Community Profile

Pledge Status

Active

Pledge Date

Monday, April 27, 2026

Program Year

2026

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Action Item Report

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Roanoke

Roanoke, VA

Joseph L. Cobb

Mayor

Pledge Summary

Roanoke, also known as "The Star City of the South," is a diverse, inclusive and multicultural community dedicated to creating a livable environment through interwoven equity. We are a Bee City, are growing the number of pollinator gardens within our park system and throughout the city, are home to the Mill Mountain wild flower gardens and Mill Mountain Zoo, and have dedicated citizens working with local government to ensure a sustainable climate and environmental focus for years to come.

Community Spotlight

Action Items Committed for 2026

Communications and Convening ▸

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.

Program and Demonstration Gardens ▸

Convert vacant lots to monarch habitat.
Launch or maintain an outdoor education program(s) (e.g., at schools, after-school programs, community centers and groups) that builds awareness and creates habitat by engaging students, educators, and the community in planting native milkweed and pollinator-friendly native nectar plants (i.e., National Wildlife Federation’s Schoolyard Habitats program and Monarch Mission curriculum).

Past Pledge Archive

Mayor Name	Program Year	Pledge Date	Achievement
Mayor Joseph L. Cobb	2026	4/27/2026		View Pledge