IBM Research Triangle Park

About the Program
IBM Corporation's Research Triangle Park facility is located in the metropolitan region of Durham, North Carolina. The Research Triangle Park facility houses operations for IBM Corporation's technology and retail innovations. The region is known nationally as a home for corporate research operations, and IBM Corporation is one of many. The team at Research Triangle Park introduced their wildlife habitat conservation program over 23 years ago in the fall of 2001. Since then, they have implemented a site-wide avian conservation initiative. Part of the motivation for creating this program is the increased loss of wildlife habitat due to continual development of innovation centers throughout the region. 

Practices and Impacts

• The team installed a network of over 24 bluebird nests across the site, creating shelter and breeding space for bluebirds at risk of losing habitat. Many bluebird boxes also include predator guards such as baffles to help protect the bluebirds who nest within. 
• Based on monitoring data and increased sighting of bluebird predators in the habitat, in 2023 the team installed baffles to the 12 remaining boxes without predator guards. This activity was completed as part of the site's 2023 Earth Day programming for their teams. 
• Monitoring of the bluebird boxes is completed in collaboration with employee volunteers on-site, who sign up to monitor select boxes throughout the year for bird activity, nesting evidence or eggs and presence of predators. In 2023, 13 bluebird clutches were observed onsite. This resulted in 70 bluebird eggs observed and 16 bluebirds hatching by the end of the season.