OPG Celebrates International Year of Biodiversity

Above: Ministry of Natural Resources staff plant tallgrass prairie at Ontario Power Generation Nanticoke GS in celebration of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.

NANTICOKE, ON – In celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) Nanticoke Generating Station (GS) recently planted 60 acres of tallgrass prairie as part of the station’s biodiversity program and commitment to habitat enhancement in Haldimand County.

Tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem characterized by species such as switchgrass, prairie cordgrass, and big bluestem and little bluestem.

Together with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), Nanticoke GS planted a mixture of native warm season grasses and flowering plants—vegetation that once covered 1000 km² of Southern Ontario but has been reduced significantly in the region.

“Tallgrass prairie is one of the most biologically diverse grasslands in North America,” said Ron Ludolph, MNR Stewardship Coordinator. “The plan is to re-establish an ecosystem for a number of wildlife species, including pollinating insects like butterflies and bees that rely on tallgrass prairie vegetation.”

Today, tallgrass prairie is one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America.

As the first utility in North America to have developed a biodiversity policy, OPG has integrated the need to conserve biodiversity into its ongoing operations.  No other Ontario company has such a record.

“The goal of OPG’s biodiversity policy, which has existed since the inception of the company, is to demonstrate that we can co-exist with nature without causing or contributing to the long-term decline of species, or the habitats upon which they depend, on a regional basis,” says Tom Mitchell, President and CEO.  “Our policy and our conservation actions demonstrate that industry can and does have a clear role to play in conserving Ontario’s biodiversity.”

- 30 -

Some Key Facts:

• OPG’s biodiversity initiatives are designed to implement the “four Rs” of biodiversity:  RETAIN what is significant, RESTORE habitats that have been degraded, REPLACE habitats that have been lost, and RECOVER species at risk.
• Each of OPG’s 65 hydroelectric, five thermal, and four nuclear sites are ISO14001 environmentally certified. 
• All thermal and nuclear sites have been certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council.  Many of OPG’s hydroelectric sites are certified and support a number of programs such as eel ladders, managing water flow for fish spawning, and rescuing stranded Lake Sturgeon.
• Since 2000, OPG and its conservation partners and site communities have planted close to four million trees and shrubs on more than 1,850 hectares of land.  As one of the largest biodiversity efforts in Ontario, the cumulative effect of these plantings has the potential to sequester carbon dioxide to help mitigate global warming while protecting existing habitats and providing new habitats for forest wildlife.
• OPG Biodiversity is proud partner of Trees Ontario, Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), Ontario Nature  and the Bruce Trail Conservancy.

See OPGbiodiversity.ca for a current listing of partners and events that support biodiversity in 2010. For more information, contact:

OPG Media Relations

1-877-592-4008 or 416-592-4008