ITEM 7.1 Natiional Wildlife Federation's Mayor's Monarch Pledgeots11.1: 0
MINNESOTA V
DEPARTMENT INFORMATION
Request for
City Council Action
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT:
REQUESTOR:
MEETING DATE:
Administration
Lori Johnson, City Administrator
October 10, 2016
PRESENTER(s):
REVIEWED BY:
ITEM #:
Lori Johnson, City Administrator
7.1
AGENDA ITEM DETAILS
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommend supporting the National Wildlife Federation's Mayors' Monarch Pledge
ARE YOU SEEKING APPROVAL OF A CONTRACT?
IS A PUBLIC HEARING REQUIRED?
No
No
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
In September, Mayor Stockamp and I received an email from the National Wildlife Federation asking if
Otsego would be interested in joining other mayors in signing the Mayors' Monarch Pledge. Agreeing to
the pledge requires the City to take actions to improve the monarch butterfly habitat, provide habitat
education, or take other steps to help bring back the monarch population. The Administrative
Subcommittee discussed this item at the September meeting and recommended that it be forwarded to
the Council for consideration.
The program is outlined in detail in the attachments; thus, I will not detail the program in this memo.
The crux of the pledge is that the City must commit to implement three of 25 possible action items
within one year. The City cost to meet this commitment is nominal. Use of space at Prairie Center for
educational programs, a public outreach through the City newsletter, and possible additional native
plantings on City property would meet the requirements.
The City of Otsego already meets some of the program recommendations with the natural plantings on
City property that contain monarch butterfly friendly plants such as milkweed. In addition, Minnesota
Native Landscapes, an Otsego business, has a pollinator program that promotes milkweed pod collection
and planting along with other initiatives. Minnesota Native Landscapes has expressed interest in
collaborating with the City to meet the Mayors' Monarch Pledge through educational programs,
milkweed pod collection sites, and pollinator/butterfly plant sales.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS: X ❑ ATTACHED ❑ NONE
0 Mayors' Monarch Pledge Information Packet
POSSIBLE MOTION
Please word motion as you would like it to appear in the minutes.
Motion to participate in the Mayors' Monarch Pledge.
BUDGET INFORMATION
FUNDING BUDGETED: ❑ YES
Minimal yet to be determined cost.
Parks, Recreation, or Council Contingency x o No
budgets depending upon nature of
expenditure.
Lori Johnson
From: Weiskotten, Chip <cWeiskotten@wcs.org>
Sent: Monday, September 12, 2016 11:29 AM
To: Jessica Stockamp
Cc: Lori Johnson
Subject: Otsego can help save monarch butterflies!
Attachments: NWF MMP Fact Sheet 2015.pdf
Dear Mayor Stockamp,
Would you and the citizens of Otsego be interested in joining mayors from Minnesota in signing the Mayors' Monarch
Pledge?
Mayors around the country are taking action to help save the monarch butterfly, an iconic species whose populations
have declined by 90% in the last 20 years. Habitat loss along their migratory routes has put monarchs in danger of
disappearing from our backyards and our lives. And Minnesota is a key part of the monarch's migration flyway!
Will you help reverse the monarch butterfly decline by taking the Mayors' Monarch Pledge? After you take the
pledge online on behalf of Otsego, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) will follow up with you to help
identify at least 3 specific actions that your community will take in the next year from the Mayor's Monarch
Pledge Action Items.
Once you have taken the pledge and specified which actions your community will take over the next year, it's
time to start taking action! Over the next several months, NWF will be sharing best practices for cities and
municipalities through our online resources page, occasional email updates, social media, and webinars.
Please refer to our resources section for more details.
In addition, if your city signs the pledge, my group (the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders) has grant funding
available to help your city purchase milkweed seeds to fulfill the pledge requirements —just ask me for details.
Got Questions? I'm attaching a flyer with more information. Please be sure to read our Frequently Asked Questions. If
you do not see your question answered, please let me know.
We hope you will join the loin the widespread and growing networks of cities who are saving the Monarchs in their
own backyard by signing the pledge! No city is too large or too small. Your leadership will inspire others, and together
we can all brings the Monarchs back from decline.
Thank you!
Chip Weiskotten, on behalf of the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders program and the National Wildlife Federation
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NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION®
MAYO
9w-
PLED
Creating Monarch Butterfly Habitat in
Communities Nationwide
Mayors and other local government chief executives are taking action to help
save the monarch butterfly, an iconic species whose populations have declined by
90% in the last 20 years. Through the National Wildlife Federation's Mayors'
Monarch Pledge, cities and municipalities are committing to create habitat and
educate citizens about how they can make a difference at home. There are four
steps to taking and implementing the pledge.
