SIBELCO
Crystal Plant
Spruce Pine, North Carolina, United States
Certified Silver through 2025
Project Name
Project Type
Forest
Forest
About the Program
Sibelco is located in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, 50 miles northeast of Asheville and within the Appalachian Mountain landscape. The facility mines and manufactures quartz for various uses. The 165-acre forested landscape supports wildlife species, and the team monitors and builds nest boxes to provide additional nesting opportunities. The employees on the wildlife team promote conservation and education on native bird species through an outreach event at a local school in which students help build bird boxes. The mammal projects support deer, black bears, squirrels and raccoons on-site.
Practices and Impacts
Sibelco is located in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, 50 miles northeast of Asheville and within the Appalachian Mountain landscape. The facility mines and manufactures quartz for various uses. The 165-acre forested landscape supports wildlife species, and the team monitors and builds nest boxes to provide additional nesting opportunities. The employees on the wildlife team promote conservation and education on native bird species through an outreach event at a local school in which students help build bird boxes. The mammal projects support deer, black bears, squirrels and raccoons on-site.
Practices and Impacts
- The goals of the forest project were to improve the site to accommodate various species of birds, expand the flying squirrel and bat box monitoring activities and expand the bird nest box and the duck box initiatives. Each month, two team members monitor and document each activity.
- In 2023, three of six nest boxes were occupied between March and October with black-capped chickadees and tree swallows.
- The wildlife team attended Greenlee Primary School for a birdhouse building activity and a lesson on local birds.
