2023 Spring-Summer Resident Update

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Closures and Service Adjustments

City closures in observation of the following 2023 holidays :

• Memorial Day | Monday, May 29

• Juneteenth | Monday, June 19

• Independence Day | Tuesday, July 4

During holiday closures, there will be no curbside trash, yard waste, recycling, bulk, or home chemical collection. The collection will be delayed one day for the week following each holiday. For more specific information, visit us at www.cityofdenton.com

Award Winning Services

Regional Transportation Council Awards

Awarded to Environmental Services and Sustainability staff for Outstanding Outreach and for Outstanding use of Arlo the Armadillo, the Air North Texas Mascot.

Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CGAI)

Awarded to the Fire Dept. for obtaining accredited agency status for meeting the criteria established through the CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program.

TX Municipal Library Directors Association Award

Awarded the 2022 Achievement of Excellence in Libraries Award for exhibiting excellence.

Association of Local Government Auditors Award

Awarded Exemplary Knighton Award in the Small Shop Category for the Wastewater System Operations audit report.

Texas Recreation and Parks Society Awards

Awarded the Jerry D. Garrett Young Professional of the Year Award and the Marketing and Excellence Award.

City Council Priorities Update New Public-Facing Strategic Plan Dashboard is LIVE!

In March, the City launched a new public-facing dashboard that displays how we're putting the Strategic Plan into action. It also serves to provide valuable insights into our performance through data analytics, descriptions and updates, progress and status, and a better understanding of how it rolls up into the bigger picture.

Key Focus Areas (KFA) and City Council Priorities

Every year, City Council and staff revisits, revises, and/or reaffirms the KFAs and priorities based on operational and strategic plan performance.

Strategic Plan

Every quarter, City staff provides an update on the Strategic Plan, which transforms the KFAs and priorities into an actionable to-do list based on the community's 2040 plan, department master plans, initiatives, etc.

Strategic Plan Dashboard

Fostering Community-Driven Environmental Stewardship

Community Input is Needed for the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan

70% of climate warming greenhouse gas emissions originate within or are influenced by the actions of cities and local governments. For that reason, City Council has made the development of the first Climate Action and Adaptation Plan a priority. For more details, visit www.sustainabledenton.com.

Road Map to Climate Action...

Based on Community Input

In 2018, these were ranked as the top focus areas for updating the Sustainability Framework. Goals and objectives were also based on community feedback.

In 2020, the Denton City Council approved the updated sustainability framework. Focus Area Two of the document includes taking actions to improve regional air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and develop a climate action plan.

Based on City Council Key Focus Area

In 2022, City Council Signed the ICLEI Race to Zero Initiative and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Commitment and Ordinance

Last year, Denton was one of the communities to commit to the ICLEI Race to Zero campaign, that serves to cut global emissions in half by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The City’s community specific science based targets are based on the 2019 greenhouse gas emissions inventory report.

Climate Action and Adaptation Survey

Through May 2023, we’re seeking the community’s input on development of the Climate Action and Adaption Plan. With community input, we’ll draft a plan that will continue to reflect the community’s and the Council’s Priorities.

Visit www.discussdenton.com/climate-action-plan.

WHAT'S DRIVING THE NEED FOR CHANGE

Net Zero Emissions by 2050

Based on Denton's 2019 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Report, the largest local GHG contributor was transportation at 51%, followed by energy use at 34% and solid waste at 8%. Transportation is also the largest source of GHG nationwide, accounting for 27% of the U.S. total.

In Denton, the average person drives 10,000 miles annually, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and poor air quality, and in 2019, approximately 91% of all trips in Denton were by vehicle, and only 9% were taken by walking and cycling.

As a City, we aim to contribute by enhancing land use planning and updating mobility system guidelines for new development to reduce emissions and provide improvements in safety, traffic, and quality of life. The relationship of mobility to land use can also help improve connections and access in communities that are historically disadvantaged and undeserved.

Investing in active transportation infrastructure and using alternative means of transportation can help ensure that those walking, biking, and rolling can travel safely, reduce harmful emissions, and reduce the impact on the natural and human environment, helping improve the quality of life in our community.

the power of trees

Climate change is the biggest challenge facing the health of our planet. And while it will take many solutions working together to make a difference, trees are a proven, natural way that can be implemented quickly to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere today.

Through the process of photosynthesis, forests offset 10 to 20 percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions each year.

"More recently the industry is moving towards planting adopted trees that are native to warmer climates but are hardy enough to handle colder climates. In Denton we've added Mexican Sycamore and Monterey Oak, aka Mexican White Oak, to our mix to increase species diversity."

Haywood

Morgan, City of Denton Urban Forester

As trees grow, they help stop climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil, and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. So whether you plant trees around your home and property or in the community, they will help fight climate change. The added benefit, according to the U.S. Forest Service Center for Urban Forest Research, just three trees, properly placed around a house, can save up to 30% of energy use

If you're ready to use trees to help us create a more clean and connected community, visit www.kdb.org.

Together, our individual efforts that can accelerate action. Some of the biggest contributions come from simply walking, cycling, recycling, using electric transport, planting trees, and composting.

