Promoting Biodiversity by Protecting Pollinator Populations
Bees and other pollinators are critical to protecting everyday life, sustaining food sources for humans and wildlife around the world. However, global pollinator populations are declining at a rapid and unprecedented rate due to ecological stressors such as habitat loss, prevalence of disease, extreme weather patterns, increased use of pesticides, and other factors. Because our operations are directly connected to land use, we are mindful of biodiversity and habit impacts. In addition to our responsibilities to care for the land when we close a site, we seek ways to promote stewardship among our Team Members and our communities.
Throughout the year, several Covia locations supported pollinator populations by organizing Team Member and community awareness initiatives, maintaining on-site hives and pollinator-friendly gardens, and engaging with apiaries and local organizations to protect these important at-risk species.
Our Jáltipan, Veracruz, plant established its flagship Community Beekeeping Initiative, focused on:
- Preserving the declining bee population;
- Developing beekeeping skills among neighboring communities to advance employment opportunities; and
- Increasing participant incomes, especially among women.
In 2022, the program sponsored the installation of two community apiaries with a total of 50 bee boxes, which are anticipated to produce a total of 2,000 liters of honey in the 2023 harvest season and generate $15,000 in additional income for the beekeepers in the community. Jáltipan Team Members either maintain these hives themselves after attending apiary training or outsource the management of these apiaries to trained members within the community.
For more information on our Jáltipan Community Beekeeping Initiative, please watch the video above.
Our Portage, Wisconsin, plant partners with a local apiary to maintain two bee colonies on the site’s reclaimed land. Additionally, Team Members at our Best Sand Chardon, Ohio, and Tunnel City, Wisconsin, locations maintain beehives in their free time. In Kermit, Texas, Team Members partner with Bee for Life to have swarms appropriately relocated when they pass through our site.
At our Junction City, Georgia; McIntyre, Georgia; and Black Lab Serena, Illinois, sites, Team Members maintain native plants, flowers, wild grasses, and trees that support local pollinator populations. Additionally, our Portage, Wisconsin, site participated in “No Mow May” on two acres of land to help spring pollinators and bug populations grow during the month.
Our Guion, Arkansas, site maintains the Monarch Watch Waystation Certification by providing resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. Our Tunnel City, Wisconsin, site has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wisconsin Statewide Karner Blue Butterfly (KBB) Habitat Conservation Plan to create KBB habitats and help preserve this at-risk species. To date, 111 acres have been put into the Habitat Conservation Plan and planted with lupine seed. Team Members at the site regularly count the number of KBB sightings and report this information annually. Since 2019, confirmed sightings have increased by 35%.
“I am proud to work for a company that takes environmental stewardship seriously and gives us the support we need. When Tunnel City began operations, the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly did not really exist on our property. Through strategic measures, we were able to establish a population here and are delighted to watch as the number of Karners continues to grow year after year. During the peak season, you cannot visit Tunnel City’s front office without being greeted by Karners.” – Riley Layton, Mine Supervisor, Tunnel City, WI.
