Being a good environmental steward means looking after all species and habitats, big or small. This principle is critical to ensuring our future generations get the chance to enjoy the natural resources that San Diego has to offer. Earlier today, a coalition of elected officials, businesses and community members came together to protect a small, but important creature in our local ecosystem: the monarch butterfly.

The City of San Diego, the San Diego Unified School District, San Diego Zoo Global, the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County and SDG&E gathered in Civic Center Plaza to sign and celebrate the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. The pledge is a nationwide effort by the National Wildlife Federation to support monarch butterfly populations. As part of the signing and announcement, participants also commemorated the day and planted milkweed, and other important pollinating plants, in the plaza’s garden bed to help revive the monarch’s natural habitat.

The monarch population is declining and in need of help. In just the last 20 years, populations have fallen by 90%, putting the species in danger of disappearing. By signing the pledge, the region is committing to create habitats for the monarch and pollinators, and help educate citizens about their role in our ecosystem.

As a pledging member, we will be taking steps to support the monarch by bolstering their natural habitat. Over the course of the next year, we will be incorporating native milkweed into our landscaped facilities, provide our employees with plants to place in their personal yards, and promote habitat and species education out in the communities we serve.