Boeing Emery Landfill - Wichita

About the Program
Boeing's Emery Landfill encompasses 82 acres in southeast Wichita, Kansas along the Arkansas River. Boeing is using just under 58 acres at the former Emery Landfill to create native grasslands on capped landfill sites designed to benefit bluebirds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife. Within these grasslands, Boeing Emery Landfill has created ponds and installed bluebird boxes. The Boeing team partners with a local high school and Wichita State University for on-site educational activities. Team members are active in all aspects of the program, from project planning and vegetation planting to monitoring and implementing improvements.

Practices and Impacts

• The initial planting was conducted in 2000 after the landfill was capped. Remediation requirements were exceeded by planting native seed mixes as opposed to choosing any species that would survive in the climate. Mostly native species were selected to attract bees and butterflies, and migratory bluebirds. Additional plantings and over-seedings occurred in 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021 using plant species such as milkweed and native flowers and grasses to support wildlife species identified at the site.
• Maintenance of the grassland includes rotational mowing, spot herbicide treatment and controlled burns to control non-native species and promote a healthy, native grassland habitat.
• Bluebird nest boxes have been installed in grassland areas where bluebirds have been monitored, documenting successful nesting for multiple years. Trail cameras are located around the property to inform the team of wildlife species actively using the site. 
• Native migratory and non-migratory birds are monitored at the site with scientifically rigorous protocols. Point-count and transect surveys are completed to visually and audibly monitor the populations multiple times a year. Over 130 bird species have been documented on the property (92 migratory and 40 non-migratory species) including 23 species that are listed by the Partners in Flight Avian Conservation Assessment Database (birdconservancy.org) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as birds of conservation concern within Bird Conservation Regions #19 and #22 regions. 
• Native pollinators - bees and butterflies - are supported in a number of ways. 2.5 acres of the property has been seeding with Monarch Waystation seed mix. Butterfly puddles (insect watering stations) have been installed. Milkweed, blooming native fruiting trees and shrubs provide food and habitat for pollinators. A 'Little Hive on the Prairie' native bee nesting structure has been constructed on-site out of almost entirely reused materials. These native butterflies and bee populations are surveyed multiple times each year. 
• Boeing's commitment to STEM education is demonstrated by annual educational events at the former Emery Landfill site. Wichita State University graduate students and Mulvane High School students learn about hydrogeology, remediation and habitat restoration. 
• The habitat is a certified National Wildlife Federation 'Garden for Wildlife' and Monarch Watch & Monarch Watch 'Monarch Waystation'. The projects are managed in accordance with several plans and initiatives such as the Pollinator Partnership, The I-35 Monarch Highway, Wichita's Mayor's Pollinator Pledge and the North American Bluebird Society.