On March 29, Mayor Damon Seils joined mayors and leaders from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico in signing the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayor’s Monarch Pledge https://www.nwf.org/mayorsmonarchpledge a step aimed at protecting the iconic butterfly, which has experienced a 90-percent decrease in eastern population in recent years.
Through the Mayors' Monarch Pledge, U.S. cities, municipalities, and other communities commit to creating a habitat for the monarch butterfly and pollinators, and to educating community members about how they can make a difference at home and in their community.
In 2021, the Town Code was updated to allow residents to maintain native prairie and plant habitats, called managed natural landscapes.
"Carrboro recently changed its ordinances to ensure that residents who wish to use native plants to create a pollinator or prairie patch can do so,” Mayor Seils said. “We want to support residents in taking steps to help disappearing monarch butterflies, bees, songbirds, and other wildlife to reconnect with the local ecosystem.”
The town's actions to increase pollinator habitat throughout Carrboro in the next year include:
- Engaging with community garden groups and encouraging them to plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants
- Working with Town departmental staff to plant and maintain monarch and pollinator-friendly species, including milkweed, throughout the Town in prominent community locations
- Continuing to expand the volunteer-led invasive species removal program in local parks that supports the re-establishment of native habitats for monarch butterflies and other pollinators
Information on how to plant a pesticide-free monarch habitat garden can be found on the National Wildlife Foundations’ Monarch Butterfly webpage https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Wildlife-Conservation/Monarch-Butterfly
Laura Janway, the Town of Carrboro Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, is leading the initiative. For more information or to get involved, contact her at ljanway@carrboronc.gov or (919) 918-7342.
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