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Industrial Asphalt Inc., KBDJ quarry receive award
December 22, 2009Employees at Industrial Asphalt Inc. and KBDJ LP of the Hays County quarry in Austin, Texas, received international recognition for their contributions to wildlife habitat conservation at the Wildlife Habitat Council’s (WHC) 21st Annual Symposium, Evergreen: A Celebration of Conservation in a Changing World.p>
Industrial Asphalt and KBDJ demonstrated their commitment to environmental stewardship and increasing native biodiversity by achieving Corporate Lands for LearningSM (CLL) certification at the Hays County quarry.
“The Wildlife Habitat Council believes that collaboration among all stakeholder groups is critical to addressing the complex issues facing the sustainability of the planet,” said Robert Johnson, WHC president. “WHC members take a leading role in connecting community stakeholders through wildlife habitat enhancement, community outreach and conservation education. Congratulations to Industrial Asphalt Inc. and KBDJ LP of Austin for their commitment to a healthy natural world and connected communities.”
“Industrial Asphalt and KBDJ are proud of our latest recognition from the Wildlife Habitat Council,” said Jill Shackelford, KBDJ principal. “We have proven that it is possible to conduct a quarrying business in a way that is environmentally sensitive and preserves and protects the site’s wildlife and natural beauty.”
KBDJ is committed to establishing and managing more than 50 acres of wildlife habitat at its Ruby Ranch quarry in Hays County. The site was historically a ranch that included cattle; however, the Ruby family leased the property for mining in 2004.
Wildlife enhancement activities began in June 2007 with the establishment of bat roost boxes, which are monitored weekly. In December 2007, KBDJ held a community Christmas tree recycling drive, and the trees collected were used to create additional habitat for fish and other aquatic wildlife in an on-site pond. Also, rocks placed in the pond have attracted turtles. In addition to enhancing the wetlands and erecting bat roosting boxes, KBDJ has begun efforts to control invasive species and has started planting native grasses.
KBDJ maintains a standards-based environmental education program at the site. The quarry staff regularly hosts school groups, environmental educators, community members and industry professionals. In addition, college-level programming highlights work with professors from The University of Texas Environmental Law Clinic.
Tours of the site include bat roost boxes, a native wildflower meadow and the quarry pit and aquifer recharge area. Using activities to illustrate portions of the TEKS (Texas Education Knowledge Standards) classroom curriculum requirements, KBDJ teaches local fourth graders about wildlife habitat. Because of the severe water issues in Texas, especially during the months-long extreme drought in 2009, water education, with an emphasis on the aquifer and “recharging” it, are major topics of study on-site. This promotes environmental awareness by illustrating local land use issues to students as well as helping to teach local environmental educators ways to approach the subject with their own classes.
The Hays County quarry was one of 238 sites recognized at the 2009 Symposium for creating a Wildlife at WorkSM program. In addition, 47 CLL programs were recognized, reaching thousands of learners from schools and scout groups to master gardeners and university researchers. Since 1990, WHC has certified 560 Wildlife at Work and 113 CLL programs worldwide. The certification program recognizes outstanding wildlife habitat management and environmental education efforts at corporate sites, and offers third-party validation of the benefits of such programs. Certification requirements are strict and require that sites apply for periodic renewal.
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