Community Profile

Pledge Status

Complete

Pledge Date

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Program Year

2021

Achievement

Leadership Circle

2021

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Action Item Report

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Township of Zorra

Township of Zorra, ON

Marcus Ryan

Mayor

Pledge Summary

As a result of a delegation by residents Penny Poole and Patti Wallace, Council unanimously challenged me to make the Mayors Monarch Pledge. I’m very happy to make this Pledge. This comes a few years after A. J. Baker students asked for property to plant Monarch Way Stations around the township. Zorra is an environmentally conscious community, are good stewards of our natural environment and we protect our environment by valuing our natural assets and using our resources wisely. So, as with so many other issues Zorra speaks not only through words and commitments, but through actions: by doing our part. I’m happy to say that of the 29 Action Items possible Council chose to fulfill 14, AND that other Action Items be considered for next year’s renewal of the Pledge. - Mayor Marcus Ryan

Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2021

Communications and Convening

  • Launch or maintain a public communication effort to encourage residents to plant monarch gardens at their homes or in their neighborhoods. (If you have community members who speak a language other than English, we encourage you to also communicate in that language; Champion Pledges must communicate in that language.)
  • Engage with community garden groups and urge them to plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Program and Demonstration Gardens

  • Plant or maintain a monarch and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden at City Hall or another prominent or culturally significant community location.
  • 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.

Systems Change

  • Reduce or eliminate the use of herbicides, pesticides, or other chemicals that are harmful to monarchs and pollinators and urban wildlife.
  • Change weed or mowing ordinances to allow for native prairie and plant habitats.