Kennett Square Campus

About the Program
The Exelon Kennett Square Campus program, which functions as the corporate headquarters for their nuclear plant operations, is located in Pennsylvania, approximately 40 miles west of Philadelphia. It is within the Delaware River watershed. There are forested, meadow and wetland areas within the campus site that total approximately 4.5 acres. All projects are planned and implemented by a small employee team that forms the Kennett Square Environmental Council. Projects span awareness and training topics, as well as habitat and species conservation. Specifically, the Kennett Square Campus program aims to protect local avian populations and support employees’ engagement through a tree planting initiative. The site also provides a space for recreation and wildlife observation via a walking path through the grassland habitat.

Practices and Impacts

• Since April 2012, eastern bluebird and purple martin populations have been supported by establishing and maintaining bird boxes as well as surrounding habitats that provide water and food.  
• Due to on-site construction and deterioration, bird boxes have recently been replaced and relocated.
• Through regular monitoring, the project has observed targeted bird species in all life stages within the last three years.
• The observation of purple martin has been difficult, which may be due to population declines and poor bird house location.
• Starting in January 2021, the team distributed native seedlings among company employees to plant on their properties. Eighty-three employees were reached in the project’s first tree seedling giveaway in 2021.
• By using educational materials from the National Wildlife Federation, the project shows employees how to plant and care for trees throughout a calendar year.