Lafarge North America Inc., Ravena Plant
Monsanto Company, Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve
The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Wetlands Preserve

Lafarge North America Inc., Ravena Plant

As part of a WHC certified Wildlife at Work  program, Lafarge North America Inc.'s Ravena Plant volunteer wildlife team manages 200 acres of habitat in upstate New York for a variety of wildlife species, taking advantage of natural opportunities created by the adjacent Coeymans Creek and its tributaries.

The cornerstone of the Ravena Plant’s wildlife habitat program is the Deer Mountain Nature Preserve and Trail System. Established in 1995, the Deer Mountain Nature Preserve and Trail System spans 150 acres and contains five miles of hiking trails. These trails wind through 41 different habitats and are well appointed throughout their length with over 40 individual markers highlighting points of ecological interest.

The wildlife team also works on a number of other projects to increase the diversity and quality of wildlife habitat available, including the ongoing reclamation of various parts of the Ravena plant’s quarry. Since 2004, approximately 30 acres of previously quarried land have been filled and planted with native trees and grasses in an effort to return them to a more natural state. The Ravena Plant’s wildlife team plans to continue this project through the life of the quarry and will make adjustments accordingly to ensure the project's success.

The Ravena Plant’s successful Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) program coordinates efforts to meet the educational needs of the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District and countless other community members who use the Deer Mountain Nature Preserve and Trail System. The trail features interpretive signage that are used as teaching tools for local schools that visit the area to conduct soil and water sampling and tree identification lessons.

Each year, middle school students converge on the trail to participate in teacher-designed lessons that incorporate science, math economics and social studies. In an intensive two-day experience, students learn about indigenous animals and the value of the hardwood forests to humans and wildlife. Combining hands-on activities with mini-lectures from teachers and conservation experts from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Living World Ecology Center, the program deeply explores the human connection to the environment from a local perspective. In addition, the trail serves as host to Girl Scouts studying to meet merit badge requirements, local birders and wildlife lovers.

Monsanto Company, Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve

Monsanto Company’s Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve celebrated their Signature of Sustainability designation on May 8, 2008, with an open house on the property. Ninety fourth grade students from the Roundy Elementary School from Columbus Junction explored the Nature Preserve’s wetlands and native prairie during the day. In the afternoon, attendees, including employees and community members, were given the opportunity to tour the site’s wildlife enhancement projects that protect a diverse ecosystem of unusual plants and animals. Robert Johnson, WHC President, ended the celebration with the presentation of a plaque commemorating the designation.

Under the site’ Wildlife at Work program, the Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve’s volunteer Louisa Ecological Advisory Committee manages 510 acres of habitat along the Mississippi River near Muscatine, Iowa, for a variety of wildlife species. The committee’s main goals are to conserve and enhance existing ecological communities, manage endangered species, protect archaeological features and accommodate university research.

The sand mound is the most prominent topographical feature in the area and represents an isolated section of the Mississippi River. The Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve inhabitants include 352 native plant species and 30 rare plants and animals. Of the more notable species found at the preserve is the yellow mud turtle, a previously endangered species whose largest known population occurs in the region. Team members removed trees and woody vegetation to open up areas for turtle migration between sand dunes and aquatic areas.

The Ecological Advisory Committee also focuses on research, education and providing controlled access to the public to highlight the biological, archaeological and historical significance of the area. The Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve and employees at Monsanto Company’s Muscatine Plant work together on conservation education efforts that received WHC certification for Corporate Lands for Learning in 2007.

The Monsanto Company conservation education team, in cooperation with the Louisa Ecological Advisory Committee and MidAmerican Energy Company, coordinate annual educational events on the Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve, where visitors learn about the unique geology and distinctive habitats of the area. In addition, the Monsanto Company team, Louisa County Conservation Board and local educators sponsor teacher training workshops to showcase curricula and lessons that could be used while visiting the site. Muscatine Community College also uses the Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve for field study courses and as a research site.

The Dow Chemical Company, Dow Wetlands Preserve

The Dow Chemical Company’s Dow Wetlands Preserve in Pittsburg, California, was honored on Monday, May 12, with a plaque recognizing the site as a WHC Signature of Sustainability.

Dow purchased the 472-acre wetlands property in 1989 and, with an all-volunteer team of employees, retirees and community members, cleaned, restored and improved the habitat to create an award-winning living laboratory for students of all ages. In addition to its educational value, the Dow Wetlands is also home to more than 130 species of birds, serves as an important resting spot on the migratory route and is home to an increasing number of river otters, beavers, and even the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse.

This impressive tidal wetland habitat is home to a thriving Corporate Lands for Learning program that provides learning opportunities to hundreds of students and adults from Contra Costa County, California and surrounding counties. The property hosts an environmentally-based service learning program with the University of California (UC) - Berkeley and the Contra Costa County Office of Education's Youth Development Services that provides teenagers an experience in nature and environmental sciences that appeals to a wide variety of learning styles and aptitudes. Each year, Dow employees also sponsor two on-site Environmental Fairs for more than 1,500 learners of all ages.

The Wetlands Environmental Team regularly sponsors teacher training opportunities in watershed education and works with high school and college age students to design and implement restoration projects at the Preserve. One such program sponsored by the site is a long-term research program with UC Berkeley to control the invasive water hyacinth.

Thousands of other local elementary students, many living in urban environments, participated in programs facilitated at the Dow Wetlands Preserve by the staff of the Lindsay Wildlife Museum. These constructivist-based learning experiences allow children to learn about science and nature by experiencing it with pre- and post-visit activities, strengthening the standards-based educational experience.