New White Paper Discusses How Corporations Can Support Inclusive STEM Education Opportunities

/by

BETHESDA, MD, February 23, 2023 – WHC (Wildlife Habitat Council) offers a new white paper available for download today, The Corporate Role in Inclusive STEM Education Opportunities | Strategies to Create and Support Meaningful STEM Programs That Benefit Students, Communities and Companies. The white paper is sponsored by BASF and is available for free on our website.

With skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) of critical importance in today’s job market, adequately preparing the future STEM workforce means integrating STEM education into school curricula and community educational opportunities for all students. Even with the demonstrated value of STEM skills and the exponentially growing job market, disparities persist in the global STEM workforce, with women, people of color and people with disabilities disproportionately under-represented in STEM-related careers. The corporate sector can play a key role in ensuring that every student — regardless of gender, orientation, race, socioeconomic status or ability — has access to meaningful STEM learning opportunities.

This white paper discusses how corporations can create or support inclusive STEM education opportunities that benefit students, the surrounding community and the company itself. Sponsoring or leading STEM education initiatives provides an opportunity for companies to invest in their local communities while cultivating the knowledge base of a future talent pool, and many companies have recognized the value of incorporating STEM education projects into their on-site conservation efforts.

Case studies in the white paper include:

  • Bayer: Muscatine Plant and Big Sand Mound Nature Preserve, Iowa, USA
  • CEMEX: Atotonilco, Hidalgo, Mexico
  • Chemours: Chambers Works, New Jersey, USA
  • Covia: Planta Ahuazotepec, Puebla, Mexico
  • DTE Energy: River Rouge Power Plant, Michigan, USA
  • Eastman: Texas Operations, Texas, USA
  • Freeport-McMoRan: Morenci Mine, Arizona, USA
  • General Motors: Joinville Engine, Santa Catarina, Brazil
  • PPG: Monroeville Business and Technology Center, Pennsylvania, USA
  • WM: King George County Landfill, Virginia, USA

Sponsored by BASF, this white paper includes a foreword from Mark Patterson, Vice President – Environment, Health and Safety, BASF Corporation, who states, “Working with institutions, communities and volunteers, BASF is helping imagine the possibilities that Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) offers for their future and for the world. Through BASF’s programs, students conduct experiments, explore institutional settings and experience workplace environments that provide insight for different ages and interests.”

About WHC:

For 35 years, WHC has been promoting and certifying ecological stewardship action on corporate lands through partnerships and education. Since only 10-15% of the world’s land surface is protected, private lands provide an essential opportunity for restoring and protecting biodiversity. As the only international conservation NGO focused exclusively on the private sector, WHC provides a framework for voluntary conservation action on a wide variety of corporate lands. WHC’s corporate members represent some of the leading national and multinational corporations seeking to support sustainable ecosystems and the communities that surround them. These efforts have resulted in more than 1,000 certified programs across 47 states and 28 countries.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation Supports WHC’s Mission Through Generous Donation

/by

Through a generous donation to a group of non-profit organizations including WHC, Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) has demonstrated that their dedication to supporting sustainability lies not just in their corporate conservation programs, but in their charitable giving as well. 

The annual MPC gives Invitational golf outing, held October 8-10, 2022, invited business partners to raise awareness of and funding for many of the non-profit organizations that MPC and their employees support. The proceeds of the event benefit various non-profits that provide humanitarian aid, assist students, support sustainability and more. More than 180 sponsors and donors raised a total of $2.26 million, with each of the nine non-profits selected, including WHC, receiving $221,000 in unrestricted funds that can be used at the recipient’s discretion to support their organization’s overall mission. 

“At MPC, our community investment strategy is centered around strengthening communities, helping make people’s lives better, and protecting the environment we all share,” said Tim Aydt, EVP of Refining at Marathon Petroleum. “We’re happy to have opportunities like this where our valued business partners can participate, because together we make an even bigger impact.”  

Supporting Innovation that Contributes to a Nature Positive World 

The timing of this gift aligns perfectly with a period where WHC is poised for growth.  

“This generous donation from Marathon Petroleum Corporation comes at an opportune time for WHC,” said Margaret O’Gorman, WHC President. “Thirty-five years ago, we led the connections between the global business and nature communities. As business needs change amid the ongoing biodiversity crisis, new challenges emerge. This generous donation will ensure WHC is able to continue to build its culture of innovation to meet emerging needs and deliver meaningful results that contribute to a nature positive world.” 

A 30 Year Partnership to Support Biodiversity 

MPC employees lead local students on a scavenger hunt through Savage Branch Wildlife Reserve located in Catlettsburg, KY.

MPC and WHC have a long-standing connection of almost 30 years, with MPC owning and managing over 1,200 acres on 20 WHC-certified sites. One of these — the Savage Branch Wildlife Reserve located near the MPC refinery in Catlettsburg, Kentucky — is among the longest-running WHC-certified sites in the U.S., first achieving certification in 1994. The wildlife reserve includes a 320-acre woodland and five conservation projects that support the forest habitat as well as species that depend on it, and offer learning opportunities for the local community. 

