Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

About the Program
Exelon Corporation's Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Calvert County, Maryland, includes over 1,020 acres of woodlands and open field amid the companies' nuclear reactors. The area serves as a wildlife corridor connecting two nature parks and is home to a Chestnut Oak listed on Maryland's Big Tree Register. The team manages a sustainable hunting program, and two avian species programs on-site. In addition, in the spring of 2018, Exelon constructed an artificial reef 1.25 miles off the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay by reusing baffle wall panels that would otherwise be sent to a landfill. Recently, a new project focusing on milkweed and monarch butterflies has been developed. Five species of invasive plants are also mapped and managed on-site to limit their spread. 

Practices and Impacts

• Exelon began an artificial nest box project in 2006 to help recover the eastern bluebird population of Maryland. The team monitors the boxes for eggs and hatchlings each nesting season and submits the data to the North American Bluebird Society. 
• The team has also installed four nest boxes for wood ducks around the on-site pond and monitors for hatchlings. The pond is infrequently visited and offers the ducks an undisturbed area to nest.
• The Calvert Cliffs plant has established a selective barrier system structure in the Bay to reduce the number of horseshoe crabs that reach the intake embayment. The fence serves to redirect the crabs onto their targeted migration route for spawning and the resulting data is shared with the Maryland Department of the Environment. Since the project began, the team has noted a drastic reduction in crab mortality. 
• Exelon has executed a controlled hunting program to manage the deer population and, in doing so, decrease accidents, maintain a healthy level of vegetation and decrease spread of disease and starvation in deer. The team consults with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to determine appropriate quotas each year.
• Patches of naturally growing milkweed have been observed and mapped to ensure they are protected as habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. The milkweed is monitored to look for monarch butterflies throughout their lifecycle.