Wildlife Habitat Council Inc

Programs: Whc's wildlife at work program engages corporate employees, community members, conservation organizations, and government agencies in the long-term, active management of corporate and non-corporate property to create and enhance wildlife habitats. Wildlife at work programs are tailored to corporate objectives, regional context, and corporate initiatives in a sustainable and environmentally-sensitive approach to managing corporate lands. The primary goal of the habitat enhancement program is to enhance biodiversity and habitats. Whc's conservation education program (cep) uses the corporate habitat as a learning tool by encouraging the use of corporate lands for conservation education. Community learners use the property as an outdoor classroom for practical and applied study of ecology and environmental issues. The overarching goal of corporate lands for learning (cll) is to maximize the use of human and natural resources on site to benefit the educational needs of the community. Whc has certified 659 wildlife at work (waw) programs and certified 168 cll programs. Through these core programs, whc lends expertise to the corporate community in the following service areas: habitat restoration and reclamation; natural resource management in the context of global and regional conservation; initiatives for ecological reuse of contaminated/remediated/reclaimed properties; urban planning and development; invasive species control; and long-term measures of restoration progress. Environmental services address the following: the potential impacts to water resources, wetlands, land uses, threatened and endangered species, cultural resources, and indigenous populations; biodiversity and sustainability assessment and management; public engagement stakeholder (public and resource agency); involvement and consensus building; project education and curriculum development; integrated community outreach and media relations; project and program management; eco-training and green-jobs creation; and regional office programs. The northwest indiana - southeast chicago office promotes and implements wildlife habitat enhancements, land restoration and reuse opportunities for private industrial properties and public lands. Whc's projects demonstrate the use of ecological enhancements on contaminated, degraded and underutilized properties through hands-on pilot project habitats and increasing public/private partnerships. The ecological restoration project is a regional effort, with local steel, petroleum, and manufacturing industries and their communities, to help restore the ecology of industrial properties by the great lakes national program office and the habitat wildlife council on the northwest indiana lake michigan basin. A goal of this program is to link industrial habitats to the larger landscape ecology of the northwest indiana dune and swale ecosystems. The huron to erie waterways project links nearly 50 whc-certified corporate habitat programs with each other and with area conservationists to strengthen and grow that stewardship. The project's focus on this region has meant continued growth in the number of active habitat programs even during tough economic times.

the wildlife habitat council encourages its members to become leaders in conservation and sustainability, to exceed what is expected or required, and to establish programs that take advantage of available resources, as well as partner with local conservation groups and state and local agencies. Corporate participation in the whc's programs is voluntary and represents corporate environmental action above and beyond compliance. Our members are leading the way in planning for sustainability and meeting economic, environmental, and social needs of the present and for future generations. Currently, whc has over 125 members, representing 15 industries. More than 40 members corporate members have international operations and over 40 companies are listed in the fortune 1000. In addition, over 20 conservation groups, 10 non-profits and 6 government agencies are members of whc. Whc provides opportunities to share best practices with fellow volunteers, site managers, public affairs officers, and vice presidents of environmental health, safety, and sustainability. Visibility through featured stories on member accomplishments and commitments to wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement in various publications, the council's quarterly newsletter and website, in addition to recognition as a member on whc's website.

the whc annual symposium is a gathering of whc's members and partners with activities focusing on education, collaboration and celebration of education. Whc programs become more effective, ensuring not only that whc executes its mission to protect wildlife habitat, but that the members are encouraged along a path of continuous improvement. Also, regular education programs ensure that new members and new team members within existing sites may benefit from educational experiences offered through whc collaboration. Participants are able to interface with new partners, reconnect with existing partners, and learn from experts in related fields, maximizing their involvement with the organization celebration. Whc is able to recognize the yearly progress of all members in the mission of increasing the amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private, and public lands. Each year, several regional conferences are organized, allowing whc to leverage partnerships with governmental liaisons, nongovernmental organizations, and local partners to build collaboration and involvement among its members. This approach deepens involvement at the site level, allows specific conservation topics to be explored in great depth, and increases the option for involvement in more landscape-level programs.