Bayer Corporation Pittsburgh Site
PPG Industries, Inc. Monroeville Chemicals Center

Bayer Corporation Pittsburgh Site

With 200 acres of deciduous forests, open meadows, fields, and ponds, and twenty acres of natural wetlands, Bayer Corporation’s Pittsburgh Site encompasses a substantial area available for wildlife habitat enhancement. The wildlife team developed management plans to address the habitat needs of a variety of species, including pollinators, birds, mammals and amphibians at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania site.

The on-site ponds provide critical breeding habitat for amphibians. Native wetland plants were introduced, and the water levels and amphibian counts are reported to the National Wildlife Federation’s Frogwatch USA program.

Landscaping policies at the site were changed to reduce the area mowed and preserve snag habitat features for cavity-nesting wildlife. The team also works with the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation to restore the valuable chestnut tree by planting a blight-resistant hybrid variety of American chestnut trees.

The Pittsburgh Site offers two distinct and highly effective Corporate Lands for Learning educational opportunities. The site offers a Pond Study module linked to ASSET Inc., a hands-on, inquiry-based science program used in local school districts that is geared towards building a proficiency in the Pennsylvania Standards in Environment and Ecology. This program challenges students to apply classroom learning to the real world environment as they explore such topics as food webs, the dynamic nature and interdependence of biotic and abiotic elements within an ecosystem, and the importance of careful stewardship of watersheds and wetlands. Trained Bayer volunteers gently guide students, while providing ample time for these budding, young scientists to develop their exploration and field study skills.

The Pittsburgh Site also offers a unique program to study the fascinating resident and migratory bird species of western Pennsylvania through WHC’s Wings of Wonder program. The program allows students the opportunity to observe birds on the wing, as well as to see and appreciate the habitats they require to survive. Bayer and TRHP worked for several years with local educators to refine the program, which also seeks to build science process skills, while linking local habitats to global environmental issues. Bayer sponsors several training programs for employees and a professional development workshop for teachers and others in the Pittsburgh region.

Please check back for more information on the site's Signature event as it becomes available.

PPG Industries, Inc. Monroeville Chemicals Center

PPG Industries, Inc.’s Monroeville Chemical Center is situated on 182 acres in southwestern Pennsylvania, just east of Pittsburgh. The site has 143 acres of woods and meadows available for wildlife habitat. Employees improved habitat for woodland and grassland birds, pollinators, and small mammals by providing shelter, nesting areas, and food sources such as berry producing shrubs and a wildflower meadow.

A 1,000-square-foot pollinator meadow features native wildflowers and grasses and a milkweed plot for monarch breeding. The butterfly habitat consists of wildflowers and grasses native to western Pennsylvania that support the life cycle needs of the monarch butterflies and other pollinators such as hummingbirds and native bees. The team also organizes and hosts an annual July butterfly count with the North American Butterfly Association. Volunteer participants select a count area with a 15-mile diameter and conduct a one-day census of all butterflies sighted within that circle. The counts are usually held in the few weeks before or after the 4th of July.

The Monroeville Technical Center uses its pollinator habitat to "make learning take flight" for students in the Gateway and Franklin Regional School districts. The site's Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) program is closely linked to classroom science curricula and developed in cooperation with the ASSET Inc. science program used in local schools. The curricula used to study both local butterflies and the migratory monarch butterfly allows elementary school students to build an appreciation for native pollinators and native plant species. The PPG Monarch Meadow site is one of two flagship sites for the Wings of Wonder program. The program was developed and implemented with the assistance of the Three Rivers Habitat Partnership, a Waterways for Wildlife project of the Wildlife Habitat Council. Wings of Wonder links corporate habitat projects with local schools to help students and communities learn about the conservation of migratory birds and butterflies.

The Monroeville Technical Center also maintains a strong commitment to adult education for both employees and the surrounding community. Through the CLL program, the facility offers workshops in backyard habitat design to PPG employees and the community, and holds a yearly butterfly count that attracts more than 50 attendees to biologically assess the quality of the habitat and learn more about the their local environment.

Please check back for more information on the site's Signature event as it becomes available.