Malibu, CA – On July 23, 2018, the city of Malibu, California joins nearly 400 hundred other cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico in signing the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, committing the city to enacting policies and practices that protect this iconic butterfly, which in recent years has experienced a sharp decline.

Malibu Mayor Rick Mullen and the City Council will introduce a Resolution declaring that July 23, 2018 to July 24, 2019 is the Year of the Butterfly in the city. The Resolution encourages its residents to support the monarch butterfly by planting native milkweed and other nectar plants in locations where people live, work, learn, play and worship.

Monarchs overwintering in coastal California have seen a 95% decrease since the 1980s, and in Malibu, while tens of thousands of monarch butterflies typically overwintered in Malibu 20 years ago, fewer than 100 were counted 2017.

Through the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors' Monarch Pledge, U.S. cities, municipalities, and other communities are committing to create habitat for the monarch butterfly and pollinators, and to educate citizens about how they can make a difference at home and in their community. Since the monarch's migration spans the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the pledge expanded to these countries through new tri-national partnerships in 2017.

The Mayor’s Monarch Pledge includes up to 25 action items that cities can tackle to help the Monarch butterfly. The city of Malibu, with the support of groups like the Malibu Monarch Project, have already completed 8 of those action steps, putting the city into the prestigious “Leadership Circle” category.

Click here for photos of the signing. Please credit National Wildlife Federation.