IBM Silicon Valley Laboratory

About the Program
IBM Silicon Valley Laboratory is located along the Santa Clara Valley in southern California on 907 acres of land. Over 200 acres of the land is actively managed by the Silicon Valley Laboratory (SVL) team for wildlife habitat enhancement projects. Habitats on-site include grassland and forest habitat utilized by native wildlife including avian and pollinator species. Furthermore, team members engage employees in annual Earth Day activities to increase awareness of conservation, pollinators and native plants and wildlife.

Practices and Impacts

• SVL employees host annual Earth Day activities to educate participants on local wildlife conservation practices and impacts. The education project reaches 25 people annually.
• The site collects data to provide a Christmas Bird Count (CBC) to the Audubon Society, contributing to the overall data analysis of bird migration patterns.
• Just under two acres of land is landscaped using mostly native California plants, which are drought resistant, to meet water conservation and local water saving goals. In 2022, the site showed an 11% water savings.
• Sixty nesting boxes were installed since 2004 to combat habitat loss and provide a safe breeding place and shelter for native cavity nesting birds. Boxes are cleaned annually before each nesting season and contain new heat shelter and protection features to combat climate change.
• A pollinator garden was installed in 2005 to increase the population of pollinators to combat shrinking populations due to habitat loss, chemical use in nature and climate change. In 2023, three bug hotels were installed by SVL near the pollinator garden to support native insect populations.