Huron to Erie Waterways for Wildlife Project
Winter Newsletter 2007

New Habitat Certifications in
the Huron to Erie Project Area

Congratulations to the following companies for achieving 2006 certification for Wildlife at Work programs through the Wildlife Habitat Council. General Motors Corporation's Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant wins Rookie of the Year designation! GM now has a total of 10 sites in the U.S. and Canada, representing 870 acres, certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. See below for descriptions about these exciting programs.

• BP - St. Clair Liquid Petroleum Gas Terminal
• DTE Energy - Harbor Beach Power Plant
• General Motors Corporation - Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Plant
• General Motors Corporation - Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant

BP
Dome Petroleum Corporation
St. Clair Liquid Petroleum Gas Terminal

BP’S Dome Petroleum Corp. St. Clair Liquid Petroleum Gas Terminal is located on 165 acres in a mixed residential and industrial area outside the town of St. Clair in southeastern Michigan. The terminal lies on a peninsula within a bend of the Pine River near its mouth at the St. Clair River and the Great Lakes system. The property consists of beech-sugar maple and floodplain forest, oak-hickory forest, grasslands and marsh. The facility’s wildlife team works to maintain the character and healthy flow of the Pine River and its floodplain, while restoring habitat in upland portions of the site.

A great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele) enjoys wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) at the Dome Petroleum St. Clair Liquid Petroleum Gas Terminal. Photo courtesy of Wildlife Habitat Council.

Working along the river, the wildlife team removed trash and invasive weeds to enhance wildlife habitat and create a nature trail. The trail traverses existing hardwood forest along the shore, circling back through grassy uplands and a small wetland. The trail is open to the public and the BP staff is working with the City of St. Clair to incorporate it into a community-wide master plan for walking and bike trails.

The natural shoreline helps protect water quality in the Great Lakes system, while providing habitat for several species. Migrating birds that move through the Lake Huron to Lake Erie corridor use the area for rest and refueling, reptiles enjoy sunning locations on river shoals like the spot called “Turtle Beach,” fox are known to den at the site and wild turkey are frequently spotted.

In partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the wildlife team is restoring a wetland on-site and removing the invasive species, Phragmites australis. The team also engages family and community members to reforest parts of the property and participate in annual tree plantings. A bird box monitoring program, in cooperation with local Boy Scouts, is also being developed.

DTE Energy
Harbor Beach Power Plant

The Harbor Beach Power Plant is located on Lake Huron where it generates electricity and provides voltage stability to Michigan’s Thumb communities. The facility is surrounded on three sides by a harbor of Lake Huron and is situated on approximately 65 acres of land. Natural areas on the property consist of light wooded areas, grasslands and shoreline. Due to its proximity to the water, open spaces and food sources, the site presents an attractive habitat for wildlife.

A yellow warbler perches on a tree at the DTE Energy Harbor Beach Power Plant. Photo courtesy of DTE Energy.

The Harbor Beach Wildlife Team is committed to improving site habitat, keeping in mind the power plant's unique position on Lake Huron and its ability to influence both bird and fish populations. The site is situated along a major migratory bird corridor, making habitat enhancement important for a great diversity of bird species.

The "Adopt a Birdhouse" program, launched in 2005, intends to increase employee awareness and participation and provide shelter for on-site bird species. All adopted birdhouses were installed by local Boy Scout volunteers and are carefully monitored during nesting seasons. Additional birdhouses were added in 2006. Osprey nesting platforms and raptor perches were installed with the hope of attracting bald eagles to the power plant. A bat house was also installed in proximity to Lake Huron and the settling ponds.

Wildlife team members coordinated efforts to provide native food and cover for local wildlife. After the excavation of a fly ash basin, a mix of native grasses was planted, including fescue, clover, alfalfa and fox sedge. The native grasses provide food and cover for insects and small mammals which provide food for a number of bird species. The growth of this area is monitored by two employees and additional seeding will be performed as needed. 

Maintaining healthy fish populations in Lake Huron is an important part of the habitat program at Harbor Beach. An ongoing partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) continues to succeed in releasing fish into the lake. In late spring 2006, employees worked with MDNR to release over 80,000 Chinook salmon.

General Motors Corporation
Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Center

The Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Plant is an automotive final assembly plant located in an urban region of Michigan. Although a majority of the site is needed for industrial activities, the facility is committed to converting 16.5 acres of lawn area into a healthy and diverse wildlife habitat.