In addition to the longtime conservation work at the Savage Branch Wildlife Reserve, MPC has also collaborated with WHC on an urban forestry project, Marathon Gardens, located in an industrial and residential combination area of Detroit, Michigan. Designated as a WHC Certification Gold program, Marathon Gardens creates habitat for cavity-nesting birds, supports the nesting needs of turtle populations and provides roosting boxes for several bat species. Marathon Gardens also offers learning opportunities for employees, community members and local high school students to gain a greater understanding of the biodiversity in this industrial neighborhood. 

The team at Marathon collaborates with WHC staff and community partners from local Detroit organizations, to expand and maintain the Marathon Gardens habitat via planting events. MPC regularly invites local residents to participate in planting and weeding events as well. Over the last several years, MPC has held tree plantings in public parks, with the goal of creating additional outdoor recreational space for residents to enjoy. With assistance from WHC, MPC selected trees like sycamore and burr oak that would help filter particulate matter from the air, providing the additional benefit of improved air quality. 

Moving Forward Together 

“We’re honored to be among the companies chosen for this MPC gives donation,” said O’Gorman. “MPC continues to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and biodiversity through its award-winning conservation programs. We look forward to working together on both existing and new projects to help MPC meet their sustainability goals and make meaningful contributions to the communities in which they work.” 

Animal Magnetism: Do Animals Fall in Love?

/by

With Valentine’s Day approaching, love is in the air and on many people’s minds. The feeling of new love can be exhilarating, a long-lasting love can be a comfort and the love between friends can be rewarding. But as humans, are we alone in this experience, or do our counterparts in the animal kingdom also experience the same thrill of falling in love?

What is love?

Whether animals experience love largely depends on the definition of “love.” Is love a deep emotional connection? If so, animals demonstrate these kinds of bonds with each other — either within their species or with animals outside their own kind. For example, elephants will mourn and even have elaborate grieving rituals, demonstrating that they had a bond with the deceased. Even household pets or animals in captivity will develop emotional connections with the humans taking care of them.

Science has also indicated that physiologically, animals are certainly capable of experiencing emotions like love in a similar way to humans. Humans and animals share many similar brain systems and chemicals, such as dopamine and oxytocin, that accompany feelings of love. Neuroscientific research indicates that romantic love may have even evolved in avian and mammalian species to facilitate reproduction.

Getting a date, finding a mate

Assuming that animals do experience love, how do they go on to attract that special someone? In this situation, the tactics of the animal kingdom are not too dissimilar from those of humans. They often need to get their potential mate’s attention by standing out from the crowd, and appearances help with this. In birds, for example, brightly colored plumage helps males capture the attention of females. The peacock is famous for its beautifully adorned feathers, but other birds like the ribbon-tailed astrapia or Wilson’s bird of paradise also exhibit long tails and eye-catching colors.

Animals will also show off to get the attention of someone they’re interested in, often through performing elaborate dances. Many birds are known for this, and the great crested grebe puts on an impressive show, even incorporating props in the form of reeds. What’s interesting about the grebes’ courtship dance is that females take an active role as well as males.

By building a home or nest, males of many species are demonstrating how they’ll provide for a future mate. For example, the southern masked-weaver constructs a spherical nest from grass, leaves or reeds. Research has shown that male birds even practice and improve on their nest-making skills in order to find the most suitable mate.

Just like humans may paint a portrait or write a poem for the one they love, some animals are adept at creating something beautiful to attract a mate. The male pufferfish, for example, draws symmetrical designs in the sand to impress the female, and if it’s effective, she will then lay her eggs in the middle of the design. Male bowerbirds take nest-building to the extreme and decorate their abode with colored objects they find — from plastic spoons to feathers of other birds.

Finding “the one”

In some animal species, once the elaborate ritual has caught the eye of a mate, those two animals will remain paired for life. There are many benefits of mating for life. For primates, monogamy helps ensure more offspring, as it allows males to remain close to their young and protect them from potential danger. In non-primate species, male monogamy often stems from females being spread out over a large area, with males choosing to remain with their mate so as not to risk a rival swooping in.

Co-parenting is also a factor for species that mate for life. Some young, like baby birds, need an intense amount of care, so two parents are required. While seasonal monogamy is more common in avian species than a lifelong partnership, there are a number of birds, like the bald eagle, that mate for life and share parenting responsibilities.

These evolutionary measures might not necessarily be humans’ idea of romance, but there may also be scientific evidence that animals that mate for life have feelings for each other. Prairie voles are more receptive to dopamine — the “desire hormone” — after mating. The release of this chemical is what compels them to remain together for life, not even choosing a new mate if one of them dies.

While we may never know with certainty whether animals fall in love, it seems unlikely that humans are the only animals that experience complex emotions. Regardless, the courtship and partnership of various animal species illustrate the similarities we all share when finding someone to spend our lives with.

Weather Whiplash: How Extreme Winters Impact Wildlife

/by

In recent years, climate change has had an increasingly visible impact on the environments and species around us. It is well documented that globally, temperatures have been elevating for decades. Since 1880, the combined temperature of the land and oceans around the world has increased about 0.08°C each decade — but since 1981, the average rate of increase has been more than double that previous rate. 2020 was one of the three warmest years on record, with the preceding ten years being the warmest decade on record.  

