Mayor Villalobos urged McAllen residents to plant native species during Native Plant Month, saying the city’s Tamaulipan thorn forest supports thousands of birds, butterflies and other wildlife and contributes more than $5 million in ecosystem services each year.

"These native forests support thousands of birds, butterflies, and other wildlife," Villalobos said, adding that native vegetation helps keep McAllen "beautiful, healthy, and a top destination for ecotourism." He highlighted local sites for native-planting efforts, including Camp McAllen, the McAllen Nature Center and Quinta Mazatlan.

City leaders marked the month as an opportunity to emphasize ecological and economic benefits of native landscapes. Villalobos said the trees and native flora "clean out our air, store carbon, and reduce water run up," framing the remarks around air quality, carbon storage and stormwater management.

The mayor’s comments were ceremonial and informational; the transcript contains no formal motions, votes or policy directives tied to the remarks. No funding amounts beyond the mayor’s cited figure were detailed, and no departmental implementation steps were specified during the remarks.

Villalobos’s remarks tied conservation language to tourism, saying the native forests help make McAllen a destination for wildlife viewing and ecotourism. The mayor also encouraged residents and local groups to “root for McAllen” by planting natives at the sites he named.

A short mayoral statement such as this typically raises public awareness but does not by itself change city regulations or budgets; the remarks in the transcript did not include any council action or staff assignment to follow up.