By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Across the Duke City, medians, parks and other green spaces are buzzing with more than people. Thanks to conservation efforts, bees, butterflies and other pollinators are finding more places to thrive.
Albuquerque is doubling down on its status as the first Bee City USA in the Southwest, according to a mayoral report sent to the City Council. The report outlines how city departments are teaming up to protect local pollinators.
According to the report, the Department of Municipal Development uses native, pollinator-friendly plants in road projects and stormwater infrastructure. At the same time, the Parks and Recreation Department incorporates them into park landscapes. Through its partnership with the nonprofit Think Like a Bee, the Parks and Recreation Department distributed more than 13,000 plants and 660 pollinator kits in 2025 to neighborhoods, schools and community organizations. That was a 31% increase in kits from 2024. The Solid Waste Department also maintains 173 wildflower beds on street medians across the city.
The ABQ BioPark supports rare and endangered butterflies through seven pollinator exhibits. It also partners with the New Mexico BioPark Society to grow native host plants in their natural habitat to attract butterflies. Last summer, the Environmental Health Department tested a pollinator-safe larvicide to control mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus. The department also uses a 311 no-spray registry to help protect private beehives and gardens during mosquito control operations.