Careful Stewardship

As one of Michigan’s largest landowners, we know caring for the state’s water, wetlands and wildlife is a serious responsibility.

In November 2007, the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) recognized our good stewardship by re-certifying 11 hydroelectric generating sites along the Au Sable, Manistee and Muskegon rivers as well as the Ludington Pumped Storage plant.

Certification from the WHC – a nonprofit group dedicated to increasing the quality and amount of wildlife habitat – honors outstanding wildlife management and environmental education efforts at corporate sites.

Our wildlife management plans cover more than 16,000 acres of forest, wetlands and river lands, fostering habitats for threatened, endangered or “of concern” species. Our employees work with environmental groups, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 

Some of our biggest achievements include:

• The successful reintroduction of native trumpeter swans near our hydro plants along the Au Sable River. Since 1997, the company has been part of a national conservation effort aimed at bringing these graceful birds, the world’s largest waterfowl, back from the brink of extinction. We introduced 14 young adult trumpeters (hatched from eggs gathered by biologists in Alaska) into the reservoirs behind Alcona, Loud, Cooke and Foote dams. More than a decade later, nearly 140 swans were counted wintering in the area. Our work with the swans, named for their distinctive trumpet-like call, was one reason the company earned a 2007 Environmental Business Awardfrom the Michigan Audubon Society.
• The conveyance of 49 acres of unique coastal wetlands to the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge as part of a cooperative management agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The “Lady of the Lakes” property is located on Lake Erie just north of our J.R. Whiting generating plant near Monroe. Featuring 2,400 feet of frontage on the lake’s western shore, the land is considered an important surviving segment of natural coastal habitat, partly because it’s situated at the intersection of the Atlantic and Mississippi migratory flyways for waterfowl. In addition to donating the land, the Whiting plant holds an annual Lake Erie beach cleanup and has worked since the 1970s to protect and expand beds of rare lotus flowers that grow near the shore. In 2008, the Whiting plant earned   a Neighborhood Environmental Partners Program Gold Award from Michigan’s Department ofEnvironmental Quality for the fourth consecutive year. The award recognizes companies for outstanding environmental outreach.
• The creation and continuation of company programs to enhance and preserve habitats and protect a wide range of wildlife, such as: common loons, bluebirds, wood ducks, osprey and kestrel; the Karner blue butterfly; bats; and bald eagles. Collaborations with local conservation and environmental groups abound.
• The designation in 2007 of four fossil-fueled baseload generating facilities – Whiting, Cobb, Campbell and Karn/Weadock – as Clean Corporate Citizens (C3) by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The designation is one of the state’s highest honors for volunteer programs that protect and enhance the environment. Our Parnall Road complex also has achieved a C3 designation.