Consumers Energy Partners With Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge on 'Lady of the Lakes' Property Near J.R. Whiting Pla
March 25 2008 - 1:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
LUNA PIER, Mich., March 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Consumers
Energy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a
cooperative management agreement that conveys 49 acres of unique
coastal wetlands and wildlife habitat into the Detroit River
International Wildlife Refuge. The "Lady of the Lakes" property, as
it is known, is located on Lake Erie just north of the utility's
J.R. Whiting generating plant, near Luna Pier. The land is
considered unique coastal beach ridge habitat, with approximately
2,400-feet of frontage on western Lake Erie. Prominent ecological
features on the site are two natural, land-locked coastal wetlands
separated from Lake Erie by a sand beach ridge. "I am so pleased to
see Consumers Energy teaming up with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service to make this happen," said Congressman. John D. Dingell.
"The Lady of the Lakes property is an ecologically significant,
important addition to the Detroit River International Wildlife
Refuge and I commend Consumers and Fish and Wildlife for getting
this project done for the sake of wildlife preservation and the
enjoyment of all future generations." "Lady of the Lakes is well
known locally for its wildlife, including waterfowl, blue heron,
egrets, raptors and shorebirds," said Jack L. Hanson, Consumers
Energy vice president of generation engineering and services. It
was during Hanson's tenure as business manager at Whiting from 2003
to 2006 that the prospect of conveying the Lady of the Lakes
property to the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was
conceived. The Lady of the Lakes property is considered an
important piece of remaining natural coastal habitat on western
Lake Erie, at the intersection of the Atlantic and Mississippi
migratory flyways for waterfowl. It is located in one of the top 20
'Biodiversity Investment Areas' as identified by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada. The
cooperative management agreement announced today for the Lady of
the Lakes property allows the Detroit River International Wildlife
Refuge and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect remaining
high-quality fish and wildlife habitat; restore and enhance
degraded wildlife habitats associated with Lake Erie and promote
public awareness of the important resources of the Detroit River
International Wildlife Refuge. The J.R. Whiting Plant is a
coal-fueled electric generating facility located on an 875-acre
site just south of Luna Pier. The three-unit plant began producing
electricity in 1952. With an associated oil-fueled combustion
turbine, it can generate up to 345 megawatts, enough electricity to
serve a community of 210,000. The Detroit River International
Wildlife Refuge covers 48 miles of shoreline along the western
basin of Lake Erie and lower Detroit River. It focuses on
conserving, protecting and restoring habitat for 29 species of
waterfowl, 65 kinds of fish and 300 species of migratory birds.
Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, provides
natural gas and electricity to nearly 6.5 million of Michigan's 10
million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. For more
information about Consumers Energy, visit our Company Website at
http://www.consumersenergy.com/ For more information about the
International Wildlife Refuge, visit the Refuge website at
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/detroitriver/index.html DATASOURCE:
Consumers Energy CONTACT: Kelly M. Farr, of Consumers Energy J.R.
Whiting, +1-989-891-3451; or Dr. John Hartig, of Detroit River
International Wildlife Refuge, +1-734-692-7608 Web site:
http://www.consumersenergy.com/
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/detroitriver/index.html Company News
On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/203850.html
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