Corporations Recognized for Conservation Excellence at 2018 WHC Awards

SILVER SPRING, MD, NOVEMBER 19, 2018 – Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) announced the winners of its 2018 WHC Awards at the WHC Conservation Conference, held November 13-14 in Baltimore. The WHC Awards honor excellence in corporate conservation; recipients include both national and international companies across a variety of industry sectors. This year’s top awards, signifying leadership in conservation, were won by DTE Energy, Exelon and General Motors (GM).

“Recognizing corporate conservation is at the heart of our organization, and it is exemplified by the work of DTE Energy, Exelon, GM, and all of our award winners,” said Margaret O’Gorman, President, WHC. “These outstanding projects and programs are prime examples of the positive influence and impact that corporate conservation can have on biodiversity, local communities and employees.”

DTE Energy received the 2018 Corporate Conservation Leadership Award. The Corporate Conservation Leadership Award honors one company’s overall achievement in conservation efforts and signifies an exemplary level of corporate commitment to biodiversity and conservation education, and meaningful alignments with global conservation objectives.

The Employee Engagement Award, given to Exelon, recognizes a company’s involvement in conservation through the sheer force of its employee teams who participate in its habitat and conservation education activities. Exelon also received the following Project Awards: Bats Project Award (Exelon Criterion Wind); Integrated Vegetation Management Award (Exelon, PECO Conservation Rights-of-Way); and Land Conservation Agreements Award (Exelon Criterion Wind).

GM received the 2018 Gold Tier Program Award for its conservation efforts at the GM Canada CAMI Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada. GM was also awarded the Deserts Project Award for its work at the GM San Luis Potosí Complex near Mexico City.

The Gold Program Award honors the overall conservation depth of one exceptional program. Projects are recognized for excellence in each of the WHC Project Guidance themes. This category offers projects of all sizes the ability to compete for recognition. Learn more about the Project Award criteria at here.

The following is a complete list of 2018 Project Award winners:

• Avian Project Award: Vulcan Materials, Grandin Sand Plant
• Awareness and Community Engagement Project Award: Bayer, Camaçari Plant
• Bats Project Award: Exelon, Criterion Wind
• Caves and Subterranean Habitats Project Award: Covia, Hager City/Bay City
• Desert Project Award: General Motors, San Luis Potosí Complex
• Forest Project Award: Boeing, South Carolina – Keystone/Fairlawn Project
• Formal Learning Project Award: Bayer, Muscatine Plant and Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve
• Grasslands Project Award: Marathon Petroleum, Palestine Neal Pit
• Green Infrastructure Project Award: ITC Holdings, Iowa City Warehouse
• IVM Project Award: Exelon, PECO Conservation Rights-of-Way
• Invasive Species Project Award: Freeport-McMoRan, Henderson Operations
• Invasive Species Coordinated Approaches Project Award: Waste Management, Varick I Transfer Station
• Land Conservation Agreements Project Award: Exelon, Criterion Wind
• Landscaping Project Award: Republic Services, Charlotte Motor Speedway Landfill
• Mammals Project Award: Freeport-McMoRan, Morenci Mine
• Marine Intertidal Project Award: Boeing, Boeing Plant 2
• Other Habitats Project Award: Vulcan Materials, Cajon Creek Habitat Conservation Area
• Other Species Project Award: Boeing, Santa Susana Field Laboratory
• Pollinator Project Award: BASF Rensselaer Environmental Education Classroom & Ecology Center
• Remediation Project Award: Boeing, Santa Susana Field Laboratory
• Reptiles and Amphibians Project Award: CEMEX, Las Salinas & Laguna Cabral
• Species of Concern Project Award: Covia, Hager City/Bay City
• Training Project Award: ITC Holdings, ITC Transmission Right-of-Way at Tomlinson Arboretum
• Wetlands Project Award: OPG, Eastern Operations Hydro

Award finalists and winners were chosen from Conservation Certification applications submitted from January 1, 2018 – July 15, 2018 that were granted certification. Applications received after July 15, 2018 and applications what were in the appeals process in 2018 will be considered for the 2019 WHC Awards. Information on award criteria can be found here.

About Wildlife Habitat Council

Wildlife Habitat Council partners with corporations, fellow conservation organizations, government agencies and community members to empower and recognize wildlife habitat and conservation education programs. Our members are environmental leaders at local, national and global levels, voluntarily managing their lands to support sustainable ecosystems and the communities that surround them. Since 1988, WHC has certified more than 1,000 habitat and education programs worldwide; WHC Conservation Certification programs can be found in 48 states and 25 countries. To learn more, visit www.wildlifehc.org or follow @WildlifeHC on Twitter.

For More Information

Monica Keller  |  Wildlife Habitat Council  |  240.247.0930