News release from General Motors:
GM Fort Wayne Assembly Earns Wildlife Habitat Certification
(November 12, 2014) – General Motors’ Fort Wayne Assembly has been recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council for enhancing biodiversity at the facility and engaging community partners to promote wildlife conservation and education. The plant received a Wildlife at Work certification for its 32-acre wildlife habitat featuring grasslands, a pond, and a small hardwood forest.
The Wildlife Habitat Council’s Wildlife at Work program provides a structure for corporate-driven cooperative efforts among management, employees and community members to create, conserve, and restore wildlife habitats on corporate lands.
Fort Wayne Assembly’s Wildlife at Work program increases the site’s ecological biodiversity, with a focus on the avian population. A number of projects have been conducted with employee volunteers, local boy scout troops and the Little River Wetlands Project staff, including: bat house monitoring and management, bird house management and monitoring, invasive plant species management, and the creation of terrestrial brush piles to provide valuable cover and perching habit for a variety of wildlife species.
“Our habitat program provides significant benefits to the environment and the dedicated employees who manage it,” said Matt Arbuckle, Senior Environmental Engineer. “It also serves as an outdoor classroom to educate youth and the community on the importance of conservation.”
Fort Wayne Assembly is one of 40 GM facilities around the world with conservation programs certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. GM has more certifications than any automaker and has committed to creating and securing wildlife habitat certifications or equivalent at each of its manufacturing sites globally by 2020.
The company actively manages nearly 5,000 acres of wildlife habitat globally, representing 22 percent of the certified sites’ overall footprint.
Additionally, employees from Fort Wayne Assembly team up with community partner organizations and neighborhood schools to teach students about assessing water quality through the GM Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) program.
For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability report and environmental blog.
About General Motors Co.:
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at https://www.gm.com.