Title
Proclamation declaring support for the National Wildlife Federation's Mayor's Monarch Pledge.
Summary
In recent years, the monarch butterfly populations have plummeted at an alarming rate. This decline threatens to deprive future generations of the wonder and beauty of the monarch. As recently as 1996, the monarch population wintering in Mexico was more than 1 billion, turning forests into seas of orange and black. Last year, the wintering population numbered only about 56 million and gathered on fewer than three acres of forest.
For monarch conservation efforts to succeed, there will need to be cooperative efforts to protect, restore and create monarch habitat all along the monarch migration path. With the goal of collaboration in mind, the National Wildlife Federation created the Mayor's Monarch Pledge, a tool to get local governments involved in monarch recovery and to engage urban communities in conservation efforts. Since the announcement of the Mayor's Monarch Pledge in September 2015, over 100 communities have signed on to create monarch habitat in their communities. The communities that sign the pledge commit to take at least three actions in favor of monarch recovery. These actions range from issuing a proclamation to help raise awareness to reducing the use of pesticides and insecticides. The Pflugerville Parks & Recreation Department has already identified actions that it is either currently taking or ones that can be easily implemented. Those are:
1) Place this proclamation on a city council agenda to raise awareness about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the species' need for habitat.
2) Plant a monarch-friendly demonstration garden at the Rec Center or another prominent location. There already is a garden at the Library.
3) Plant milkweed and native nectar plants in parks and greenbelts. Pecan Park and portions of Bohls Park have been planted with native wildflower plant species.
4) Add milkweed and nectar producing plants...
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