Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., Cartersville Brewery
DuPont Company, Fayetteville Works

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., Cartersville Brewery

Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.’s Cartersville Brewery in Bartow County, Georgia is located on a 1,700-acre parcel of land between a ridgeline on the south and wetlands to the north. The site’s Resource Recovery Farm (RRF) consists of approximately 1,500 acres of woodland habitats, cleared grasslands and shrublands, as well as emergent and forested wetlands and intermittent and perennial streams. Both facilities lie within the Piedmont Physiographic Province of Northern Georgia, which is characterized by rolling red-clay hills and fertile, mineral rich farmland.

One of the primary focuses of the wildlife program is wild game management. The site coordinates an annual controlled hunt for both deer and wild turkeys on acreage of both the brewery and the RRF. Several organizations assist with the hunts, including the Quality Deer Management Association, National Wild Turkey Federation and Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Food plots are maintained on 350 acres of the property to provide supplemental food sources for the deer and turkeys.

Another focus on the site is timber management. The site’s Timber Program Summary, written in 2005, prescribes activities each year. Forested tracts are planted with longleaf pine, saw-tooth oak and mixed fruit producing trees, and pine forests are thinned to created brush piles for small mammal habitat. The team conducts controlled burns of forested areas of the property to promote the growth of understory plants and to mimic the natural processes undergone by native longleaf pine stands of forest.

Many other projects have been implemented at the properties as well. The Cartersville Brewery partnered with local Boy Scout troops to construct, erect and monitor nearly 55 bluebird boxes and 14 wood duck boxes. The locations of these bird boxes are recorded by Global Positioning Systems and will be generated into a map using Geographical Information Systems. The team also stocked various ponds on the site with catfish, grass carp and crappie. In the wetland areas of one of the ponds, the Grassdale Pond, the team implemented an invasive species removal program in order to eradicate parrot feather, kudzu and other invasives which had overgrown the pond.

The Brewery’s Corporate Lands for Learning program focuses on the educational needs of Boy Scouts, including Eagle Scouts’ requirement to complete community-oriented projects based in conservation. The wildlife management team at Cartersville worked with local Scouts pursuing Eagle status to identify conservation projects on the 2,000-acre habitat. With Anheuser-Busch employees and local conservation experts as mentors, Scouts apply their knowledge and skills to projects, such as creating bird habitat and erecting and monitoring nest boxes on the property.

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

DuPont Company, Fayetteville Works

DuPont Company’s Fayetteville Works occupies approximately 2,187 acres of agricultural fields, mixed pine/hardwood forest, longleaf pine and bottomland hardwood forests in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The site’s wildlife habitat committee currently maintains ten active projects, with approximately 75 employees regularly participating in at least one committee. The wildlife team implements forest management projects through controlled burns, regular woodland thinning and replanting when necessary. The longleaf pine restoration project begun in 1992 maintains a density of 400 stems per acre.

In addition, the team installed and monitors nest boxes for bluebirds and wood ducks, and planted food plots of rye and clover for the benefit of wildlife. A raptor perch was installed beside one of the power transmission corridors to provide a hunting perch for resident birds of prey. After many years of involvement and success in the Wild Turkey Restoration Program, the team now works with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to capture wild turkeys for restoration in other habitats.

The on-site wild turkey management program began with eleven hens, four jakes and two mature gobblers. The wild turkey population thrives due in part to the availability of a constant food supply year-round. In winter months, oaks, beech, wax myrtle and persimmon provide adequate food for the resident population. Insects that abound in the open field habitats of the facility provide the diet for young broods. Wild turkey can also find ample mature trees for roosting scattered throughout the property.

Habitat enhancement at Fayetteville Works benefits wildlife and also provides opportunities for environmental and conservation education. The wildlife team engages community partners in numerous learning activities through the site’s Corporate Lands for Learning program.

Local schools participate in interactive nature walks on the property to identify flora and fauna. Students gain an understanding of how early settlers used the abundant natural resources in the area to survive. Items such as an old tar kiln and a hacked longleaf pine used to collect pine tar show the importance of the tree to the area. Even the ancient history of the site is included. A 2,000-year-old petrified tree stump is located on the trail, and its origin and importance are discussed. Students gain a true “sense of place” during these walks.

The DuPont University Training Workshop, presented by the wildlife team at Fayetteville Works, hosts about 45 teachers from three counties each year. Teaching professionals earn continuing education credits and learn environmental and physical science. Additionally, the wildlife team holds annual Earth Day celebrations and tree plantings. The team partners with the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust to educate the public about longleaf pine ecosystems, and shares data on bluebird nesting with the North Carolina Bluebird Society.

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