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Monroe plant garners conservation award, The Monroe Publishing Company

A great egret walks by the water at DTE Energy's Monroe Power Plant. Photo courtesy of DTE Energy.

Employees at DTE Energy's Monroe Power Plant recently were honored for their efforts to conserve wildlife habitat and increase native biodiversity.

The plant received Wildlife at Work recertification from the Wildlife Habitat Council during its 19th Annual Symposium, The Value of Green. It also was nominated for the Corporate Habitat of the Year award, a honor given to one recertified program each year.

The power plant, which is located between the River Raisin and Plum Creek, has dedicated about 800 acres to wildlife. The site includes ponds, restored prairies, wetlands and woodloods.

A wildlife team monitors bird species - including a nesting pair of peregrine falcons - on the tract of land through its participation in the National Audubon Society's annual Christmas bird count dating back to the early 1970s.

Employees installed a safety net for peregrine 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 support nesting pairs of peregrine falcons.

Workers also cooperate with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on a variety of wildlife issues and annually seed and fertilize the soil in the fly ash basin and experiment with different native plant species and seeding techniques.

By Dave LaBarge, CONNECTIONS, December 2007

DTE Energy’s Ashley Mews complex in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is the company’s newest certified wildlife habitat site through the Wildlife Habitat Council. Ashley Mews is composed of a nine-story office/residential building and 47 condominium units in five brownstone buildings. The complex was named for James Ashley, a local railroad pioneer, and built by a former DTE Energy real estate development company.

A red-tailed hawk stares back from its high perch on DTE Energy's Ashley Mews building. Photo by Joyce Riling, Facilities Management.

It may come as a surprise that such an urban site includes a wildlife habitat. The possibility for one came from Bob Richard of Energy Gas Operations (WHC Board Member) and Bert Urbani of Corporate and Government Affairs.

"When Bob and Bert first approached us about a wildlife habitat, we didn’t think we could participate or qualify,” said Christy Wicke, manager, Merchant Operations, at Ashley Mews.

"After all, our building is located on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor. And 80 to 90 percent of the space is occupied by concrete and buildings." But a core team at the facility came together, proposed ideas for three different habitats at our site, then worked to create them.

Ronnie Jones, facility assistant, Facilities Management, led an effort to install pollinator-friendly plantings to attract insects and birds. The plant list includes many native species, such as Joe-Pye weed and coneflower. Monarch and tiger swallowtail butterflies are routine visitors to the gardens.

Robert Staples, manager, Generation Optimization, built a nesting box to lure locally observed peregrine falcons to the Ashley Mews roof. The nesting box includes a remotesurveillance camera to alert viewers of any peregrine visitors. The box was installed in early November and will hopefully attract birds during the 2008 nesting season.

With the Huron River – and its rich source for mosquitoes – less than a mile from our site, the team also purchased three bat houses from the Organization for Bat Conservation to provide a habitat for bats. Wicke, along with Facilities Management’s Joyce Riling, completed the core team.

"In July, a wildlife event was held to introduce the three projects to employees and the community," Wicke said. "The Organization for Bat Conservation even brought live bats to show the group."

Their efforts were well received. Now, a wooden sign will soon be added to designate the site a WHC certified wildlife habitat. "This is a great plus for people who are part of the complex, and also for visitors and the surrounding community," Wicke said. "It’s really a beautiful oasis in downtown Ann Arbor."

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