Employees at Lafarge Corp. (now Lafarge North America) received national recognition for their contribution to wildlife habitat conservation at the Wildlife Habitat Council's (WHC) 13th Annual Symposium, Science & Stewardship: Creating Greener Communities. Lafarge was honored for its commitment to environmental stewardship and increasing native biodiversity by achieving certification at its Alpena, Mich., and Paulding, Ohio plants.

The Alpena plant is surrounded by 600 acres of land and is one of the largest cement plants in North America, producing nearly 2.6 million tpy, and is Lafarge's largest production facility. In 1995, the plant significantly reduced the virgin natural resources it uses as raw material in the manufacturing process, replacing them with waste from other industries. There are about 100 acres available at the Alpena site for wildlife habitat enhancement projects. To encourage restoration of freshwater ecosystems at the site, the wildlife team worked with a retiree group to stock the quarry pond for sport fishing and cultivation of various fish species. Employees improved on-site food resources for deer and other wildlife by providing native grasses for grassland bird species and other wildlife. Future plans at the site include partnering with local community and employee groups to place and monitor nest boxes, and planting wildflower gardens to improve site aesthetics and provide habitat for pollinators.

The wildlife team at the Paulding facility manages 255 acres of the 1,164-acre site to improve the existing habitats and create new habitats in order to attract and maintain a varied population of plant, animal, and insect species. The wildlife team also is developing a 27.6-acre pheasant habitat area in cooperation with the local chapter of Pheasants Forever. Sixty-seven acres of the facility are closed residual waste landfills that are maintained as grassland habitats. The team is creating a wildflower habitat and a migratory insect habitat on-site. Seventeen bluebird nest boxes erected at the site complement the migratory insect habitat. Future plans include establishing a wetlands area, building a wildlife education center, and beginning a Corporate Lands for Learning program.

Both plants were among 111 sites recognized at the 2001 Symposium.