Covia Holdings LLC

Best Sand

Chardon, Ohio, United States

Certified Silver through 2025

Project Name
Project Type
Osprey
Avian
Turtle Basking Areas
Reptiles & Amphibians
Migratory Bird Houses
Avian
About the Program
Best Sand, a part of Covia Holdings Corporation, is located in Ohio about twenty miles south of Lake Erie and 30 miles east of Cleveland, and produces industrial sand products. While the site is located just outside of the Walter C. Best Wildlife Preserve, much of the surrounding area has seen degradation of the natural habitat. To help address this issue, the team has undertaken significant management efforts to help restore wildlife habitat in collaboration with local entities.

Practices and Impacts
  •  In order to prevent ospreys from nesting on power lines, which is very dangerous, the team set up nesting structures. These structures provide ospreys with an area to nest that is also out of reach of predators. Breeding pairs have been spotted in the structure every year since the project began. 
  • The team has also worked to provide shelter for various songbirds with many houses provided throughout the property. The structures are monitored for use each year. 
  • Efforts have been made to provide plenty of healthy basking habitat for reptiles and amphibians onsite. Currently monitoring is conducted and the team hopes to improve the protocol to determine other beneficial areas for basking. 
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