Energy Company, Migrating Birds Find Common Ground in Indiana

November 2, 2009

Contact:

Georgia Parham, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (812) 334-4261 x1203
Vanessa Vaughan, The Conservation Fund, (703) 908-5809

Indianapolis, IN – Across Indiana, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Conservation Fund and industry partners have launched a landmark conservation effort to meet growing energy demand while conserving wildlife habitat. Today, the team announced seven energy industry-funded grants totaling $1.1 million that will protect more than 1,300 acres of migratory bird habitat in the state.

Funding for the grants came from Rockies Express, a business owned by Kinder Morgan, Sempra and Conoco Phillips.

“Using these grants to help protect habitat shows it’s possible to develop energy infrastructure in an environmentally sound manner,” said Tom Melius, Midwest regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The choice isn’t, and rarely should be, between wildlife or development, but rather how we accommodate both needs in a holistic manner. We hope others will follow the example set here.”

Peg Kohring, Midwest director of The Conservation Fund, said, “Energy providers are looking to avoid protracted delays in permitting, environmentalists are looking to protect the wildlife that call energy corridors home, and businesses and homeowners seek reliable, affordable domestic energy supplies. At The Conservation Fund, we provide a way forward by helping all achieve their goals. And at a time when public dollars for conservation are stretched thin, private companies provide a way to advance conservation, even in tough economic times.”

“Protecting migratory bird habitat in Indiana is extremely important,” said Scott Pruitt, project leader for the Service’s Bloomington, Indiana, field office. “Many species of migratory birds, such as the cerulean warbler, depend on large tracts of unbroken forest canopy, and that’s the type of habitat theses grants will help protect.”

As America invests in infrastructure, The Conservation Fund is working with energy, transportation, development and government leaders to offset project impacts on wildlife habitat and other natural resources through conservation real estate transactions, strategic planning and mitigation fund management.

Rockies Express is constructing a 1,700-mile natural gas pipeline that will stretch from Colorado to Ohio. Despite careful planning to avoid and minimize impacts, these construction projects cannot avoid all adverse impacts on vulnerable migratory bird habitat. To compensate for the loss of forestland and accelerate approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, this energy company voluntarily agreed to establish mitigation funds to be used to compensate for any impacts. The Conservation Fund managed these accounts and, with the oversight of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provided grants to conservation projects that preserve habitat for vulnerable bird species. This was a one-time grant process intended to use all the funds in the account.

The funds in the mitigation accounts were leveraged with funding from other sources to protect and restore 1,395 acres – more than seven times the 182 acres Rockies Express was required to mitigate.

Click here for a list with descriptions of the funded projects and for more information about the migratory bird mitigation account.

About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

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