Save the Monarch

Mayor Paige Brown is committed to the network of mayors who want to bring back the monarchs.

Cities, towns and counties have a critical role to play to help save the monarch butterfly. Municipalities in particular can provide habitat at public parks, median strips, community gardens and municipal buildings that serve as community hubs such as recreation centers and libraries. Schools, homes and businesses can all provide essential habitat for monarchs too. Simple changes in landscaping ordinances or school policies can make a big difference for the monarch. Educating citizens about how and where to grow milkweed is also a key piece of the puzzle. Creating habitat and educating citizens will benefit other pollinators that need healthy habitat as well.


Plant Milkweed

Do something cool this spring, save a monarch. Join Gallatin Mayor, Paige Brown, in the Mayors' Monarch Pledge. There are 90% fewer monarchs than 20 years ago due to herbicides killing milkweed.

The Monarch Massacre: Nearly a Billion Butterflies Have Vanished

Native Plants

Native plants help the environment the most when planted in places that match their growing requirements. They will thrive in the soils, moisture and weather of your region. That means less supplemental watering, which can be wasteful, and pest problems that require toxic chemicals. Native plants also assist in managing rain water runoff and maintain healthy soil as their root systems are deep and keep soil from being compacted.

Discovering the native plants where you live can also define a unique sense of place and heritage for your garden habitat while preserving the natural history of the flora and fauna of your region.