Take the Pledge
By taking the Mayors' Monarch Pledge, you are committing to both restore hab-
itat in your community and encourage your citizens to do the same. Read
the Mayors' Monarch Pledge and then take the pledge online!
Specify Your Actions
We will follow up with the point person specified in the online pledge form and
work to identify at least 3 specific actions that your community will take in the
next year. Mayors who decide to take 8 or more actions will receive special
recognition and become a member of the Mayors' Monarch Pledge Leadership
Circle. Once these specific actions have been identified, communities will
report their progress through a simple online survey form. Read the Mayors'
Monarch Pledge Action Items and then specify which actions you will take.
Take Action
Once you have taken the pledge and specified which actions your community
will take over the next year, it's time to start taking action! Over the next sev-
eral months, NWF will be sharing best practices for cities and municipalities
through our online resources page, occasional email updates, social media, and
webinars. Please refer to our resources page for more details.
Report Progress
Once you have specified your actions and begun to take action we will ask com-
munities to fill out a simple reporting form on a quarterly basis. The reporting
process will only take about 5 minutes and the data we collect will allow us to
track the collective outcomes and impact of our work.
WILDLIFE
Mayors' Monarch Pledge
www.nwf.org/MayorsMonarchPledge
MayorsMonarchPledge@nwf.org
2N1 4 NATIONAL
� FEDERATION
Mayors' Monarch Pledge
The monarch butterfly is an iconic North American species whose
multigenerational migration and metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly has
captured the imagination of millions of Americans.
We, the undersigned mayors and local government chief executives, are deeply
concerned about the decline of the monarch butterfly population. Twenty years
ago, more than one billion Eastern monarch butterflies migrated to Mexico. In the
winter of 2014, only 60 million made the trip. The North American monarch
population has declined by more than 90 percent in the past two decades.
Monarch scientists attribute the decline to degradation and loss of summer
breeding habitat in the U.S., and loss of winter habitat in Mexico. Western
populations of monarch butterflies that overwinter in California are also in
decline.
Cities, towns and counties have a critical role to play to help save the monarch
butterfly. Municipalities in particular can provide habitat at public parks, median
strips, community gardens and municipal buildings that serve as community hubs
such as recreation centers and libraries. Schools, homes and businesses can all
provide essential habitat for monarchs too. Simple changes in landscaping
ordinances or school policies can make a big difference for the monarch.
Educating citizens about how and where to grow milkweed is also a key piece of
the puzzle. Creating habitat and educating citizens will benefit other pollinators
that need healthy habitat as well.
When mayors speak up and take a stand, citizens notice. Therefore, we hereby
commit to help restore habitat for the monarch and encourage our citizens to do
the same, so that these magnificent butterflies will once again flourish across the
continent.
Sign the pledge at www.nwf.org/mayorsmonarchpledge
NATIONAL
� FEDERATION
Mayors' Monarch Pledge Action Items
Mayors and local government chief executives who have taken the Mayors' Monarch Pledge must
commit to implement at least three of the 25 following action items within a year of taking the pledge.
At least one action must be taken from the "Program & Demonstration Gardens" section. Mayors and
local government chief executives taking more than eight actions will receive special recognition as part
of the National Wildlife Federation's Mayors' Monarch Leadership Circle. NWF will follow up with all
mayoral points of contact with a quarterly survey (1/1, 4/1, 7/1, 10/1) to monitor progress. Please visit
www,nwf.org/mayorsmonarchpledge to take the pledge and access resources.
Communications & Convening:
1) Issue a Proclamation to raise awareness about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the
species' need for habitat.
2) Launch a public communication effort to encourage citizens to plant monarch gardens at their
homes or in their neighborhoods.
3) Communicate with community garden groups and urge them to plant native milkweeds and
nectar -producing plants.
4) Convene city park and public works department staff and identify opportunities for revised
mowing programs and milkweed / native nectar plant planting programs.
5) Convene a meeting with gardening leaders in the community to discuss partnerships to support
monarch butterfly conservation.
Program & Demonstration Gardens:
6) Host or support a native plant sale or milkweed seed giveaway event.
7) Facilitate or support a milkweed seed collection and propagation effort.
8) Plant a monarch -friendly demonstration garden at City Hall or another prominent location.