Community EVENTS

Twilight Tunes

Thursdays, May 4-June 29

Downtown Denton, 6:30-8 p.m.

Denton Community Market

Every Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. April through November

8th Annual Honey Run

5K, 10K, and 1-Mile Fun Run

Saturday, May 20, 8 a.m.-noon

Clear Creek Heritage Nature Center Register at www.dentonparks.com.

Denton Juneteenth

Friday and Saturday, June 16-17

Fred Moore Park

Liberty Run and 1-Mile Walk

Saturday, July 1

Race begins at 7:30 a.m.

Denton Civic Center

Yankee Doodle Parade

Saturday, July 1

Parade begins at 9 a.m.

Downtown Denton

Jubilee Festival and Kiwanis Drone Show

Monday, July 3

Festivities, 6-10 p.m.

Downtown Denton

Enjoy live music, free family fun, food trucks, games, and more! Drone Show begins at 9:30 p.m. sponsored by Denton Noon Kiwanis Club.

Dyno Dirt Compost, Soil Blend, and Mulch are Excellent for Gardens and Landscapes and Make Efficient Use of Our Resources

The Beneficial Reuse Dept. sells Dyno Dirt, a compost product made with brush and yard trimmings collected by the Solid Waste Dept and biosolids recycled from the Pecan Creek Water Reclamation Plant. We offer homeowners and gardeners nutrient-rich soil that has excellent moisture-retention properties.

Product applications include landscape planting and mulching, lawn establishment and maintenance, vegetable and flower gardens, and nursery and greenhouse production. The Dyno Dirt program is an excellent example of city-wide recycling cooperation. The program prolongs our landfill’s life by recycling material that might otherwise go unused.

The Dyno Dirt facility is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1100 S. Mayhill Rd. Visit www.cityofdenton.com/dyno or call (940) 349-8290.

Texas City Nature Challenge

In our environments, we're accustomed to draining our attention between cell phones and traffic jams. Too much directed attention can lead to irritability and what they call "directed attention fatigue." According to the American Psychological Association, shifting our attention towards nature allows our brains to rest, which in turn helps us to focus better later. Altogether, research has shown that cultivating mindfulness in a green environment improves mood, focus, and self-esteem, lowers blood pressure, and reduces anxiety and muscle tension.

May is Mental Health Month, and if you're looking for something mindful to shift your attention fatigue, join the Texas City Nature Challenge with Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Master Naturalists, the Nature Conservancy, the Audubon Society, and many others, April 28-May 1.

Using the iNaturalist app, you can track and log observations as part of this event or on your own.

You can also explore nature at one of Denton's many parks and trails, and you can also help with IDs for other people's observations via the app. To learn more, visit www.inaturalist.org and to tap into more outdoor activities, visit www.clearcreekdenton.com.

More than 80% of the world’s flowering plants need a pollinator to reproduce; and we need pollinators too, since most of our food comes from flowering plants.

Doing MORE By Doing LESS To Help Early Season Pollinators

According to the National Park Service, one out of every three bites we eat comes from the hard work of a pollinator like bees. Some insects visit flowers in search of food and nest-building materials, and some including many bees, intentionally collect pollen. Others, like butterflies and birds move pollen accidentally. Pollen sticks on their bodies while they are drinking or feeding on nectar in the flower blooms and it's transported unknowingly from flower to flower.

The main purpose of “No Mow May” is to encourage people to let spring flowers bloom before mowing. Because in May, many bees come out of hibernation and need flowers to feed. While people view these flowers as weeds, pollinators view them as food.

“No Mow May” is a conservation initiative backed by research that found that simple changes in mowing can result in enough nectar for ten times more bees and other pollinators. But, if you’re concerned about the appearance of neglect, you can consider a compromise like planting native flowers, allow growth in just certain parts of the yard, or reduce the use of pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers to minimize contaminants.

To take part in “No Mow May” simply keep the City's Ordinance in mind that states that grass or weeds in excess of twelve (12) inches in height must be mowed; however, wildflowers and native grasses are exempt until after the final blooming of the majority of the plants, or after the majority of a species have gone dormant, usually June 1. If you have wildflowers or native grass on your property, you can mow around them until they have gone to seed. Make note, they must be native and you need to be able to identify them.

Learn more at www.beecityusa.org/no-mow-may/#

Lights Out Texas!

Bird migration occurs from March to June and September to November; during this time, light pollution disorients birds, taking them away from their migration paths and exposing them to hazards, such as collisions with buildings

"An estimated one billion birds die from collisions in the U.S. annually. Birds taken off their migration paths are also subject to exhaustion, leaving them prone to urban threats and unable to complete their journeys." Dan

Friedman, Sustainability Coordinator Environmental Services and Sustainability

To help reduce migratory bird mortality, we ask that you turn off your non-essential lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., and where conflicts apply, prioritize lights out during the critical peak periods.

Spring Migration:

March 1-June 15

Peak Migration:

April 22-May 12

BirdCast tools by Cornell Lab of Ornithology can show you when increased migration traffic is happening in and above the Denton area. It provides real-time predictions of bird migrations and when-where-and-how far they will be flying!