Steve Yoder, a Kenmore resident, told the City Council during public comment that academic studies show highway noise can stress monarch caterpillars and that the council should consider noise enforcement measures and pollinator plantings.
Yoder cited research he said was conducted by the University of Georgia, in which caterpillars exposed to highway noise for short periods showed a 16–17% increase in heart rate compared with caterpillars kept in quiet rooms. “In the real world, caterpillars near roadsides experience highway noise for much longer than two hours,” he said.
He also referenced research by Dr. Julie Shermer of the University of Western Ontario and linked aggressive behavior in certain drivers to loud modified mufflers, arguing the city should expand the CAPE program to include noise enforcement devices and encourage planting milkweed and pollinator gardens.
Yoder urged residents and the council to plant milkweed and pollinator gardens, saying research shows habitat loss, pesticides and noise have contributed to sharp monarch declines since 1980. He framed the recommendations as both wildlife protection and a public-quality-of-life issue for residents.
The comments were made during the public-comment period. The council did not record any formal action or staff response to the specific research citations at the meeting.