The National Wildlife Federation

Community Profile

Pledge Status

Active

Pledge Date

Friday, March 31, 2023

Program Year

2023

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Action Item Report

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Township of Hamilton

Mays Landing, NJ

Carl Pitale

Mayor

Pledge Summary

The Township of Hamilton is located in South Jersey with a population of approximately 26,000 residents within a 115 square mile area. Mays Landing, the county seat of Atlantic County, is one of 56 municipalities that are located in the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve. This natural area covers over one million acres of protected pinelands and is the nation's first National Reserve. Mayor Pitale is a lifelong resident of Mays Landing which intensifies his dedication and efforts to further accomplish sustainability and beautification in our community. The township green team, Hamilton SustainabiliTEAM, completed our first native plant, rain garden in 2022. It is our intention along with Mayor Pitale's Monarch Pledge that we continue these butterfly gardens and rain gardens for healthy and productive pollinator habitats throughout our Township of Hamilton community.

Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2023

Communications and Convening

  • Engage with gardening leaders and partners (e.g., Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, Nature Centers, Native Plant Society Chapters , other long-standing and influential community leaders) to support monarch butterfly conservation.
  • Engage with Homeowners Associations (HOAs), Community Associations or neighborhood organizations to identify opportunities to plant monarch gardens and revise maintenance and mowing programs.
  • Create a community art project to enhance and promote monarch and pollinator conservation as well as cultural awareness and recognition.
  • Issue a Proclamation to raise awareness about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the species’ need for habitat.

Program and Demonstration Gardens

  • Host or support a native seed or plant sale, giveaway or swap.
  • Plant or maintain a monarch and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden at City Hall or another prominent or culturally significant community location.
  • Convert vacant lots to monarch habitat.
  • Launch or maintain an outdoor education program(s) (e.g., at schools, after-school programs, community centers and groups) that builds awareness and creates habitat by engaging students, educators, and the community in planting native milkweed and pollinator-friendly native nectar plants (i.e., National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA Schoolyard Habitats program and Monarch Mission curriculum).
  • Earn or maintain recognition for being a wildlife-friendly city by participating in other wildlife and habitat conservation efforts (i.e., National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitat program).
  • Initiate or support community science (or citizen science) efforts that help monitor monarch migration and health.
  • Add or maintain native milkweed and nectar producing plants in community gardens.
  • Host or support a monarch butterfly festival that is accessible to all residents in the community and promotes monarch and pollinator conservation, as well as cultural awareness and recognition.
  • Display educational signage at monarch gardens and pollinator habitat.

Systems Change

  • Increase the percentage of native plants, shrubs and trees that must be used in city landscaping ordinances and encourage use of milkweed, where appropriate.
  • Integrate monarch butterfly conservation into the city’s Park Master Plan, Sustainability Plan, Climate Resiliency Plan or other city plans.