Environment Committee Meeting on 1-21-25: Monarch Conservation
Presentations:
- Urban Habitats for Monarch Butterflies – Aster Hasle, Lead Conservation Ecologist, Keller Science Action Center, Field Museum
- Proposed Endangered Species Act Protection – Shawn Cirton, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- What to do? Collaboration for Monarch Conservation – Dan Salas, Director, Sustainable Landscapes Program, Senior Ecologist, CSE, University of Illinois Chicago, Energy Resources Center
- Mayors’ Monarch Pledge and Local Action – Mayor Michelle Nelson, Village of Flossmoor
Resources:
- Mayors’ Monarch Pledge – The pledge period is open until March 31, 2025. Here are the “Top 5 Reasons to Take the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge.”
- Does Nature Need Cities? Pollinators Reveal a Role for Cities in Wildlife Conservation – article that speaker Aster Hasle mentioned
- Characteristics of urban milkweed gardens that influence monarch butterfly egg abundance – article that speaker Aster Hasle mentioned
- Creating Monarch Habitat in Your Midwestern Garden – plant recommendations from the Field Museum
- Municipal resources for monarch conservation at the Illinois Monarch Project webpage
- Route 66 Monarch Flyway webpage – an Illinois Monarch Project initiative
- gROWing Chicago Habitat – A framework for habitat conservation in the Chicago area that involves rights-of-way (ROW)
- DuPage Monarch Project: Communities Protecting Pollinators Facebook page – This group of local organizations works together and advocates for pollinator conservation through education and community engagement.
- Illinois Native Plant Society – list of native plant sales and nurseries (Speaker Aster Hasle said the sales for 2025 aren’t posted yet, but they will start to populate soon.)
Related Grants:
- Toyota Native Wildflower Seed Grant – If you have a larger project (minimum of 10 acres), this funding may work for your community. Please note that this grant is for seeds, which will take longer to establish than plants.
- ComEd Green Region Grant – Now in its thirteenth year, the ComEd Green Region Grant awards grants of up to $10,000 for conservation projects in northern Illinois. The 2025 application portal will close on March 28, 2025.
- UIC & Stantec Pollinate Program – Small grants are available for areas near energy and transportation infrastructure. The grant aims to help organizations deliver conservation to species and communities where it is needed most.
Return to the Environment Committee webpage.