Montclair may soon approve a “one-of-a-kind” ordinance mandating that only native species be planted on town property. 

The Jose German-Gomez Native Species Act, named for a town environmentalist, would “will put Montclair at the forefront of communities working hard to re-populate our local environments with native vegetation so that we can support insects, butterflies, birds and other creatures reliant on a healthy, native ecosystem.” said Councilor Peter Yacobellis. 

In recent years, there has been growing awareness of the importance of native plants, and alarm at the decline of the pollinator populations that depend on them. Native plants and trees provide crucial food and habitat for the birds, bees, butterflies and insects which pollinate crops and provide sustenance for other creatures in the ecological chain.

Only native plants can sustain native pollinators because they have evolved in tandem with them, and the local soil and climate. Non-native plants can’t be pollinated by local insects and butterflies, and do not provide food or habitat for them.