9) Convert abandoned lots to monarch habitat.
10) Plant milkweed and native nectar plants in medians and public rights -of -way.
11) Launch a program to plant native milkweeds and nectar plants in school gardens by engaging
students, teachers and the community.
12) Earn recognition for being a wildlife -friendly city by expanding your action plan to include other
wildlife and habitat conservation efforts through a program like the NWF Community Wildlife
Habitat program
13) Create a monarch neighborhood challenge to engage neighborhoods and homeowners'
associations within the city to create habitat for the monarch butterfly.
14) Initiate or support citizen -science efforts that help monitor monarch migration and health.
15) Add milkweed and nectar producing plants in community gardens.
16) Expand invasive species removal programs to make it possible to re-establish native milkweed
and nectar plants to the landscape.
17) Host or support a city monarch butterfly festival.
Systems Change•
18) Remove milkweed from the list of noxious plants in city weed / landscaping ordinances (if
applicable).
19) Change weed or mowing ordinances to allow for native prairie and plant habitats.
20) Increase the percentage of native plants, shrubs and trees that must be used in city landscaping
ordinances and encourage use of milkweed where appropriate.
21) Direct city property managers to consider the use of native milkweed and nectar plants at city
properties where appropriate.
22) Integrate monarch butterfly conservation into the city's Park Master Plan, Sustainability Plan,
Climate Resiliency Plan or other city plans.
23) Change landscape ordinances to support integrated pest management and reduced use of
pesticides and insecticides.
24) Adopt pesticides practices that are not harmful to pollinators.
25) California Specific: Pass a resolution to protect over -wintering monarch butterfly habitat on
public and private lands.
* NATIONAL
6
♦I FEDERATION
Mayor's Monarch Pledge FAQ:
1) I'm not a Mayor, can I take this pledge?
Any individual who is a local government chief executive of a city, county, town, township,
village or any other form of municipal government may take the pledge. While this pledge is not
specifically designed for neighborhood or home owners' associations, presidents of these
associations may also take the pledge.
2) What if I'm already taking three specific actions for monarch from the list?
If you are already taking three or more of the specific actions from the pledge, we ask you to
make one additional commitment for the next year.
3) What is the Mayors' Monarch Pledge Leadership Circle?
The Leadership Circle is reserved for mayors who take eight or more specific actions from the
list. You may join the leadership circle when you first pledge or you may decide to upgrade to
the leadership circle at a later date after taking the standard pledge.
4) What kind of support can I expect from NWF?
NWF will share best practices through the "Resources for Mayors" page at
www.nwf.org/mayorsmonarchpledge and foster sharing through our public Facebook group -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/403210479865994/. NWF will also make connections with
the local entities of our national coalition partners from Monarch Joint Venture and the National
Pollinator Garden Network — these partners could become a resource locally. NWF will consult
with any city that is interested in taking the pledge —just send us an email at
mayorsmonarchpledge@nwf.org. Additional support is available to cities, towns, counties and
neighborhoods that take part in NWF's Community Wildlife Habitat program —
www. nwf. o rg/community.
5) Does our Mayor or Town Council have to issues a proclamation?
A proclamation is not mandatory, but a city proclamation or resolution may be a pre -requisite
for some municipalities to implement certain actions. Other actions like convening garden
groups or planting a demonstration garden or changing when you mow certain areas within the
city would likely not require a proclamation or other legislation.
6) Do I have to start on these actions before I take the pledge?
No. We ask that you make a commitment up front and take the actions you included in your
pledge within one year.
7) Will I report back to NWF on our actions?
Yes. We will ask all communities to fill out a simple survey each quarter so we can communicate
the collective impact of our work to help save the monarch butterfly.
8) When does the pledge end?
The pledge is a one-time action and we ask that you take the actions that you checked off on
your pledge form within the next year. Different mayors will take the pledge at different times,
so the end will be different for everyone. We do encourage all mayors and municipalities to
continue your pledge actions for as long as possible.
9) UPDATED: What is the deadline for taking the pledge?
Our previous deadline of 1/31/16 has been EXTENDED to the end of 2016 — NEW DEADLINE:
12/31/16.
10) Can we get credit for items not included in the pledge?
Please email us at mayorsmonarchpledge@nwf.org if you have a specific action that is not listed
on the pledge form.
11) What about the other pollinators?
What's good for the monarch butterfly is also good for other pollinators! By planting native
milkweed and other native nectar plants cities will also be creating habitat for pollinators.