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Message from the President - Fall 2007
Today, many organizations specialize in providing expertise, guidance and resources in specific focus areas or regions. The Wildlife Habitat Council, is unique in our mission of helping landowners, particularly our corporate members, realize opportunities to use their lands for wildlife habitat and their standing in communities for conservation education. In the natural world species come together naturally to form functioning ecosystems, while those of us in conservation must actively seek out others to form partnerships that impact conservation, education and public involvement.
The most important tool WHC is able to offer our members, is a resource to form partnerships with other organizations, community groups and companies to create a lasting impact in our natural world and our communities. WHC’s membership includes over 100 corporate members, two dozen conservation organizations, and partnerships with state and federal agencies, and universities. These partnerships allow us to work in areas previously thought to be off-limits to conservation and education. WHC programs bring together countless individuals, local, regional and national organizations and government agencies in the United States and close to 20 countries globally like Canada, Mexico, Australia and newly added in 2006 – Kenya. Demonstrating the scope of these partnerships, during the World Business Forum in New York on October 11, 2007, Waste Management, Inc., a long-time WHC member since 1989, unveiled an environmental initiative that will increase the value of the company’s services to its customers while also benefiting the environment. Waste Management CEO David P. Steiner announced that by 2020, the company plans to increase by more than four times the number of facilities – from 24 to 100 – certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council, and increase the number of acres set aside for conservation and wildlife habitat to approximately 25,000. To date, 24 Waste Management facilities across North America have received Wildlife at Work certification and Corporate Lands for Learning certification. The Five Star Restoration Grant Program is another example of WHC’s effective and diverse partnerships, bringing together the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Association of Counties, Southern Company and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Over the past decade, this program has given hundreds of small grants to support a network of partners, including students, youth groups, conservation organizations, citizen groups, corporations and government agencies to implement voluntary wetland enhancement and education at the local level.
Many of WHC’s corporate and conservation partners participate in Five Star funded projects around the nation. Project sites can be public land, such as parks, streams and school campuses, or private land, such as corporate facilities. Successful projects show measurable ecological, educational or economic benefits. Results reported from nearly 200 completed projects show that 10,000 acres of land and 90 miles of streams have been restored with over 18,000 community volunteers engaged in these projects. Each year, WHC encourages its members to seek partnerships in the Five Star Program, and is proud to promote their successes. A solid bronze plaque is offered to each project site to commemorate their contributions and is presented during WHC’s 19th Annual Symposium, The Value of Green on November 12-13, 2007, in Baltimore, Maryland. WHC will be honoring several members this year for completion of Five Star projects, including Benjamin Moore & Co., CEMEX, Inc. and National Audubon Society. We recognize these partnerships, from Waste Management’s corporate environmental commitment to the diligent volunteer efforts of Five Star participants, as the foundation of WHC. Our niche in this environment of renewed commitment for sustainability is found through our ability to foster strong partnerships that lead to on-the-ground results for biodiversity and community. These partnerships ensure a lasting volunteer base and dedication to conservation that will ultimately sustain our natural treasures. Since 1988, WHC members have played an integral role in reversing biodiversity and wildlife habitat loss. Industry leaders from around the world increased their efforts to develop and monitor exceptional voluntary conservation and education initiatives on their operating properties. To celebrate these accomplishments and WHC’s first 20 years, we invite our members to join in WHC’s newest program and become a Signature of Sustainability. A Signature of Sustainability is a habitat program that demonstrates the potential of private sector involvement in biodiversity conservation. These programs make the communities around them a better place for both biodiversity and learners of all ages, and represent the very highest standards for a WHC program. We hope that you will join us at the 19th Annual Symposium in November to celebrate each others accomplishments. Much has been done in our first 20 years, but together, we can still do so much more. Sincerely,
Robert Johnson |
