Mayor's Monarch Pledge

The Village of Richton Park and President Rick Reinbold have signed the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors' Monarch Pledge, officially committing to take meaningful actions to help save the declining monarch butterfly.

By adopting a special proclamation representing the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge at the March 24th Board Meeting, the Village is now part of an expanding network of cities, mayors, and government leaders across North America actively creating and expanding vibrant, high-quality, native habitat for the monarch butterfly and other pollinators, while educating residents about how they can make a difference at home, and in their community.

The Village of Richton Park is home to many native plants and pollinator species, including the majestic monarch butterfly, which has sadly experienced massive population losses over the past few decades. Human health ultimately depends on well-functioning ecosystems, and biodiverse regions can better support food production, healthy soil, air quality and also foster health connections between humans and wildlife.

Pollinator species are in decline due to habitat loss and the use of pesticides, causing species like the monarch butterfly to decline significantly in the past 25 years. Butterflies are extremely beneficial, pollinating many cultivated flowers and crops, and serve as an indicator species for the ecological health of large geographic areas.

In December 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the listing of the monarch butterfly as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act is warranted and the beloved brown and orange monarch butterfly is now a candidate for protective measures under the Endangered Species Act.

The Village of Richton Park continues to explore environmentally-friendly infrastructure, legislation, and practices, with guidance from experts to best support local ecosystems and provide such benefits for our residents.

Richton Park is establishing its commitment to support local, state and national efforts that protect, restore, and conserve habitats for pollinators, as well as foster a greater connection between residents and wildlife.

Program Action Items

The Village will be pursuing five (5) action items in support of the Mayors' Monarch Pledge. Some of the action items include the following:

  1. Launch or maintain a public communication effort to encourage residents to plant monarch gardens at their homes or in their neighborhoods.
  2. Engage with Homeowners Associations (HOAs), Community Associations, or neighborhood organizations to identify opportunities to plant monarch gardens and revise maintenance and mowing programs.
  3. Engage with developers, planners, landscape architects, and other community leaders and organizers engaged in planning processes to identify opportunities to create monarch habitat.
  4. Host or support a native seed or plant sale, giveaway, or swap.
  5. Integrate monarch butterfly conservation into the Village's Park Master Plan, Sustainability Plan, Climate Resiliency Plan or other city plans.
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GETTING INVOLVED

Richton Park residents can help the Monarch butterfly and other pollinators through planting pollinator seeds in their gardens or yards. Any native Milkweed (such as Asclepias Tuberosa), Coneflower, Native Asters, and Goldenrods are just a few plant seeds that help butterflies and other pollinators. Milkweed seeds are available FREE at Village Hall.

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