The nature of business

By: Tara Perre, Director, Corporate Communications & PR, AriensCo

AriensCo has always operated its manufacturing business with as little impact on the environment as possible. Those efforts to reduce waste and minimize impact were typically contained within the walls of the plants. Dan Ariens, Chairman & CEO had never thought about extending his environmental stewardship outside of the operations, until he met Margaret Gorman, president of the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) in 2017.

“The mission of WHC is simple. It’s a membership organization focused on engaging corporations across the world to do conservation on their land holdings,” says Ariens. “Corporations own undeveloped land for all sorts of reasons, and if they were managed for conservation, these efforts can add up to a big impact for biodiversity and native ecosystems when considered collectively.”

At the core of the mission is restoring native habitat. Once native plants are restored, the premise goes, the native wildlife will follow.

Ariens considered the 250 acres between two plants on Highway 10 in Brillion. It was overgrown with unwanted trees and invasive plants, and, it had been used to dump fill from building projects. The section rented as farmland was plagued with drainage issues. It was a typical ‘back-of-plant’ area that exists on many manufacturing properties.

The project received staff support from a cross-section of employees. Ann Stilp, Executive Program Manager, works with the Ariens Outdoors staff, summer interns and production employees who have interest. Using the guidance of WHC and local experts, the team began to eliminate invasive and overgrown plants and trees; seed for native grasses and wildflowers; plant trees for reforestation; convert the farmland; and set up and maintain nest boxes for native bluebirds, tree swallows, purple martins, and wood ducks.

Today, the area is an on-going native restoration success story with three distinct habitats: upland forest, prairie oak savanna and wetlands. Employees and others also conduct monitoring to track native plants and wildlife as a success indicator of the project. This past season, 135 native plants and grasses were identified. They also identified thirty-three native Wisconsin butterflies and 81 species of birds.

In 2020 the company received conservation certification from WHC for its efforts for its Prairie Oak Savanna project. This year AriensCo submitted three additional conservation projects for review.

“It has been amazing how quickly habitat can be transformed with a bit of focus and attention.” says Stilp. “Similar to how we apply management principles to our businesses, WHC provides guidance with the principles and best practices to manage ecosystems.”

The company allows public access to the site with three miles of trails which connect to the Fox River Trail system.

“Businesses may find any number of reasons to get involved with Corporate Conservation efforts,” says Ariens. “For us it was community engagement, talent acquisition and employee engagement and wellness. We wanted to make an impact for generations to come.”

Learn more: www.wildlifehc.org