Rochester Mayor Trent Odell, left, recently signed the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge to improve the habitats of monarch butterflies in the city. Shown with him are resident Lindsay Barts, center, and Rochester Parks and Recreation Board member, Kimberlie Landis, who encouraged Odell to sign the pledge. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

ROCHESTER — Rochester is officially helping monarch butterflies.

Rochester Mayor Trent Odell recently signed the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge.

Through it, the city will be completing several activities to promote monarchs’ habitats.

Resident Lindsay Barts and Rochester Parks and Recreation Board member, Kimberlie Landis, were the ones who encouraged Odell to make the move.

Barts said the pledge allows leaders to complete “action to help save the monarch butterfly, an iconic species whose eastern populations have declined by 90% and western populations by 99% in recent years.”

“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 residents about how they can make a difference at home and in their community,” said Barts.

The city has to complete three “initiatives” as part of the pledge out of a approved list from NWF, said Barts.

Those include weed-eating, instead of spraying chemicals in Rochester parks, and educating about pollinator gardens being planted in the city.

Barts, who will be leading the city parks’ program this summer, said kids in it will be doing an art activity connected to the butterflies.

The city is required to communicate with NWF about “progress” on the initiatives, said Barts.

To continue participating in the pledge, the city will have to complete three more initiatives each year, though they can be the same as before, said Landis.

She and Barts noted it was pesticide use which has led to diminished numbers of monarchs and other insects locally and elsewhere.

“Kids don’t see the number of fireflies and butterflies … that I saw (growing up),” said Barts. “My yard was filled with fireflies.”

“If every community refuses to do things like this (pledge), then we have a real problem,” said Odell. “The more communities that … get away from the spraying and so forth, … that’s a benefit to all of us … to make sure that these populations of butterflies (have) pollen and so forth.”

Barts added helping nature benefits Rochester residents’ mental health.

She cited there’s been a recent increase in mental health issues in Fulton County.

Barts said, as a teacher, she’d seen an increase in mental health needs in children locally, adding helping butterflies through the pledge and thus getting “kids connected back to nature … and out of their technology and their gaming systems” would help them.