Durant, Choctaws pledge to help monarchs
DURANT — With the monarch butterfly population in decline, officials with the Choctaw Nation and the city of Durant announced plans to seek a solution.
Two decades ago, more than 1 billion of the iconic butterflies migrated across North America to Mexico. Three years ago, the number of the butterflies making the annual trek had dwindled to 60 million.
Officials said without taking steps to reverse the trend, the insects could face extinction within 20 years.
Durant and the Choctaw Nation have signed the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, created to get local government and communities involved in taking steps to reverse the decline.
“This is a great time in the history of the city of Durant,” said Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton.
“We want a healthy environment for the city. We have formed Imagine Durant and are trying to figure what we want to do. This is part of that. I look across here and I see the beautiful flowers, all part of the beautification of the city, and it truly does drive business here. We know we’ve got things to do, and partnerships allow us to grow our community together.”
Mayor Jerry Tomlinson said he is excited about the city and the Choctaw Nation working together to come up with a solution.
“It’s one of only four such partnerships in the country,” Tomlinson said.
Restoring and creating habitat for the butterflies along the migration path is a key step to increasing monarch numbers. Through landscaping and other tips, such as planting milkweed gardens, communities can make inviting habitats for the monarchs.