|
W.A.I.T. Site Dedicated
Sep 1, 2006
 |
| Presenting the certificate to Rex Ramsay, Supervisor of Vegetation Management and Delma Senn were Angela Viney, South Carolina Wildlife Federation and Skip Still, Department of Natural Resources. Others involved with this project are Raul Gonzalez, Greg Sluder of Sluder Urban Forestry, Jim Murphy and David Haskett. |
Blue Ridge officially dedicated its W.A.I.T. (Wildlife and Industry Together) site on August 18, at its Oconee office, located at 2328 Sandifer Boulevard in Westminster. Created by the South Carolina Wildlife Federation (SCWF), the WAIT program is designed to encourage corporate landowners to integrate wildlife habitat needs into corporate land management decisions.
“As our state becomes increasingly more developed, there is less land available for wildlife to use,” said Angela Viney, SCWF executive director. “Corporate landowners such as Blue Ridge can offset habitat loss by devoting their under-utilized lands to wildlife and flora which results in a win-win situation for everyone.”
The Blue Ridge site includes a Carolina fence, butterfly gardens, and areas of native plants and grasses. Birdhouses were built and donated by Walhalla Cub Scout Troop 145 led by pack leader Mike Cox. Future plans include a memorial arboretum. Rex Ramsay, vegetation management supervisor, explains, “This is an on going project for us that began several years ago. I think our WAIT site will bring benefits for years to come as birds, butterflies, native flora and wildlife flourish in the shadow of our Oconee office.”
Blue Ridge Electric President Charles Dalton concurred, “Blue Ridge has always cared about the environment and WAIT is simply one more way for us to be good stewards of the land, for this generation as well as for generations to come.”
|
