DTE Energy, Monroe Power Plant

General Motors Corporation, Lansing Delta Township Assembly Center
Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Glenn Springs Holdings, Inc., Prairie Wetland Conservation Area - Wichita Site

DTE Energy, Monroe Power Plant

DTE Energy’s Monroe Power Plant is located on a 1,000-acre tract on the western basin of Lake Erie between the Raisin River and Plum Creek in Michigan. The 800 acres available for wildlife enhancement at the site include ponds, restored prairies, wetlands, woodlands and areas along the Lake Erie shoreline. The wildlife team supports a nesting pair of peregrine falcons at the site. The employee wildlife team installed a safety net for fledglings under the 110-foot high nest after trying unsuccessfully to encourage the falcons to nest in a safer place. The plant is one of only four known locations in southeastern Michigan that supports nesting pairs of peregrine falcons. Since the peregrines began nesting at the plant in 1997, 22 peregrine falcons have fledged on-site.

The wildlife team monitors other bird species on site through its participation in the National Audubon Society’s Annual Christmas Bird Count dating back to the early 1970s. Employees cooperate with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on wildlife issues, including managing and preserving gull populations that would otherwise interfere with operations, restoring wetland areas on site to provide habitat for resident and migrating waterfowl, and using prescribed burns to restore prairie habitat. The wildlife team also works with Boy Scouts to monitor 15 bluebird nest boxes and 4 wood duck nest boxes.

Filled areas of the fly ash basin are planted with ground cover to maximize the diversity and native origin of plant species. The soil is of high pH, so vegetative cover is difficult to achieve. The wildlife team annually seeds and fertilizes the soil and experiments with different native plant species and seeding techniques.

Detroit Edison provides fishing piers near the Monroe Power Plant as part of the company’s commitment to increase public access to prime fishing areas in southeast Michigan. The plant is also a Cooperative Education Site and wildlife team members partner with the Bolles Harbor Math and Science Center of the Monroe Public Schools.

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

General Motors Corporation, Lansing Delta Township Assembly Center

General Motors Corporation’s Lansing Delta Township (LDT) Assembly Center, located on approximately 1,100 acres in Michigan, is a manufacturing site for midsize - crossover vehicles. Approximately 780 acres of this land is undisturbed and includes a 75-acre site that has diverse woodlands, three wetland areas and a large stormwater detention basin.

The LDT Wildlife Habitat Team set goals to improve habitat for the wildlife that utilize the site’s wetland, wetland buffer and woodland areas. Boulder mounds, floating nest platforms, wood duck boxes, songbird houses and bat houses were placed around the wetland areas to begin the site enhancement. In the wetland buffer regions, Pheasants Forever seeded a prairie restoration area. In addition, trees, shrubs, eastern bluebird nest boxes, a purple martin colony house, American kestrel nest boxes, raptor boxes and bee blocks were placed throughout the buffer site. General woodland enhancements include a snag assessment and invasive species removal.

The wildlife team also works to achieve public awareness and community involvement. Several projects incorporate local scouting troops, schools and other community organizations. A trail network was developed to provide safe access for visitors and experience the natural settings and the Woldumar Nature Center and is utilized for local outreach events. The Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL)program at the Lansing Delta Township facility features a curriculum designed by the Woldumar Nature Center that is closely linked to the Michigan Curriculum Framework Science Benchmarks. Sessions entitled Forests are Fabulous, Prairie Partners, Habitat Hunters and Wetland Wonders explore a wide range of ecological concepts and skills that enhance classroom-based topics. Drawing from lessons and activities similar to those in Project WILD, these hands-on field studies make the most of each students’ time at the LDT habitat, encouraging them to use critical thinking, apply classroom learning to a new environment and make careful, scientific observations of the natural world. A teacher-training program ensured a sound academic start to this promising new CLL program.

A second level of the site’s CLL program involves the employees themselves, as GM LDT sponsors programs and events where the habitat team, which hosts the CLL events, is offered education to further their knowledge and skills. Continuing education is provided in topics such as species identification, construction of artificial nesting structures and implementation of the habitat projects required to make the CLL program possible. All of these education-centered events are open to GM employees and their families, encouraging greater community involvement in the program, and greater appreciation for the wildlife habitat and the natural world in general.

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

Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Glenn Springs Holdings, Inc., Prairie Wetland Conservation Area - Wichita Site

Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s Glenn Springs Holdings, Inc. Prairie Wetland Conservation Area - Wichita Site (PWCA) consists of 440 acres in Wichita, Kansas, which are dedicated to wildlife habitat. The PWCA project team’s ultimate goal is restoration of the land to its natural state, as it existed 200 years ago. While doing this, the team also aims to provide various learning opportunities for school age children and adults. Goals include expanding the buffer zone along one of the on-site ponds with native plants, maintaining and enhancing nest boxes and creating trails and walkways throughout the habitats.

Occidental made major efforts to restore the PWCA by planting nearly 321 acres in native grasses, including big bluestem, little bluestem and Indian grass. In addition, three ponds of varying-depth totaling 93 acres were constructed to enhance the 26 acres of naturally occurring wetlands. The ponds were built to take advantage of the natural contours of the land and to provide better habitat for shorebirds and other waterfowl. The varying depths in the three ponds should cause natural variation of the wetland plants to occur, thus increasing biodiversity and providing study opportunities. Other enhancements to the on-site habitat include the installation of two purple martin gourd houses and four large rock piles.

The PWCA team established a Corporate Lands for Learning program that is closely tied to Scouting. Eagle Scouts and local Boy Scout troops fulfilled merit badge and community service requirements while assisting the PWCA team in enhancements to the habitat and trail system. Each scouting visit to the site was accompanied by a customized educational program, enabling scouts to learn about such topics as prairie grasses and ecosystems, animal tracking and native trees.

Each year, the National Audubon Society hosts annual bird counts at PWCA, often resulting in additions to the long list of species noted to inhabit the area or use it as a migratory stopover point. The PWCA team also hosts students from Friends University and Wichita State University. The students conduct graduate level research projects in the rich, extensive habitat.

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