City of Aurora
Aurora, CO
Mike Coffman
Summary for 2024
More than 386,000 residents choose to live in Aurora, making it the third largest city in Colorado and the 54th largest in the United States. The city covers more than 160 square miles, and is located within three counties: Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas. Aurora boasts over 8,000 acres of open space, 119 miles of trail, 103 parks, 3 nature centers, and 2 reservoirs.
Village of Wauconda
Wauconda, IL
Jeff A. Sode
Summary for 2024
Wauconda is a quaint village in Lake County, IL, a northwest suburb of Chicago with a population of 14,084 residents. Nestled around the banks of a beautiful little lake which has from earliest times been known as Bangs Lake, named in honor of Justus and Mark Bangs, Wauconda first settlers. In addition to being the home of the Wauconda Bog, Wauconda is surrounded by more than 31,000 acres of natural space managed by the Lake County Forest Preserve. In 2023, the Village of Wauconda partnered with the Wauconda Garden Club for the planting at the newly constructed Path of Honor, which commemorates military members, past, present, and future. The WGC designed a beautiful pollinator garden along the pathway to provide resources for our pollinators. The next leg of their path will be planted this summer along downtown Main Street and plans for a pollinator prairie are in the works for this fall.
Village of Mundelein
Mundelein, IL
Steve Lentz
Summary for 2024
Mundelein is a vibrant and progressive community of nearly 32,000 residents. The Village is located in the center of beautiful Lake County Illinois, one of the strongest areas of commercial and industrial growth in the nation, with excellent housing, recreational, educational and business opportunities. In terms of beautification and outdoor recreation, Mundelein's award-winning park district oversees 33 neighborhood parks, 5 golf courses, Barefoot Bay Waterpark, and Diamond Lake Beach, to name just a few amenities. Mundelein also has an extensive network of bike trails, walking paths, and a transit-oriented and walkable downtown--one of the Village's focus areas. Mundelein's Beautification Committee, established in 2021, recognizes the importance of saving monarchs and commits to planning activities to engage the public in this endeavor. Some activities include seed distribution, educational seminars, Spring into Summer Festival, and planting pollinator habitats in public spaces.
City of Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Dean Trantalis
Summary for 2024
Incorporated on March 27, 1911, encompassing approximately 36 square miles with an estimated population of 186,220, Fort Lauderdale is the largest of Broward County's 31 municipalities and one of the ten largest cities in Florida. Embraced by the Atlantic Ocean, New River and a myriad of scenic inland waterways, Fort Lauderdale truly lives up to its designation as the "Venice of America." Mayor Trantalis has committed to raise awareness for the monarch butterfly by signing the Mayors' Monarch Pledge and continuing to build community support for increased butterfly habitats throughout the City. Community Spotlight: The Snyder Park Butterfly Garden and educational program was made possible through key partnerships with the National Recreation and Parks Association, Kids Ecology Corps, and Flamingo Road Nursery.
City of Champaign
Champaign, IL
Deborah Feinen
Summary for 2024
The City of Champaign is a community of over 90,000 residents in east-central Illinois. Along with the neighboring City of Urbana, it is home to the University of Illinois. The Mayor's Monarch Pledge began in Champaign in 2016. Mayor Deb Feinen signed a Proclamation declaring May as Monarch Conservation Month in the City of Champaign. Mayor Feinen and the Champaign City Council enacted Council goals that encourage and emphasize native habitat and green infrastructure.
Town of New Castle
Chappaqua, NY
Victoria Bayard Tipp
Summary for 2024
As described in the Town of New Castle 2017 Comprehensive Plan, New Castle’s land area is comprised mainly of bucolic, low-density residential neighborhoods. Of the Town’s approximately 15,000 acres, 14,488 acres are zoned for single-family residential use, and of these, 91% (13,194 acres) have one- or two-acre minimum lot sizes. This low density residential development pattern, derived from the Town’s zoning, has helped to maintain scenic vistas, large lots, areas of open space quality, and forested and undisturbed swaths of land that characterize the Town’s neighborhoods. Preservation of the bucolic residential character of the community’s neighborhoods is a priority to New Castle’s residents, as reflected in our 7-Year Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day foundation, Bee City USA designation from the initiatives of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and completion of the Town of New Castle Natural Resources Inventory.
City of Prairie Village
Prairie Village, KS
Eric Mikkelson
Summary for 2024
Prairie Village, Kansas, located in the Kansas City Metro, stands as a beacon of proactive environmental stewardship, acknowledging that local initiatives can have global impacts as the world grapples with the increasingly tangible consequences of climate change. Since 2021, the City of Prairie Village, under the guidance of the Prairie Village Environmental Committee has participated in the National Wildlife Federation's Mayors' Monarch Pledge.
City of St. Louis Park
St. Louis Park, MN
Nadia Mohamed
Summary for 2024
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.
Village of Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow, NY
Martin Rutyna
Summary for 2024
Sleepy Hollow is an idyllic rivertown village located north of New York City on the banks of the majestic Hudson River. Sleepy Hollow, with its stunning views, has a growing population with approximately 11,000 residents, and includes many parks, green spaces, and a growing park and trail system. The Village is also adjacent to and contains parts of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve with its over 1,700 acres of fields, forests, lakes and wetlands. The Village and its many volunteers have long supported pollinator pathways. Volunteers have planted pollinator gardens in parks and on private property around the Village to support the monarch butterfly habitat. The Mayor and Village are committed to protecting the monarch butterfly and other pollinators in the Village.
Moon Township
Moon, PA
David Bachman
Summary for 2024
Moon Township is a suburb of Pittsburgh in Western Pennsylvania. The Township is home to a population of approximately 25,000 people. Moon Township has a long-standing tradition of investment in public parks and open space. The Township has three landmark parks that feature over 600 acres of open space and over 15 miles of hiking trails. In 2019 the Township converted open areas in both Robin Hill Park and Moon Park into no-mow wildflower meadows. The meadows have been planted with special blends of native flowers and grasses specifically for pollinators. The Township also participates in the Pollinator Pathway program developing community Pollinator Pathways through volunteer efforts working together to establish pollinator-friendly habitats. In addition to the Pollinator Pathways, the Township also participates in the Wildlife-Friendly Community program with the National Wildlife Federation to create a wildlife habitat throughout the community while educating and engaging residents. Moon Township residents have certified their own gardens and yards assisting the Township in reaching the certification goal.
