BALTIMORE, Md. óEmployees at Rowan and Cabarrus quarries operated by Vulcan Materials Company received international recognition for their contributions to wildlife habitat conservation at the Wildlife Habitat Council’s 19th annual symposium, The Value of Green.
The nonprofit environmental group said Vulcan has demonstrated its commitment to environmental stewardship and increasing native biodiversity by achieving Wildlife at Work recertification at its Gold Hill and Cabarrus quarries.
“For 20 years, the Wildlife Habitat Council has led ground-breaking initiatives on more than 2 million acres of land for the benefit of wildlife and conservation education,” Robert Johnson, Wildlife Habitat Council President, said in a press release. Wildlife Habitat “members embrace their role as leaders in environmental stewardship at the local, national and global level, voluntarily managing their lands to support sustainable ecosystems and sustainable societies.
“Congratulations to Vulcan for stepping up to meet the challenges of creating a healthy and biodiverse natural world.”
Gold Hill
The Gold Hill Quarry occupies about 400 acres, about half of which are available for the wildlife habitat enhancement program.
Forests and grasslands populate the southwest portion of the property. Retention ponds that include man-made wetland habitats lie along the northern border. Vegetation common on the site includes American holly, blackberry, eastern red cedar, American pokeweed, red maple, flowering dogwood and loblolly pine.
Vulcan’s wildlife team manages 18 nest boxes for eastern bluebirds and five nest boxes for wood ducks. Team members placed the boxes strategically throughout the site with help from Cub Scouts of the local Sacred Heart Church Troop 401.
The team maintains food and cover resources for butterflies and other wildlife through maintenance of pollinator wildflower gardens. The butterfly garden includes species such as rose-of-Sharon, abelia and daylilies. Employees also provide food and cover resources for wild turkeys and quail.
Cabarrus quarry
The Cabarrus quarry’s 10-member volunteer wildlife team manages more than100 acres of the 312-acre site for wildlife habitat.
The most dominant habitat types at the quarry are forests and grasslands. The grasslands contain bluebird nest boxes and space for a Boy Scout camp. The forested area includes a stream corridor and nature trails.
Employees at Vucan’s Cabarrus quarry also have begun restoring 3 acres of grassland.
The team maintains and monitors 20 bluebird nest boxes as part of its bluebird management program. Boy Scouts partnered with the wildlife team to construct and renovate several of the bluebird boxes.
The team also works with the N.C. Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife and Industry Together (WAIT) Program, which uses corporate property to protect habitat while providing wildlife education resources for the community.
The Gold Hill and Cabarrus quarries are two of 173 sites recognized at the 2007 Symposium for creating a Wildlife at Work program. In addition, 69 Corporate Lands for Learning programs reach thousands of learners from schools and scout groups to master gardeners and university researchers.
Since 1990, the Wildlife Habitat Council has certified 432 programs worldwide.
To find out more about Vulcan Materials Company, visit the company’s Web site, www.vulcanmaterials.com.
The certification program recognizes outstanding wildlife habitat management and environmental education efforts at corporate sites, and offers third-party validation of the benefits of such programs. Certification requirements are strict and require that sites apply for periodic renewal.
The Wildlife Habitat Council is a nonprofit, non-lobbying organization dedicated to increasing the quality and amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private and public lands. The council devotes its resources to building partnerships with corporations and conservation groups to create solutions that balance the demands of economic growth with the requirements of a healthy, biodiverse and sustainable environment.
More than 2.4 million acres in 46 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 16 other countries are managed for wildlife through WHC-assisted projects. To learn more, go to the council’s Web site, www.wildlifehc.org.