Audubon Society Recognizes BGE for Bird-Friendly Habitat
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--It's an unusual place to find a bird friendly habitat, but it's happening in the city with the help of a major corporation in Baltimore.
An osprey flies high above a patch of land that used to be a BGE substation, but now the quarter acre parcel is a bird friendly habitat.
"We take environmental stewardship very seriously," said Richard Nunez, Senior Vice President with BGE. "We're really proud today to be showcasing the habitat we have for pollinators here at our Spring Gardens Facility in South Baltimore."
Greg Kappler, who's BGE principal environmental scientist, says the pollinator garden idea came up when they planned to replace the substation.
"A number of years ago we had to replace this substation. Rather than just plant trees across this critical area buffer we thought wouldn't it be better to have a pollinator garden, to bring the bees and the butterflies in since the pollinators are in such trouble across the country."
The Audubon Society is recognizing BGE for creating this critical area on the banks of the Patapsco.
"Whether they're in the garden itself, or whether they're making the most of the water here, you might see things like herons or egrets along the water," said Susie creamer, Director of the Patterson Park Audubon Center. "This is a great spot to be to promote wildlife as much as possible with plants like these."
Already more than 150 kinds of birds have been seen here.
"They've seen eagles here, we've had ospreys, you'll see smaller birds too, including gold finches and mockingbirds, a little bit of everything," said Kappler.
The site is an oasis for birds and those who love them.
"We've got butterflies and every year we have employees who volunteer to count which ones are coming and which types and species are coming," said Nunez. "It's become a bit of a hobby here for our employees."
BGE is the first corporation in Baltimore City to be recognized by the Audubon Society as having a bird friendly habitat.
