Ontario Power Generation, Darlington Nuclear

Unimin Corporation, Tamms/Elco Plant

Ontario Power Generation, Darlington Nuclear

In February, Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington Nuclear celebrated their Signature of Sustainability recognition in conjunction with the Darlington Nuclear Information Centre Open House. The Centre has recently undergone extensive renovations that include new and exciting educational displays and exhibits.

Darlington Nuclear’s wildlife team maintains over 830 acres as part of a volunteer employee managed wildlife habitat enhancement program. An intensive study of the habitats and wildlife identified high value and priority habitats and served as a basis for the site biodiversity plan.

In an effort to provide high quality aquatic habitat for amphibians, waterfowl and other wetland species, there are currently four ponds in various stages of development on the Darlington site. Three of these ponds are limited in access to public areas, such as the Waterfront Trail, allowing the areas to stabilize more naturally. In the spring of 2005, a new green heron nest was sighted in the area. These ponds also have well formed vegetation, successfully breeding amphibians and insects and many visiting birds.

A breeding bird survey is conducted annually at the site to provide both qualitative and quantitative details on breeding bird communities. There are 76 bird species listed as probable or confirmed breeders at the site. Amongst these species, regionally rare pied-billed grebe, Cooper's hawk, herring gull and northern mockingbird make the site their home.

Invasive species also play a significant part in the success of habitat at the Darlington site. As a result of the arrival of a pair of mute swans at Coot's Pond, the number of native breeding birds declined. The swans are managed through the oiling of the eggs, preventing the eggs from hatching and thereby limiting the population to only two birds.

The Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) program at Darlington Nuclear incorporates nesting stations along a nature trail, an observation platform and a butterfly garden in its community education activities. Fifth grade students are mentored by high school seniors in the construction and installation of nest boxes around the property. Students are also given the opportunity to work with professionals to study processes and relationships in ecological communities and perform biological field studies. Partners include public schools, colleges and local and regional environmental groups.

Interdisciplinary education is incorporated through a variety of mechanisms, including a Drawing by Nature class where students use wildlife habitat as the subject for art projects in a variety of mediums. The team also offers numerous teacher training opportunities throughout the year. During March break, the wildlife team conducts a variety of tours and activities for students and their families. This popular program encourages families to enjoy the re-emergence of the flora and fauna that accompanies the warm spring weather.

Unimin Corporation, Tamms/Elco Plant

In February, Unimin Corporation’s Tamms/Elco Plant held an educational open house on the property. Attendees, including state biologists, local university representatives, community members and WHC staff, toured the site’s bat enhancement projects and sustainable mine rehabilitation initiatives that protect numerous species ranging from migratory birds, to the threatened timber rattlesnake and the endangered Indiana bat.

The Tamms/Elco Plant volunteer wildlife team manages 1,950 acres of habitat in southern Illinois for a variety of wildlife species, taking advantage of the opportunities created by the site’s mining reclamation program.

One of the on-site mines is the largest abandoned, underground silica mine within the State of Illinois. In the early 1990’s, Unimin realized that the mine creates natural bat habitat, so they contacted local governmental and non-governmental organizations to discuss preservation and enhancement activities for the site. Unimin currently partners with Bat Conservation International, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), Southern Illinois University, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the USDA Forest Service to carefully document and manage for wildlife populations within this mine.

Native Illinois bat species, including the big brown bat, little brown bat, Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat and eastern pipistrelle were documented in and around the mine. An inventory in March 2005 showed that this mine supports at least 36,800 bats, including 33,176 Indiana bats – the largest winter hibernacula of Indiana bats ever documented within Illinois. Employees also manage the site for the state-threatened timber rattlesnake, songbirds, aquatic species and pollinators.

The Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) program at the Tamms/Elco Plant focuses around efforts to protect threatened and endangered species, such as the Indiana bat and timber rattlesnake. Although working with these elusive species requires some ingenuity in developing an on-site environmental education program, Tamms/Elco found the perfect educational partner in collegiate students. This partnership not only provides college students and their professors with an opportunity to study these extraordinary creature in situ, but it also affords the Tamms/Elco team educational partners to conduct research that may potentially be applied in protecting the species at the site.