BASF Corporation
Award Winning Corporate Lands for Learning Program

The employees, volunteers and partners at BASF Corporation’s Fighting Island in the Detroit River have received international recognition for their contributions to conservation awareness.  Their education program received WHC’s prestigious Corporate Lands for Learning of the Year award.in 2005 and 2007. 

A hummingbird feeds on nector at BASF Corporation's Fighting Island. The site, located offshore from LaSalle, Ontario, Canada, in the Detroit River. The 1,200-acre revitalized island offers a varied and estensive natural outdoor laboratory for students and community members to study the natural environment.

Habitat projects on the 1,200-acre Fighting Island site benefit wildlife and increase environmental awareness among employees, community members, students and government agencies through implementation of a cohesive, long-term wildlife management plan. 

The Corporate Lands for Learning :(CLL) program at Fighting Island uses a revitalized island habitat as an outdoor laboratory to study the environment and the environmental impacts of humans, including efforts to enhance and improve our environment.

In addition, an integral volunteer, Donald Fay, a teacher consultant for the Greater Essex County District School Board, was presented with the 2007 Community Partner of the Year award.  

Mr. Fay, a respected teacher for more than 30 years, led a team of teachers to develop a site-based curriculum for the island that is tightly linked to Ontario's education requirements and standards. The curriculum, first piloted in 2004, has allowed more than 6,000 students to participate in hands-on environmental study that is linked to classroom learning. His commitment to professional development allowed the Fighting Island CLL program to grow significantly and gain long-term quality and academic integrity.

St. Clair River Environmental Stewardship Awards

In 2002, the St. Clair River Environmental Stewardship Awards recognized habitat enhancement projects throughout the St. Clair River basin, and promoted the goals of the St. Clair River Waterways for Wildlife Project. Learn about the award winners here.