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DTE Energy DTE Energy has been among an elite group of corporations to lead the way with respect to environmental stewardship at individual sites and direct involvement in the communities it serves. As a founding member of WHC’s regional St. Clair River Waterways for Wildlife Project, the company helps fund public awareness and conservation of the vast natural resources along the St. Clair River Basin and beyond. Through participation in the local Downriver Linked Greenways, river-area communities and corporate lands will be connected through a network of trails and natural areas along the Detroit River. DTE Energy’s involvement with the Wildlife Habitat Council began in 1994, exemplifying a long-standing dedication to enriching pre-existing habitat and establishing new habitat on its corporate landholdings. Employees recognize that this responsibility and commitment extend beyond corporate boundaries, to a healthier Great Lakes region and a sustainable global ecosystem. 
St. Clair Power Plant Green Team members work with local Boy Scouts to build and install nesting structures. |
This concern is reflected by the formation of Green Teams—groups of company employees, retirees and their families who work on habitat enhancement projects on company property and in the surrounding communities. Green Teams plant trees, install and monitor bird boxes, clean beaches and streams and engage in many other outreach activities. Check out the DTE Enegy Green Team calendar! Participate in one of the environmental-related events in your community. Imagine wildlife habitats where more than 60 species of birds thrive among native trees and plants. Such habitats are found on the grounds of DTE Energy, whose primary subsidiaries include Detroit Edison and MichCon. Long-standing wildlife programs provide protection and habitat for Michigan’s native bird population and the thousands of migratory avians, especially shorebirds and waterfowl. Bald eagles, common terns, canvasback ducks, peregrine falcons and great blue herons are just a few of the species that find nesting, feeding and stopover points during migration at DTE Energy facilities. With the addition of two facilities in 2004, nine of DTE Energy's facilities are currently WHC certified throughout Michigan. Along the St. Clair River, WHC certified programs are located at the Belle River Power Plant and St. Clair Power Plant. Along the Detroit River: Championing a Natural Heritage Once numbering in the thousands along the Detroit River, the common tern (Sterna hirundo) population has declined over the past 25 years. Today only 250 breeding pairs can be found along the river in remnant gravel beds. DTE Energy has partnered with a teacher from Southgate Anderson High School, Friends of the Detroit River and Grosse Ile Nature and Land Conservancy in hopes of helping the common tern make a comeback. Based on the knowledge that common terns prefer to nest in riverine gravel beds, the Trenton Channel Power Plant donated crushed limestone for use in constructing artificial tern habitat. With supplies and volunteer labor from the Green Team, project partners established an artificial nesting island around a bridge pylon located near the plant. An unproductive first season was climaxed by a second successful nesting season. In 2005, 180 pairs of common terns made the island home and more than 100 chicks successfully fledged. “This is an excellent example of how industry, local government, conservation groups and individuals can come together to create a project that will have lasting benefits far into the future,” said Robert Burns, Detroit Riverkeeper, Friends of the Detroit River. 
Photo by Dave Mitchell. |
The Trenton Green Team continues to excel in other areas of its wildlife habitat enhancement program, which has been WHC certified since 2002. The Trenton Channel Power Plant and associated Sibley Quarry cover about 458 acres with 225 acres of flat grassy plains, woods, ponds and man-made berms 25 to 35 feet high that provide visual and sound buffers. In recent years, employees have undertaken pheasant rearing, creating a wildflower meadow on reclaimed areas, nest box monitoring and planting a butterfly garden. Additionally, 54 trees were planted on-site to augment wildlife habitat. A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is spotted flying across the site. This wading bird stands 4 feet tall and has a wingspan of 6 feet. It ranks as the largest of North American herons and egrets. They can be found along the edges of streams, ponds, lakes, rivers and bays, and nest close to each other in colonies called rookeries. DTE Energy also provided funding to the Downriver Linked Greenways for developing non-motorized, recreational trails that will pass by the power plant, connecting over 4,800 acres of parkland to 4,040 acres of federal and state land along the lower Detroit River. The end result will be miles of continuous greenways showcasing the Greater Detroit American Heritage River. For these efforts, the Trenton Channel Power Plant and Sibley Quarry were honored with WHC’s prestigious 2004 Corporate Habitat of the Year award. WHC’s prestigious International Conservation Awards recognize voluntary activities by companies who demonstrate excellence in the areas of wildlife habitat enhancement and restoration. Back
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