The aggregates industry spends hundreds of thousands of dollars every year improving wildlife habitat. Wildlife areas created during reclamation have become important habitats for an astounding variety of plants and animals. Habitats developed by mine staff in concert with local, state or federal agencies can range up to thousands of acres. And enduring environmental protection is a first priority.
Large acreages owned by industry operators in developed areas naturally attract wildlife.
Taking good care of these habitats protects the wildlife and enhances the community. Strategies include creating wetlands, improving riparian corridors, planting native species and removing exotic ones, and creating microhabitats for special species. Mine workers build nesting boxes or platforms for the rare wood duck, bluebird, osprey, and purple martin. Replanted grasslands attract increasingly rare prairie insects, and birds such as quail and meadowlarks. Thousands of acres of reconstructed wetland become new homes for nesting bald eagles, ospreys, herons and loons, and critical resting stops during fall and summer migrations.