Preserving the environment

By |  April 21, 2017

Vulcan Materials Co. demonstrated its commitment to environmental stewardship by achieving Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Conservation Certification for its wildlife habitat at four operations in Virginia. These include:
• Graham Quarry in Lorton
• Lawrenceville Quarry in Freeman
• Puddledock Sand & Gravel in Prince George
• Sanders Quarry in Warrenton

The Graham Quarry was designated as “Gold Certified” signifying leadership among the more than 700 WHC Conservation Certification programs. The quarry is located south of Washington, D.C., along the Occoquan River. It is a 300-acre site surrounded by old growth trees and featuring native grasslands with habitat for native bird species, including blue bird, osprey and bald eagle.

“The Graham Quarry is one of 177 programs recognized this year as meeting the strict requirements of WHC Conservation Certification,” says Margaret O’Gorman, president, WHC. “Companies achieving WHC Conservation Certification, like Vulcan Materials Co., are environmental leaders, voluntarily managing their lands to support sustainable ecosystems and the communities that surround them.”

Ten acres of the company’s Lawrenceville Quarry have been designated to be a wildlife habitat. It is designed to encourage avian productivity with accessible nesting habitat, specifically targeting the bluebird species. Twenty-two nesting boxes are found dispersed throughout the quarry and are maintained, monitored and cleaned by Vulcan Materials team members. Extensive logs are kept to document the usage of all bird nesting boxes.

The Puddledock Plant resides on 850 acres in Prince George, Virginia, which is about 30 miles south of Richmond. The site consists of a large quarry that is mined for sand and gravel and a large plant to process construction materials. The site also consists of 350 acres of forested areas, ponds and grasslands that support habitat for a variety of vegetation, avian species and mammals.

Eight members of the Puddledock team oversee habitat enhancement and maintenance for more than 300 acres of the total area while actively managing two projects: Pollinator Gardens and nest boxes in order to increase habitat for pollinators, as well as provide nesting habitat for the three native species; bluebirds, Canada geese and wood duck.

Vulcan Materials’ Sanders Quarry is a stone mine and crushing plant that encompasses 400 acres on the outskirts of Warrenton, Virginia. There are two main project components at this site; a food/cover plot and an education program. The food/cover program demonstrates that the company’s operations are compatible with wildlife and attract a wide variety of species.

The food/cover plots are planted as a supplemental food source and source of shelter for the wildlife that inhabit the site. Vulcan Materials also established a conservation education program for local school students utilizing the habitats at the site as a basis for the education programs.

To this end, the team actively manages two acres of food/cover plots and an environmental education program for local third-grade students, developed and taught by employees at Sanders. Habitats and landscapes/structures found on the site include a supplemental food plot, a grassland plot with native wild flowers, switch grass planted on the surrounding berms and a butterfly garden.

WHC promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on corporate lands through partnerships and education.

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About the Author:

Darren Constantino is an editor of Pit & Quarry magazine. He can be reached at dconstantino@northcoastmedia.net.

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