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Hannah Presken

Join In to Help Our Pollinators!

Hannah Presken, Mayor’s Office Student Intern, No Phone Number Available


Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at 11:15 a.m.

Join In to Help Our Pollinators!

Summer is in full swing and while you’re out enjoying the sun, our pollinators are working hard to keep Spokane beautiful! Every year, we welcome our western Monarch Butterflies that stop by Spokane on their annual migration. Monarchs undertake a thousand-mile migration every year to move from their northern breeding areas in the summer to their winter homes in the south using their internal compass.

While this spectacular migration has always amazed our city, in recent years, the population in Washington has suffered the effects of climate change. As the temperature fluctuates, Monarchs are easily affected by the extreme heat and extreme cold. In addition, destruction of the native milkweed plant which provides food, a habitat, and where Monarchs lay their eggs inhibit them from completing their journey. Therefore in 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added the Monarch butterfly to the list of federal threatened and endangered species.

Here in the City, we are dedicated to not only conservation but also rebuilding the habitat’s here that help encourage pollinators to stop in Spokane! Mayor Woodward has signed onto the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge which solidifies our commitment to create a habitat for the monarch butterflies, other pollinators, and educate our community about ways they can make a difference at home. Along with the Proclamation for Mayor’s Monarch Pledge Month, the City is also actively getting our local government involved.

While there is still progress to be made, many community members and departments here at City Hall have already begun ways to educate and promote conservation.

  • Our Natural Turf Management Program, SpokaneScape, and Green Corps volunteer gardening all have been created and coincide with our City’s Sustainability Action Plan.
  • Our Parks Department has planted many species of trees that are beneficial to pollinators and created Pollinator Gardens across the city in many park locations such as the Finch Arboretum, Manito Park’ Butterfly Garden, and Polly Judd Park.
  • We have over 2,000 acres of conservation /natural land in parks which remain as native landscape plant populations
  • Finch Arboretum, located right next to our community garden, has a beehive as well!
  • Community Garden
  • Finch Community Garden
  • Finch Community Beehive

Now Mayor Woodward is calling on our citizens to help make our community a welcoming environment for our Monarch Butterflies. Below are ways you can participate and learn about how to help our pollinators!

Visit our Public Libraries

  • Hillyard Public Library has a Seed Library where anyone with a library card can grab seeds to start their own garden
  • Shadle Park Public Library has their very own Discovery Garden where they host programs regarding how gardening helps our environment (also stop by their meadow grass which is a pollinator friendly plant)

Parks and Recreation

Volunteer

  • Stay tuned for a city run community gardening group
  • Work at your own community garden or start a garden of your own

Activities

  • Discovery Garden
  • Meadow Grass

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