In November 2015,  City of Concord Mayor Scott Padgett signed the
​National Wildlife Federation's
"Mayors' Monarch Pledge"
in an effort to take action to help save the
​Monarch Butterfly and other pollinators.
In Spring 2021, City of Concord Mayor Bill Dusch re-pledged to the NWF's
Mayors' Monarch Pledge. 
See the pledge below and subsequent updates

Additional Information and Links for the Mayors Monarch Pledge
https://www.nwf.org/MayorsMonarchPledge/About/Pledge-Action-Items
https://www.nwf.org/-/media/Documents/PDFs/Mayors-Monarch-Pledge/NWF-Mayors-Monarch-Pledge-Fact-Sheet.ashx

FACTSHEET Mayors’ Monarch Pledge Program
Mayors’ Monarch . Pledge ™ Program. FACTSHEET. More than 600 mayors (and heads . of local and tribal government) are taking action to help save the Monarchs
www.nwf.org

2021 Update -Thank you letter to the mayor

August 2020 Update 
​The City of Concord met with CWA and agreed to coordinate and advance the initiatives of the Mayor's Monarch Pledge that was agreed to in 2015. Here are the key directives decided on.
Key Relationships

• Maintain relationship with National Wildlife Federation to help coordinate and advance the initiatives of the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge that was agreed to in 2015 and take on the new Native Plant Challenge Initiative
• Maintain relationship with Concord Wildlife Alliance (CWA) and work to advance key initiatives to show the City’s commitment to environmental sustainability

 Key Initiatives:

• Issue a proclamation annually during National Pollinator Week (2021- (June 21st-27th)
• Initiate communication efforts to encourage:
  • Citizens to plant monarch gardens at home and in neighborhoods
  • Community Garden Groups to plant native plants and support monarch conservation
  • City staff to participate in wildlife challenge during Pollinator Week Work with Corporative Extension to plant a native plant demonstration garden that includes native milkweed and nectar plants for the monarch butterfly
• Develop training opportunities for public, landscape professionals and City staff
• Work with City’s Outreach Coordinator to engage neighborhoods and homeowners to participate in a monarch challenge to create habitat for the butterflies and other educational programs
• Work with Cabarrus County Schools and other organizations to identify educational opportunities to provide information about environmental sustainability best practices

Sustainability Committee Initiatives:

• Investigate recommendation to increase the percentage of native plants, shrubs, and tree that must be used in the City’s landscaping ordinance
• Work with the committee to explore use of native milkweed and nectar plants at City properties when appropriate
• Work with committee to evaluate how the City  can update the weed/vegetation control ordinance to make it easier for homeowners to create wildlife habitats
• Review departmental mowing plans and find ways to reduce/revise to lessen impact on wildlife
• Explore Right of Way (ROW) meadow conservation

         2016 Mayor’s Monarch Pledge Update

• The Mayors Monarch Pledge is a program created by the National Wildlife Federation in which municipalities commit to restoring monarch butterfly habitat and encourage citizens to do the same.
• The North American monarch population has declined by more than 90% in the past two decades. Scientists attribute this decline, largely, to habitat loss.
• With support from city council, I signed the pledge in November of last year.
• The program requires the undersigned to complete 3 of 25 suggested action items. We agreed to complete 15.
  • 189 municipalities have taken the pledge to date. 58 of them, including Concord, make up the leadership circle, taking 8 or more actions.
• To date, along with our partners the Concord Wildlife Alliance, we have:
  • Issued a proclamation - proclaiming June 20-26th as Concord Pollinator Week -to raise awareness about the decline of the monarch butterfly and the species’ need for habitat.
  • Launched a public communication effort to encourage citizens to plant monarch gardens at their homes or in their neighborhoods.
  • Communicated with community garden groups and urged them to plant native milkweeds and nectar-producing plants.
  • Identifed opportunities for revised mowing programs and planting milkweed and other native nectar plants within city operations.
  • Met with gardening leaders in the community to discuss partnerships in support of monarch butterfly conservation.
  • Sold and donated native plants whereby CWA helped make milkweed and other native plants available to our citizens.
  • Began preparation on a monarch-friendly demonstration garden to be planted at Clear Water Artist Studios. We also have plans to install additional gardens in city parks.
  • Launched a program to plant native milkweeds and nectar plants in school gardens by engaging students, teachers and the community.
  • Earned recognition for being a wildlife friendly city. We achieved thisr ecognition in the spring of 2015 prior to signing the pledge.
  • Created a monarch neighborhood challenge to engage neighborhoods and homeowners’ associations within the city to create habitat for the monarch butterfly
    • After challenging our recognized neighborhoods to help build the Butterfly Highway, 5 award winning applicants included plans to install butterfly gardens in their Neighborhood Block Grant applications.
  • Initiated a citizen-science effort in which Concord Youth Council members helped monitor monarch migration and health.
  • Added milkweed and nectar producing plants in community gardens.
  • Hosted a city monarch butterfly festival, the 2- day Flutterby Earth Day event held at Dorton and Les Myers parks.
  • Directed city property managers to consider the use of native milkweed and nectar plants at city properties where appropriate