GM's Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Plant is bordered by about 16 acres of prairie plantings. Photo by Mark Crudder.

Detroit/Hamtramck personnel partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Pheasants Forever to develop a Project Work Plan. A Habitat Development Agreement was signed by GM and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to confirm both parties' commitment to the program. The main goal of the project is to provide suitable habitat for migratory birds that prefer grassland habitat. Secondary benefits include education and gained environmental awareness through the enjoyable natural resource by company employees.

A seed mix of native warm season grasses and wildflowers was planted by Pheasants Forever. Although still in the developmental stages, the habitat areas already provide suitable food and shelter for insects, birds and small mammals. The wildflowers and grasses provide an excellent breeding ground for grasshoppers and similar insects, which in turn provides food for insectivorous birds. Ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), barn swallows (Hirundo rustica), American kestrels (Falco sparverius), red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and other species are readily observed on-site.

The Detroit/Hamtramck facility plans to continue its commitment to protect wildlife habitat as expressed in the Habitat Development Agreement. A bluebird nest box program is being considered as a future project.

General Motors Corporation
Lansing Delta Township Assembly Center
Rookie of the Year 

The General Motors Corporation's Lansing Delta Township (LDT) Assembly Plant, located on approximately 1,100 acres in Michigan, is a manufacturing site for midsize - crossover vehicles. Approximately 780 acres of this land is undisturbed and includes a 75 acre WHC & CLL Certified site that has diverse woodlands, three wetland areas and a large stormwater detention basin. 

The LDT Wildlife Habitat Team was formed in 2004, and collaborated with wetland management and ecological restoration experts to create a plan for site activities. The plan is designed to support the GM Environmental Principles by implementing programs that will enhance and sustain habitats at the facility, as well as promote environmental stewardship among LDT team members and the community through the development of an outdoor educational area.

To fully understand the ecosystems present at LDT, wildlife inventories were compiled and the on-site species are monitored throughout year. The team set goals to improve the general food, water, cover and habitat for these wildlife species in wetland, wetland buffer and woodland areas. Boulder mounds, floating nest platforms, wood duck boxes, songbird houses and bat houses were placed around the wetland areas to begin the site enhancement. In the wetland buffer regions, Pheasants Forever seeded a prairie restoration area. In addition, trees, shrubs, eastern bluebird nest boxes, a purple martin colony house, American kestrel nest boxes, raptor boxes and bee blocks were placed throughout the buffer site. General woodland enhancements include a snag assessment and invasive species removal.

The wildlife team also works to achieve public awareness and community involvement. Several projects incorporate local scouting troops, schools and other community organizations. A trail network was developed to provide safe access for visitors and experience the natural settings. During the past year, a Junior High Curriculum was created by the Woldumar Nature Center and is now utilized for local outreach events. The team continues to develop future projects which currently include a possible greenhouse, butterfly garden, brush piles, gathering areas and pavilion.

Students from PEER (Prevention through Experimental Education and Recreation) collect specimans for observation and inventory at the GM Lansing Delta Township facility. Photo courtesy of General Motors Corporation.

The Corporate Lands for Learning (CLL) program at the Lansing Delta Township facility features a curriculum designed by the Woldumar Nature Center that is closely linked to the Michigan Curriculum Framework Science Benchmarks. Sessions entitled Forests are Fabulous, Prairie Partners, Habitat Hunters and Wetland Wonders explore a wide range of ecological concepts and skills that enhance classroom-based topics. Drawing from lessons and activities similar to those in Project WILD, these hands-on field studies make the most of each students’ time at the LDT habitat, encouraging them to use critical thinking, apply classroom learning to a new environment and make careful, scientific observations of the natural world. A teacher-training program ensured a sound academic start to this promising new CLL program.

A second level of the site’s CLL program involves the employees themselves, as GM LDT sponsors programs and events where the habitat team, which hosts the CLL events, is offered education to further their knowledge and skills. Continuing education is provided in topics such as species identification, construction of artificial nesting structures and implementation of the habitat projects required to make the CLL program possible. All of these education-centered events are open to GM employees and their families, encouraging greater community involvement in the program, and greater appreciation for the wildlife habitat and the natural world in general.

Visit Regional Events to find out what's going on in the Huron to Erie corridor.

Visit the Wildlife Habitat Council Spotlight to read more
member and partner news from around the globe.

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