Pledge Status
Active
Pledge Date
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Program Year
2026
Links and Uploads
View Links and UploadsAction Item Report
Community Spotlight
Reston Annual Butterfly Count
Reston has conducted an Annual Butterfly Count since 1994. One place to look for Monarchs is the Golf Course Island Community Gardens where there is a Monarch Waystation, filled with milkweed plants. Each year, volunteers assist staff with the count.
Monarch Waystations
Reston has 18 certified Monarch Waystations by Monarch Watch. These sites provide milkweeds, nectar sources and shelter needed to sustain Monarch butterflies as they migrate through North America.
Learn MoreAction Items Committed for 2026
- Issue a proclamation to raise awareness about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the species’ need for habitat. This proclamation must incorporate a focus on monarch conservation.
- Engage with community garden groups and urge them to plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants.
- 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.
- Engage with gardening leaders and partners (e.g., Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, Nature Centers, Native Plant Society Chapters , other long-standing and influential community leaders) to support monarch butterfly conservation.
- Engage with Homeowners Associations (HOAs), Community Associations or neighborhood organizations to identify opportunities to plant monarch gardens and revise maintenance and mowing programs.
- Create a community art project to enhance and promote monarch and pollinator conservation as well as cultural awareness and recognition.
- Host or support a native seed or plant sale, giveaway or swap.
- Facilitate or support a milkweed seed collection and propagation effort.
- Plant or maintain a monarch and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden at City Hall or another prominent or culturally significant community location.
- Earn or maintain recognition for being a wildlife-friendly city by participating in other wildlife and habitat conservation efforts (i.e., National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitat program).
- Initiate or support community science (or citizen science) efforts that help monitor monarch migration and health.
- Add or maintain native milkweed and nectar-producing plants in gardens in the community.
- Launch, expand, or continue an invasive species removal program that will support the re-establishment of native habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
- Display educational signage at monarch gardens and pollinator habitat.
- Change weed or mowing ordinances to allow for native prairie and plant habitats.
- Reduce or eliminate the use of herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals that are harmful to monarchs and pollinators and urban wildlife.
- Launch, expand, or continue one or more ordinances to reduce light pollution to benefit urban wildlife.
Past Pledge Archive
| Mayor Name | Program Year | Pledge Date | Achievement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acting Chief Executive Officer - Reston Association Peter Lusk | 2026 | 3/17/2026 | View Pledge | |
| Chief Executive Officer - Reston Association Mac Cummins | 2025 | 3/21/2025 | Signatories | View Pledge |
| Chief Executive Officer Larry Butler | 2022 | 12/16/2021 | Leadership Circle | View Pledge |
| Chief Executive Officer Larry Butler | 2021 | 3/26/2021 | Leadership Circle | View Pledge |
