Suburban mayors pledge to help preserve monarch butterfly
Elgin, Lake Zurich, Algonquin and West Chicago have pledged to help preserve the monarch butterfly, joining the National Wildlife Federation's "Mayors' Monarch Pledge" and committing to create habitats for the monarch and pollinators and to educate residents about how they can contribute.
The butterfly's population has declined 90 percent in the last 20 years, according to NWF. Gov. Bruce Rauner last week signed a bill, sponsored by state Rep. Anna Moeller of Elgin, making the milkweed the state's wildflower.
Elgin Mayor David Kaptain joined the pledge recently, and city workers about two weeks ago planted milkweed on Walton Island, outside city hall, and at Festival Park, city spokeswoman Molly Center said. Milkweed also will be added to the garden beds of the Elgin Tower Building when construction is done, she said.
The city's sustainability commission is contributing up to $1,000 out of its budget for signage and about $300 for milkweed seeds for residents that will be distributed in the near future, Center said.
"Everything we are doing fits in well with the sustainability action plan," she said.
West Chicago Mayor Ruben Pineda said the city in July planted milkweed and other pollinator plants by the parking lot outside city hall. Pineda also said he released 12 monarch butterflies raised by a resident and planted milkweed in his own home garden.
"It's great to get the community involved," he said. "When you're losing 90 percent of your monarchs, that's crucial - and critical."
Algonquin Village President John Schmitt signed the pledge in June, but officials say they've been taking action on the monarch preservation initiative for more than a decade.
The village has converted 120 acres of turf grass and open land into native vegetation since 2005, Assistant Public Works Director Michele Zimmerman said. Its most recent restoration project, at a cost of more than $45,000, is at Spella Park.
The projects have included a mix of pollinator plants, including milkweed, to help the butterfly, she said. "It's exciting to see other communities taking this initiative, too, and implementing this regionwide," she said.
Lake Zurich Mayor Tom Poynton said he joined the pledge after a request from the nonprofit Ancient Oaks Foundation, dedicated to preserving and restoring the village's natural areas. The village has contributed staff members' time to the effort led by the foundation, which also distributes milkweed seeds to the public, he said.
"They're really the ones who got this going," he said. "I had no clue that monarch butterflies were anything more than pretty things to watch fly by."
Moeller also introduced a bill, approved by the House, that would prohibit municipalities and counties from classifying milkweed as "noxious" or "exotic" and from fining residents who have the plant on their properties.
• Daily Herald staff writer Lauren Rohr contributed to this story.