Nov. 17, 2008 – Flora and fauna are thriving at the doorstep of the automotive industry thanks to the efforts of Ford Land and Ford Motor Company employees.
Ford Land, which manages Ford Motor Company properties worldwide, has received 2009 Wildlife Habitat Certification for the Arjay Miller Michigan Arboretum at the Henry Ford II World Center campus and Research & Engineering Center campus, both in Dearborn.
The Wildlife Habitat Council’s Corporate Wildlife Habitat Certification/International Accreditation Program recognizes commendable wildlife habitat management and environmental education programs at individual sites. WHC certification adds value to programs by providing third-party credibility and an objective evaluation of projects.
Wildlife HQ
The Henry Ford II World Center campus is situated on 179 acres, of which 43 acres are available for wildlife habitat enhancement projects. The facility is located approximately ¼-mile from the main branch of the Rouge River.
The World Center maintains an arboretum of native Michigan plants called “The Arjay Miller Michigan Arboretum.” The purpose of the arboretum is to provide a living panorama of the great variety of trees and shrubs that are native to Michigan. The arboretum grew to be one of the largest in the United States devoted exclusively to trees and shrubs from a specific state.
The wildlife team established no-mow areas on the campus to increase forage and cover habitat for birds, small mammals and invertebrates. To provide forage opportunities for birds and pollinators, the wildlife team maintains sunflower and mixed prairie plantings. The sunflowers are left standing through the winter so that the seeds are available to migrating and overwintering birds. A “hedgerow” of wooded buffer is maintained along one edge of the property, which provides habitat for birds and small mammals along with foxes and coyotes.
Nurturing the natural world
Ford’s Research & Engineering Center is a 325-acre site near Detroit in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The property includes habitats such as oak-maple savanna, prairie, two ponds and vernal pools. The wildlife team actively manages 86 acres of the site for wildlife.
In 2008 and 2009, 200 employees participated in the “R&E Center Pride Day.” The objectives of this annual event include encouraging native fauna by providing additional native flora species, replacing the trees lost to invasive insects like emerald ash borer and red oak borer, and improving aesthetics of the campus. In 2008, employees planted approximately two acres with 1,200 perennial grasses and wildflowers, 250 shrugs and 200 tree saplings. An additional 100 tree saplings were planted over one acre in 2009. The wildlife team monitors the plantings for survival and maintains them by pruning dead branches, staking the trees and removing any plants that do not survive.
The team also continues to maintain its thriving one-acre prairies adjacent to the woodland. This habitat contains native prairie species such as beebalm, yellow coneflower, little bluestem, vervain, black-eyed Susan and aster. The team mows the prairie annually to simulate the fire that would maintain a natural prairie ecosystem. Team members also hand-pull invasive species as they are found and spot-spray with herbicide if necessary.
Sunflower fields that span 26 acres provide food and shelter to both migrating birds and birds that overwinter in the region. The sunflower fields are planted annually in mid-July to ensure that the sunflower seeds are available by the fall season.
Quote
“Although environmental education and ecological restoration may not be seen as core business intiatives in the automotive industry, we do them because they make a positive difference. They make a difference to the wildlife that inhabits the land and they make a difference to our employees who have the opportunity to enjoy natural beauty in or near their work environment.” – Terry Burt, Ford Land Grounds Manager
Released 2009-11-17
