 Bemidji Mayor Rita Albright hosted the Mayor's Monarch Festival at PSU's American Indian Resource Center for the community to learn what can be done as a whole to help increase pollinators. The Mayor's Monarch Pledge was signed in 2016 and guests heard the city's progress with pollinators in the area, including the three gardens planted in the community. Pollinators such as bees are critical for the foods we eat. During the summer Monarch butterflies migrate to the area for their summer habitat and have several life stages. Attendees also learned about ways they can contribute. What I would encourage people to do is just take a piece of their yard that maybe is difficult to mow. Maybe you don't really use it for any other purposes and let it grow into native plants. So that's a really simple thing to do. Any little bit helps and you'll be amazed at how little of a space can make a difference when it comes to pollinator habitat. Guests received milkweed and native seed plants to help improve conditions for pollinators. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.