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3M Decatur Commended for Habitat Restoration
Performance Track and the Wildlife Habitat Council
The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) is one of Performance Track's Endorser Network Partners. Under this partnership, WHC helps promote Performance Track to its membership and EPA helps raise awareness of WHC among Performance Track members.
WHC engages the business and private sectors as one team for the recovery, development, and preservation of wildlife habitat worldwide and is shifting the paradigm on how society deals with habitat and environmental issues. Its programs bring conservation and community groups, government, and corporations together on common goals based on wildlife habitat concerns.
More information about Performance Track and the Wildlife Habitat Council is available here.
See the Wildlife Habitat Council's official
press release (PDF) (2pp, 47K) for more information 
.
Performance Track and the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) have selected 3M Decatur for a special honor of recognition for the facility’s commitment to outstanding environmental leadership and wildlife habitat enhancement and restoration.
"At 3M Decatur, we have worked extremely hard to create and preserve natural areas. Our location in Alabama provides unique opportunities to be a sustainable business while recognizing we can manage our property in ways that promote biodiversity," said Jim Fincher, 3M Decatur site manager.
EPA and WHC formally presented the honor to 3M Decatur on November 13, 2007, at WHC's 19th Annual Symposium, The Value of Green, in Baltimore, Maryland.
The 3M Decatur facility is being recognized for habitat restoration and improvement projects as well as a strong commitment to public outreach, transparency of operations and corporate citizenship. In addition, this facility is also being commended for the substantial progress it has made towards challenging environmental goals as a member of Performance Track since 2005. During its first three years in Performance Track, the plant reduced its VOC emissions by 110,000 pounds, reduced toxic air emissions by 43,000 pounds and reduced generation of hazardous waste by 660 tons.
The facility's 900-acre property, located in northwest Alabama on the shores of the Tennessee River, consists of open fields, old-growth forests, oak savannah, ponds, and wetlands. The facility continues to work toward its goals of increasing plant and animal biodiversity by linking, enhancing, and creating habitats on-site. Employees monitor and maintain nesting boxes for bluebirds, wood ducks, and American kestrel. A 60-acre nature trail and an observation blind allow employees and visitors to view wildlife close-up. The availability of suitable bird nesting habitat at the site led to its recognition as Site 19 on the North Alabama Birding Trail.
3M Decatur has been certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council for Wildlife at WorkSM since 2004, and was awarded the prestigious WHC Rookie of the Year award for outstanding environmental stewardship and voluntary employee efforts.