Biodiversity
Taking actions to protect the ecosystems surrounding our operational facilities promotes biodiversity of the natural lands that often surround industrial business activities. Stormwater management investments and environmental stewardship to support local watersheds serve as two of our strategies for maintaining biodiversity at Schnitzer facilities. By partnering with local environmental organizations and implementing systems that protect nearby waterways, we seek to maintain biodiversity and restore complex habitats that are vital to clean drinking water, native wildlife, irrigation, and industry.
Our Impact
Hylebos Creek in Tacoma, WA was once a prime salmon habitat. However, over time, the compounding impacts of agricultural practices and urbanization diminished the array of plants and wildlife along the creek. In 2007, Schnitzer partnered with The Friends of the Hylebos, a local environmental organization, on a natural resource habitat restoration project, targeting an area of the creek just a few miles from our facility. The project was completed in 2010 and included invasive plants removal, native plant installation, and reintroducing woody debris to enhance habitat complexity. More than a decade later, restoration efforts continue to improve the habitat for salmon and local bird species.
The project met its original goals of providing undisturbed, densely vegetated habitat that supports native plants, fish, birds, and other wildlife species.
