Hundreds of Mayors Across North America Lead in the Monarch Conservation Movement

The National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge program provides a framework for cities and communities to engage in monarch butterfly and pollinator conservation.

Mayors and heads of local and tribal government commit to actions that facilitate community engagement and education, enact local policy changes, and create habitat for monarchs and other pollinators. 

Since 2015, the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge program has been working to secure commitments from hundreds of communities across North America and then provide support as they implement actions to help save the monarch and address the current pollinator crisis.

Both the western and eastern monarch populations have experienced significant declines. The western monarch population has lost more than ninety-five percent of their population since the 1980s, while the eastern population has fallen by as much as ninety percent. Monarch scientists attribute the population decline to degradation and loss of summer breeding habitat in the U.S., and loss of winter habitat in south-central Mexico and coastal California.

Meet the 2022 Mayors’ Monarch Pledge Signatories

This year, the program set a new record by welcoming 345 mayors and heads of local governments across North America to the program. These signatories join a growing network of leaders that have committed to a minimum of three actions out of 30 that promote monarch conservation, the most popular being issuing a proclamation to raise awareness about monarch conservation, hosting a native plant sale, or plant or maintain a monarch and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden. 

Of our 345 signatories this year, 130 mayors have committed to eight or more actions, and are on their way to earning a special Leadership Circle designation. Eight communities, Minnetonka, MN, Charleston, IL, Carnegie, PA, Purcellville, VA, San Antonio, TX, Columbia Heights, MN, Coconut Creek, FL, and Nolanville, TX have committed to 24 or more actions, which will earn them a Monarch Champion designation once completed. 

While the pledge is a year-long commitment, many signatories in the program re-pledge each year to show their dedication to monarch conservation. The program welcomed back 178 mayors and local heads of government who signed the pledge last year. In 2021, the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge program helped engage over 1.2 million individuals in monarch conservation and created and/or enhanced over 2,000 acres of monarch and pollinator habitat. Read more about our impacts below and by searching your community’s end-of-year report on our website!

The National Wildlife Federation is proud to work with a strong network of communities and mayors that are working to create healthy, sustainable communities that support people, pollinators, and wildlife. For more resources on how to create wildlife habitats at home or in your community check out Garden for Wildlife. Learn more the Community Wildlife Habitat, Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, and Sacred Grounds programs for ways to get involved in community-driven conservation. Work with your local schools through the Eco-Schools USA and Schoolyard Habitats programs.