Community Profile

Pledge Summary

Mayor Orozco is working with a loose knit group of environmentalists and naturalists to help support Monarch Butterfly populations. The group has undertaken projects for a number fo years but has no previously taken “The Mayors’ Monarch Pledge.” The group sees this as a multi-year effort. For the first year, the group plans to 1) Issue a Proclamation to raise awareness about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the species’ need for habitat. 2) Launch a public communication effort to encourage residents to plant monarch gardens at their homes or in their neighborhoods. 3) Engage with community garden groups and urge them to plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants. 4) Engage with city parks and recreation, public works, sustainability, and other relevant staff to identify opportunities to revise and maintain mowing programs and milkweed / native nectar plant planting programs, and 5) Plant or maintain a monarch and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden at City Hall or another prominent community location. The group is investigating locations to work on the demonstration garden and will coordinate their efforts with the City’s Parks Team. As part of the Earth Day 2021 effort the City’s Community Services team will explore additional opportunities to communicate the importance of protecting all species by creating spaces and executing plans that allow species to live and thrive in urban areas.