One of the major drivers of climate change is human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, which result not only in warmer overall temperatures, but also in extreme cold conditions. Due to warming temperatures, the polar vortexes, two areas of cold air that circulate around the north and south poles, have shifted away from the poles. This migration of polar vortexes leads to colder-than-average temperatures in areas where this is not the norm.  

Shifting seasons and extreme weather events have very dire effects on wildlife — scientists estimate that 3 to 14% of species in terrestrial ecosystems risk extinction if global warming levels reach an increase of 1.5°C. Migratory species have had their patterns disrupted and rerouted due to unusually mild winters and extremely cold winters alike, and species that overwinter have to adjust and adapt to these changing conditions as well. 

This blog will explore how warmer- and colder-than-average winter weather affects wildlife, as well as how corporate conservation programs can help mitigate these effects and support the affected species. 

Struggling to survive during warm winters  

While it may seem counterintuitive at first, many overwintering species use the insulating property of snow to stay warm during the winter. The pika, for example, builds a den with grasses collected during the summer, which is then further insulated by snowpack. More temperate winters mean less deep snow to keep these animals warm. One way to address this issue is to provide nest boxes or other habitat structures in which wildlife can overwinter. The use of living snow fences can also help retain snowpack.  

Animals with specific adaptations for cold weather – thick fur, for example — are not well-suited to handle rising temperatures, so they migrate to colder areas, which often ends up fragmenting their populations. This fragmentation is exacerbated by the impact of climate change on these species’ habitats. For example, the Canada lynx depends largely on boreal forest habitats, which are at risk of disappearing due to climate change. With their habitats shrinking and their populations separated, it becomes more difficult for species like these to thrive. Conservation programs can ensure habitat connectivity by maintaining movement corridors and restoring affected species’ habitats. 

Warmer temperatures also affect the life cycles of and increase the range of some invasive species, such as the diamondback moth. Invasive species like these outcompete native species for resources, and when combined with the already detrimental effects of global warming on native species, it becomes even easier for invasives to overtake them. Invasive species management techniques such as biological control methods, integrated pest management or cultural control methods can help mitigate the spread of invasive species due to climate change.  

Severe winter weather can be fatal 

As mentioned earlier, climate change has resulted in more extreme winter weather, such as the expansion of the polar vortex. Just as unseasonably warm temperatures affect wildlife, so does an extended period of intense cold.  

Animals expend more energy to survive in extremely cold weather, which puts them at higher risk of starvation, especially if their usual sources of food have died from the cold. For animals that are not well-adapted to the cold, such as Virginia opossums, extreme winter weather can lead to frostbite on vulnerable parts of their body like their ears or tail.  

Marine wildlife is also greatly impacted by extreme cold. Unexpected freezes can kill fish populations, which goes on to affect the ecosystem and the entire food chain. Frozen water bodies also mean less access to food for water birds like ducks, and cooling water temperatures can be fatal for animals like sea turtles or manatees that rely on warm water. In fact, “cold stunning,” or the decrease in heart rate and blood circulation that sea turtles experience when water temperatures drop, kills over 60% of non-migratory turtles.  

Scientists have also researched the effect of the shifting polar vortex on birds’ migratory patterns. One study found that, immediately following a polar vortex, bird abundance decreased, with population levels returning to normal a few weeks later. This indicates that birds may have briefly left the area during the period of extreme cold. Bird migration patterns have moving north in recent decades, but climate change may accelerate that process and leave birds vulnerable to extreme temperatures in new locations. Conservation programs can observe and monitor the abundance of bird species visiting their site to develop a clearer picture of the population’s needs and provide shelter for overwintering or migrating birds to help support these species. 

Climate whiplash hurts everyone 

Heat waves and severe storms are predicted to only become more frequent due to climate change, as well as abrupt shifts between high and low temperatures. These shifts — sometimes called “climate whiplash” — can be detrimental to species’ survival. For example, some insects like crickets can survive a freeze through a process called diapause. However, if these insects emerge from diapause and face another cold snap, it is unlikely that they will survive a second freeze. Climate whiplash also limits animals’ access to food, if, for example, heavy rainfall is followed by a freeze that results in a layer of ice covering winter browse for deer. 

Extreme changes in temperature also affect hibernating species, such as black bears. An early spring could trigger hibernating animals to wake up too soon, and if the temperature quickly swings back to cold, they likely face starvation if they are unable to find food during a period when they would normally be dormant. In addition, droughts and extreme heat due to climate change during the summer can also impact hibernation if animals are unable to store up enough fat. Conservation programs can help by ensuring there is enough food available for these species during their non-hibernating months. 

Climate change has devastating effects on the environment, the economy, human health and, as these examples have shown, wildlife. Even throughout the winter, extreme heat and cold can leave wildlife without the resources they need to survive, which is why it is crucial that conservation programs take these growing needs into account. 

Read more WHC blogs.