RESOLUTION FOR BOARD MEETING OF FEBRUARY 6, 2020
Title
RESOLUTION sponsored by the Board of Commissioners supporting the Illinois Monarch Project
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WHEREAS, Cook County has long been on the monarch butterfly’s annual migration route from Mexico to Canada and has provided monarch caterpillars with native milkweed species, their sole source of food; and
WHEREAS, flooding is an ongoing concern for Cook County businesses and residents, and native planting and green space help mitigate this problem; and
WHEREAS, Illinois designated the iconic monarch butterfly as the official state insect in 1975 after the idea was suggested by third graders from Decatur; and
WHEREAS, scientific studies suggest that the rapid decline of the monarch butterfly is due to climate change and the loss of milkweed resulting from development, poor land management practices, and heavy reliance on pesticides and herbicides in the United States and Canada; and
WHEREAS, because the decimation of pollinators, including the monarch, has potential negative consequences for natural ecosystems as well as for human food production, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently studying the species to determine if it should be listed under the Endangered Species Act; and
WHEREAS, government agencies, organizations, and individuals in Illinois have partnered together under the Illinois Monarch Project to collaborate on planning efforts with other states to encourage the development and preservation of suitable breeding and feeding habitat for monarch butterflies throughout United States; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois Monarch Project partners with landowners across diverse landscapes to encourage a preservation alliance to assist in ensuring that monarch butterfly populations not only survive, but also flourish; and
WHEREAS, Illinois has pledged to add 150,000,000 new stems of milkweed by 2038. The Illinois Monarch Project plans on releasing its Illinois Monarch Butterfly Action Plan that will include strategies for achieving this goal in May, which is Illinois Monarch Butterfly Month; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, on behalf of ourselves and staff, do hereby applaud the Illinois Monarch Project; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be spread upon the permanent Record of Proceedings of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and that a copy of same, suitably engrossed, be presented to the Illinois Monarch Project.
Dated: February 6, 2020