Dufferin Aggregates’ Acton Quarry Wins Prestigious WHC Award

Wildlife Habitat Council (‘WHC’) is an international non-profit organization that promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on corporate lands around the globe. Currently, there are 637 programs created by WHC members in 20 countries that meet this rigorous certification standard. WHC members include companies such as Toyota, General Motors, Boeing, ExxonMobil, and other mining companies. To qualify for certification, a conservation project must be voluntary and not mandated by approval or regulatory requirements. The project must also include baseline monitoring and annual monitoring results, education and conservation objectives, and a record of maintenance and improvements completed year to year. Obtaining certification from WHC is therefore a way to validate the strength of the Dufferin programs through a non-government agency with high standards and credible recognition, such as the 17 sites CRH Americas Materials has also certified since 2004 as a member of WHC.

 

In 2017, Dufferin Aggregates (Dufferin) submitted an application to the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) to recognize the conservation and education efforts accomplished at the Acton Quarry. Dufferin has a long history of leveraging its conservation programs to facilitate approvals and demonstrate to elected officials and agency staff that there is a balance to aggregate extraction that supports construction projects, while also managing lands to rehabilitate and enhance habitats for future generations.

 

The highlights of the Acton application included the creation of two wetlands for amphibian breeding habitat, and the education and awareness programs initiated on-site for Earth Day and Open House events. The major success of the Acton program are the wetlands that Dufferin created on-site. One of the main goals for these wetlands were to attract the Jefferson Salamander for breeding, an endangered species in Ontario. Dufferin has successfully attracted nine different species of amphibians to the wetlands, one of those being the Jefferson Salamander. This accomplishment is the first known instance of this species using man-made wetlands for breeding. You can see this and more featured in the television program Striking Balance (season 2, episode 3) which aired in October 2020: Watch it here!

 

The Acton application is strengthened each year by completing annual monitoring and maintenance, and improvements are made to the application by adding various elements to the wetlands. For example, in spring 2021, dedicated Dufferin staff planted 200 native pollinator plants to add to this conservation effort.

 

The Acton application received WHC Gold Certification in 2017, as well as the highest score for any certified site in WHC’s history. The Acton program also won two of the annual WHC awards for Wetlands & Waterbodies and Reptiles & Amphibians. At the most recent 2021 WHC annual conference, the Acton program was re-certified Gold and won the Reptiles and Amphibians award, while also being a finalist for two other awards.

 

The WHC vision of “Every Act of Conservation Matters” is implemented at all the Dufferin rehabilitation locations. Although Acton is Dufferin’s only WHC certified location, the conservation and biodiversity efforts completed at all Dufferin sites, along with the commitment and dedication from the employees involved, is significant and meaningful to Dufferin’s biodiversity objectives.

 

“As part of Dufferin's ongoing commitment to the communities in which they operate, the team has worked for years to enhance biodiversity at our Acton Quarry, and having WHC commend the hard work, commitment, and the results of the program is a true testament to what we have achieved. As an employee directly involved in tree planting, pollinator planting and habitat creation, seeing the positive impacts we have had on biodiversity in the area has been a very rewarding experience,” enthuses Jennah Pettenuzzo, Environmental Coordinator for Dufferin Aggregates.