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City of Greer a National Community Wildlife Habitat
By Lindsay Shaffer, Tourism Specialist, City of Greer
The City of Greer was recognized as a National Community Wildlife Habitat on May 24, 2022 at the Edward R. Driggers City of Greer Center for the Arts. The certification was two years in the making with 300 individual properties certified as a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. The City of Greer partnered with the Camellia Garden Club to encourage residents and business owners to provide a habitat for wildlife to live within the community for many generations. The ceremony also included a butterfly garden dedication by Mayor Rick Danner with more than a dozen Monarch Butterflies released into the garden. “The butterfly gardens have been a welcome addition to our parks and landscape,” Recreation Supervisor Justin Miller said. “I would like to thank Kelly Long (Camellia Garden Club and The Southern Monarch) for helping us design these gardens, John and Deborah Rainwater for the butterfly houses, and Lichtenfelt Nurseries for their contribution of the plant materials.” In 2018, Mayor Danner planted a butterfly garden at his residence in memory of his mother who loved butterflies. The project led Greer to become the first city in South Carolina to be named a Monarch City USA. Additional butterfly gardens are now located at Benson Automotive Kids Planet and Greer City Park (Nancy Welch Memorial Butterfly Garden). The National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitat™ program partners with cities, towns, counties, neighborhoods, and communities of all kinds to become healthier, greener, and more wildlife-friendly. Communities can earn their certification by first certifying residential and commercial properties. The minimum amount of Habitat Certification points needed is based on the population size. Additional required points are earned by providing educational and outreach opportunities. “It’s been very rewarding to host educational events in the gardens and to learn alongside our community about the Monarch Butterflies and I feel certain our community is making a difference in the Monarch Butterfly numbers who are attempting to avoid extinction,” Miller said. As the city continues to build more parks, Mayor Danner expressed, “we want to be conscientious about the environment and the impact we have on the environment and whether we have an opportunity to mitigate those kinds of issues that cut down on wildlife.” The City of Greer and Camellia Garden Club hope to encourage more communities to do the same, and can start by planting milkweed in gardens to support butterfly habitats.
