Four Exxon Mobil Corporation facilities have received the Wildlife Habitat Council’s certification for efforts to conserve and restore natural ecosystems in and around company operations. The company’s headquarters in Irving, Texas, the Billings Refinery in Billings, Montana, the Clinton Research Facility in Clinton Township, New Jersey, and the Black Canyon Dehydration Facility in Kemmerer, Wyoming, received the prestigious awards.
When WHC was formed in 1988, the founders conceived a new and innovative concept of bringing together conservation and business. This was the first cooperative effort between the environmental community and industry.
A total of 214 sites were recognized at the 2008 Symposium for creating a Wildlife at WorkSM program. In addition, 97 Corporate Lands for LearningSM programs reach thousands of learners from schools and scout groups to master gardeners and university researchers. The certification program recognizes outstanding wildlife habitat management and environmental education efforts at corporate sites, and offers third-party validation of the benefits of such programs. Certification requirements are strict and require that sites apply for periodic renewal.
Certified by WHC since 2003, the company’s Irving headquarters provides significant opportunity for local wildlife to flourish on 245 acres. Enhancement programs began in 1996 with an Eastern Bluebird habitat. The site recently installed 15 new bluebird nest boxes and protected them against colonization by fire ants. Today, wildlife teams maintain an on-site stream, Hackberry Creek. Employees regularly sponsor cleanups of the area to safely remove garbage without disturbing natural habitat, while also featuring nature walks and activities for the ExxonMobil Green Team and other outdoor programs.
The Billings Refinery site is located on 720 acres abutting the Yellowstone River and other large habitat areas. In addition to building nesting platforms for ospreys, employees and their families also constructed 30 American Kestrel nest boxes and monitor them on a regular basis. The American Kestrel, often known as the “Sparrow Hawk,” is the smallest North American falcon. The site’s wildlife team is currently replanting a former quarry area and partners with area Boy Scout troops and school classes on other environmental activities.
The Clinton Research Facility in New Jersey recently was certified as a “Corporate Lands for Learning Site.” Located in rural New Jersey, two-thirds of the 750-acre site is available for wildlife habitat projects. Site activities include bluebird boxes, native bird habitats and environmental education activities with the local community.
The most significant effort on ExxonMobil’s Kemmerer location is a joint effort with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to create the Sawmill Creek Trout Pond to provide a habitat for natural spawning. Today, employees at the site are making efforts to further enhance the creek to meet recent changes in water sources.