Connections

Issue 2 • Volume 3 • April 10

ENVIRONMENT

Three WHC Sites Added to OMG Roster

The Shalersville site hosts an annual fishing derby, which allows the team to evaluate the biodiversity of fish in the reclaimed lake.

Recent acquisitions in Ohio and Missouri resulted in the addition of three certified Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) sites, which brings the total of OMG sites to eight.

The Defiance site, managed by APAC-Missouri, is a 222-acre limestone quarry with 95 acres available to wildlife. Located two miles from the Missouri river, the site houses wild turkey, red-tailed hawks, coyote and white-tailed deer. Bluebird nest boxes were installed along a stream and a pollinator garden with native plant species was established at the quarry entrance.

The Shelly Company manages the Petersburg site, a quarry located near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, with 50 of its 240 acres designated for wildlife habitat management. The site is surrounded by rural areas. In addition to nest boxes for bluebirds and owls, the site includes raptor perches and basking logs for its abundant aquatic life.

The Defiance site is the location of oak-hickory savannas, which house diverse plant communities.

The Shelly Company also inherited Shalersville, the largest of the three sites, located in the Upper Cuyahoga River Valley. The sand and gravel plant comprises 800 acres of forest, wetlands, grasslands and architectural areas, 224 of which are designated for reclamation. Numerous lakes provide habitat for migrating Canada geese and red-winged blackbirds.

The Wildlife Habitat Leadership Team will monitor ongoing enhancement of these sites to ensure continued certification and recognition.

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