline of pollinators 3. Conducting review and revision of city code to encourage pollinator-supportive landscape on public and private land within City of Carbondale city limits 4. Evaluating and correcting operations and landscape maintenance practices that could have unintended and detrimental effects on pollinator species 5. Creating a community-driven “pollinator yards” pilot program to educate and support community members interested in learning how to plant pollinator-supportive landscape in their own yards.
City of Kennedale/Keep Kennedale Beautiful
Kennedale, TX
Jan Joplin
Summary for 2024
Kennedale is a vibrant, growing city with a population of 8,500, located on the southern edge of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The city collaborates with the Keep Kennedale Beautiful Commission to manage and maintain its pollinator garden and Monarch Waystation, both located in the heart of Kennedale at TownCenter Park. This park is surrounded by key landmarks, including the Library, City Hall, and Senior Center, and serves as the venue for many community events, making the garden accessible to both residents and visitors. Under the leadership of Mayor Joplin, the City of Kennedale is dedicated to creating a more pollinator-friendly community. By engaging residents and promoting the importance of milkweed, native plants, and pollinators, the city is fostering a sustainable environment for future generations. Keep Kennedale Beautiful is made up of appointed board members and passionate volunteers who share a deep love for the city and a commitment to preserving its natural beauty. To learn more about Keep Kennedale Beautiful and get involved, visit their webpage at https://www.cityofkennedale.com/135/KKB-Keep-Kennedale-Beautiful.
Borough of Malvern
Malvern, PA
Zeyn Uzman
Summary for 2024
Malvern is a small borough in southeastern Pennsylvania with a population of roughly 3,000 covering approximately one square mile of Chester County. The Borough is home to many open spaces including Randolph Woods and the site of the Paoli Massacre that occurred during the Revolutionary War. Mayor Uzman of the Borough of Malvern 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 the borough.
City of Rolling Meadows
Rolling Meadows, IL
Lara Sanoica
Summary for 2024
The City of Rolling Meadows is a city roughly 20 miles Northwest of Chicago, IL with a population of approximately 25,000 residents. The city has an abundance of parks and public space. In addition to it's public spaces and parks, there are community gardens. These community gardens are plots of green space where residents can grow produce and flowers. The City of Rolling Meadows, Illinois has committed to saving the monarch butterfly and other pollinators with the signing of the Mayors' pledge and look forward to encouraging residents to plant more native plants and flowers giving our indigenous pollinators more to feed on.
Town of North Hempstead
Manhasset, NY
Jennifer DeSena
Summary for 2024
The Town of North Hempstead is a suburban community located on Long Island, New York and has a population of over 200,000 residents. In 2018, the Town of North Hempstead first took the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge and have taken the pledge every year since. Through the pledge, the Town has committed to and already taken many actions to help the monarch butterfly including increasing public awareness of the issue, encouraging residents to build gardens for monarchs in their homes, and creating monarch habitat on Town owned land. For more information on the Town's Sustainability Initiatives including protecting monarchs and other pollinators visit: northhempsteadny.gov/sustainability
Elm Grove
Elm Grove, WI
Jim Koleski
Summary for 2024
Elm Grove is a village of just 3.29 square miles (6,524 in population) that was incorporated in 1955. The community was named America’s best suburb by Business Insider in 2014 and proudly became the first community in the state of Wisconsin to achieve the National Wildlife Federation’s Community Habitat designation on 1/27/23. The community takes pride in its Tree City USA, Bird City Wisconsin High Flyer, and Bee City USA designations. Our small community has 8 certified Monarch Waystations via the Monarch Watch, one of which is at our 79 acre village park, which was named in Rob Bignell’s book, Wisconsin’s Best Wildflower Hikes. Our community has been dedicated to increasing awareness about the plight of the monarch butterfly through ongoing community education and outreach programs including native plant sales, village displays, native plant gardens, book clubs, and monarch activist speakers. Elm Grove is proud to have added the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge Leadership Circle to its list of accomplishments and is looking forward their 2024 commitment to strive for even more.
City of Sandy Springs
City of Sandy Springs, GA
Rusty Paul
Summary for 2024
The City of Sandy Springs is the second largest city in metro Atlanta with a vibrant a population of almost 110,000. Enjoying twenty-two miles of shoreline along the Chattahoochee River, two local forest preserves and hundreds of acres of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, environmental stewardship is a natural priority for the City of Sandy Springs. We became a Bee City USA Affiliate in 2021, and by renewing our Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, we strengthen our commitment to improving pollinator habitat in our parks and engaging the community in efforts to saving the monarch butterfly and wildlife in general.
