Mayors' Monarch Pledge
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In recent years, monarch butterfly populations have plummeted at an alarming rate. As recently as 1980, researchers estimated that over 4.5 million monarch butterflies spent the winter in California. Last year, the Western Monarch Count recorded a peak population of just 9,119 monarchs, a 96% decrease from the 233,394 in 2023. This is the second-lowest count on record since the survey began in 1997. Several key factors influence the variation in monarch numbers, including temperature, rainfall patterns, habitat availability, and habitat quality.
In April 2021, the Mayor and City Council signed the Mayors' Monarch Pledge to show the City's commitment to creating and restoring habitat for Western monarchs and other pollinators while educating residents about how they can make a difference at home and in their community. The City has re-signed the pledge every year since 2021.
Learn more about the Mayors' Monarch Pledge here.
That same month, the SeaWeeders, a local volunteer gardening group, planted the City's first pollinator garden at La Colonia Community Center. Ribbon-cutting took place during National Pollinator Awareness Week and included speakers from City Council, the Climate & Resiliency Commission, the SeaWeeders, and La Colonia Foundation. Bilingual informational signs about the native milkweed and nectar plants can be found at the garden, as well as information about the lifecycle of the monarch butterfly. A "little free library" box was created and painted by a City staff member in the monarch theme as well.
The City has continued to work with the SeaWeeders, whose mission is to promote the sustainable beautification of the City of Solana Beach through social interaction, garden education, and home and civic enrichment to restore and enhance pollinator habitat throughout the City. In addition to the monarch garden at La Colonia Community Center, the SeaWeeders have planted on the Coastal Rail Trail and within Skyline Elementary School’s Mindful Garden. Currently, the SeaWeeders and City staff are looking to expand pollinator habitat within the City and are exploring a pollinator garden at City Hall.
More information on this project will be coming soon.