CHAMBLEE, Ga. — Chamblee and its mayor was recognized as Monarch Champion on Dec. 16 by the National Wildlife Federation for its commitment to monarch butterfly conservation.
The designation of Monarch Champion is awarded to Mayors’ Monarch Pledge signatories that implement at least 24 of the 30 recommended actions to support the declining monarch butterfly population, the city said in a news release.
Chamblee has created 10 acres of monarch habitat and has reached more than 2,900 residents through its conservation initiatives since 2021.
Thanks to the city’s efforts, “we found monarch caterpillars in multiple locations on city property for the first time—our most rewarding conservation milestone to date,” the city said.
In her announcement about the recognition, Sydney Dooley, community habitat manager at the National Wildlife Federation, said, “This year alone, Chamblee engaged community garden groups to plant native, converted a two-acre vacant lot into monarch habitat and even gave away 250 milkweed plants to members of the community—among so much more. Chamblee has become tremendous leaders for monarch conservation and we are honored to work with them on this effort.”
Mayor Brian Mock expressed the community’s spirit, saying, “When we support pollinators, we support our parks, our neighborhoods and the natural beauty that makes Chamblee special.”
Lori Conway, Public Works grounds & greenspace manager, highlighted the community’s efforts in 2025. She said, “Through new partnerships, bilingual education and native plant restoration, 2025 showed what a community can achieve—culminating in the joy of finding monarch caterpillars flourishing on city land for the first time.”
The Public Works Department collaborated with organizations such as Keep Chamblee Beautiful and the Georgia Native Plant Society to achieve this status. In addition to maintaining existing butterfly gardens, they expanded outreach to underserved residents with bilingual educational displays and partnered with developers to replace non-native landscaping with native plants.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]