2024 WHC Awards Announced at WHC Conservation Conference
NEW ORLEANS, LA, JUNE 6, 2024 – Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) announced the winners of its 2024 WHC Awards during the WHC Conservation Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana, on June 4-5. The WHC Awards honor excellence in corporate conservation, with awardees representing various national and international companies across industries.
The year’s top awards, recognizing leadership in corporate conservation, were won by Freeport-McMoRan, WM and El Sobrante Landfill and Wildlife Preserve.
“WHC applauds our members, including WM and Freeport-McMoRan, for their outstanding accomplishments over the last year,” said Margaret O’Gorman, President, WHC. “The companies and programs honored by this year’s WHC Awards are leading by example, illustrating how the private sector can take action to make every act of conservation matter. It is a privilege to recognize the efforts of these leaders in corporate sustainability.”
The Employee Engagement Award, given to Freeport-McMoRan, celebrates the exemplary contributions of one company’s employees towards their habitat and conservation education efforts.
The 2024 Gold Program of the Year Award, which honors the overall depth of one corporate conservation program, was awarded to WM for its El Sobrante Landfill and Wildlife Preserve in Corona, California.
WM received this year’s Corporate Conservation Leadership Award, which recognizes one company’s overall achievement in conservation and commends their corporate commitment to biodiversity, conservation education and alignment with global conservation objectives.
In addition to these corporate and program-level awards, individual projects are recognized for excellence in each of the WHC Project Guidance themes. This award category offers projects of all sizes the ability to compete for recognition.
Freeport-McMoRan was the year’s most honored company, receiving the WHC Employee Engagement Award in addition to four project awards (Bats, Mammals, Marine Intertidal and Species of Concern) recognizing their species and habitat conservation efforts in Peru and Indonesia.
The following is a complete list of 2024 WHC Award Winners:
WHC Corporate Conservation Leadership Award
WM
WHC Employee Engagement Award
Freeport-McMoRan
WHC Gold Program of the Year Award
WM, Waste Management El Sobrante Landfill and Wildlife Preserve | Corona, California
Avian Project Award
Covia, Emmett Facility | Emmett, Idaho
Awareness and Community Engagement Project Award
Cemex, Tamuín “Caliza y Arcilla” (México) | San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Bats Project Award
Freeport-McMoRan, Unidad de Producción Cerro Verde | Arequipa, Peru
Caves Project Award
Constellation, Criterion Wind | Oakland, Maryland
Desert Project Award
Cemex, Atotonilco: Cerro Jardín + Xoyatla + Coayuca (Mexico) | Hidalgo, Mexico
Forests Project Award
Anglo American Quellaveco, Quellaveco | Moquegua, Peru
Formal Learning Project Award
Cemex, Center Hill Mine | Center Hill, Florida
Grasslands Project Award
Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Prairie Wetland Conservation Area | Wichita, Kansas
Green Infrastructure Project Award
BlueTriton Brands, Inc., Twin Creek Nature Area | Evart, Michigan
Invasive Species Project Award
Ontario Power Generation, Western Waste Management Facility & Bruce Complex | Ontario, Canada
Invasive Species Coordinated Approaches Project
Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Belle | Belle, West Virginia
Land Conservation Agreements Project Award
Constellation, Criterion Wind | Oakland, Maryland
Landscaped Project Award
Exelon, Pepco – WaterShed for Sustainability | Rockville, Maryland
Mammals Project Award
Freeport-McMoRan, PTFI | Papua, Indonesia
Marine Intertidal Project Award
Freeport-McMoRan, PTFI | Papua, Indonesia
Other Species Project Award
Boeing, Santa Susana Field Laboratory | Canoga Park, California
Pollinators Project Award
Covia, Tunnel City | Tomah, Wisconsin
Remediation Project Award
Boeing, Santa Susana Field Laboratory | Canoga Park, California
Reptiles and Amphibians Project Award
CRH, Dufferin Aggregates Acton Quarry | Ontario, Canada
Rocky Areas Project Award
WM, Waste Management El Sobrante Landfill and Wildlife Preserve | Corona, California
Species of Concern Project Award
Freeport-McMoRan, Unidad de Producción Cerro Verde | Arequipa, Peru
Training Project Award
Cemex, Ready Mix USA Regional Office | Birmingham, Alabama
Wetlands and Water Bodies Project Award
Bacardi, Bombay Sapphire Distillery | Hampshire, United Kingdom
Award finalists and winners were chosen from WHC Certification applications submitted between January 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023, that were granted certification. Information on award criteria can be found here.
About WHC
WHC (Wildlife Habitat Council) has been working at the nexus of business and biodiversity for 35 years and is the only international NGO focused exclusively on enabling private sector action for nature. WHC builds strategies and frameworks for companies to integrate nature with climate, equity and engagement to support sustainable ecosystems and healthy communities. WHC’s corporate members represent some of the leading national and multinational corporations. WHC-certified programs can be found in 19 countries and 48 U.S. states. Learn more at www.wildlifehc.org.
