Page 51 - 2020 Sustainability Report

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Biodiversity and Land Use

We own or lease significant land holdings on which we
operate our businesses. We are committed to minimizing
operational impacts on local ecosystems’ biodiversity.
In addition to complying with applicable laws and
regulations, we integrate various protection measures
into the way we operate, as described below. Further,
our environmental management practices consider Prebble Jumping Mouse
the relevant ecosystem throughout the lifecycle of an
operation, including reclamation. Woodworth facility a number of steps to prevent such
impacts were taken including the use of substantial buffers
Habitat and Species Protection
between operations and stream banks; levees constructed
Throughout the duration of our operations at a particular on a 3-1 slope; and the use of matting, silt fencing, and
location, we take a variety of steps to mitigate impacts seeding to prevent sedimentation from erosion. The facility
on habitats and species and to restore disturbed also installed a closed loop water recycling system to
ecosystems. Our environmental staff works in concert prevent any discharges of process water. In part due to
with our mine planners and operations teams to ensure these efforts, during the last mussel survey conducted in
sensitive areas and species are not impacted. We late 2019 by the Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife,
follow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines and it was found the numbers of mussels has increased.
regulations for operations near endangered or threatened
Additionally, many of our quarries benefit biodiversity by
species, and we obtain required permits and conduct
creating and maintaining valuable habitats for many
necessary mitigation in connection with our activities in
species of wildlife, including threatened or endangered
or near waters of the United States.
species. This occurs both in the ordinary course of
An excellent example of this practice can be found at our maintaining large rural sites and through set-asides and
Woodworth facility in Louisiana which borders Bayou Clear, conservation easements we have granted. For example, in
home to the endangered Louisiana Pearl Shell Mussel. This our Central Division, we have set aside portions of our
mussel is restricted to only two river drainages in central Racoon River property as habitat for the endangered
Louisiana, and as a result had declined by over 80% during Indiana Bat. In our West Division, a portion of our Lyons
the last few decades. facility has been set aside to protect the Prebble Jumping
Mouse. And in our East Division, a portion of the Appling
As both sedimentation and water diversion could impact property was set aside to provide a habitat for the Snorkel
the Pearl Shell Mussel, during construction of the Wort Plant. In addition, in many of our sand and gravel
operations, we create wetland features that improve water
quality long term and water-storage basins that help to
supply local water needs.

Because we own and lease many thousands of acres
of land, we are also active managers of significant
forest resources. Management and replenishment of
this resource is top of mind for our operations. For
instance, beginning in 2015, our East Division implemented
a timber management program. To date,

Pearl Shell Mussels

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