With a hand from some young helpers, Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider, recently released two dozen turtles back into their natural habitat after they were rescued during construction of the Mid-Michigan Pipeline Project, the company said in a press release.
Several children of Consumers Energy employees joined the turtle release programme in rural Ingham County. The turtles came from the eggs of adult females that were carefully removed from the path of the pipeline and incubated and nurtured by Herpetological Resource and Management based in Chelsea, Washtenaw county, with help from Sea Life Michigan Aquarium.
“It has become something of a tradition for us at Consumers Energy to release turtles back into the wild each year, and we are proud to do our part to preserve them as part of our commitment to sustainable construction practices,” said Brandon Hofmeister, Consumers Energy’s senior vice-president of strategy, sustainability, and external affairs. “We are conscious of our role in protecting Michigan’s wildlife and are committed to efforts like this because we know it’s right for our customers, the communities we serve, and the planet.”
Last fall, Consumers Energy released 56 turtles rescued during the project, the energy utility said. More recently, HRM rescued and incubated 24 turtle eggs. Blanding’s turtles are a protected species in Michigan. While they can live for more than 80 years, they also have a maturity period of 15 to 20 years, which makes them particularly vulnerable to predators.
Since 2009, Consumers Energy has worked with HRM to protect and manage wetland wildlife along the path of its construction projects, the company said. Over the course of two years on the Saginaw Trail pipeline, Consumers Energy and HRM saved more than 30 Blanding’s turtle eggs before returning mature juveniles to the habitat after construction was completed. The organizations also rescued or relocated nearly 30,000 amphibians and reptiles out of the construction pathway, Consumers Energy said in the release.
Consumers Energy’s Mid-Michigan pipeline replaces about 55 miles of natural gas pipeline in Washtenaw, Livingston, Ingham, Shiawassee and Clinton counties. The two-phase, $550 million project will replace a vintage 20-inch pipeline dating back to the 1940s with a new 36-inch pipeline that helps transport natural gas more quickly, safely, and efficiently. The project is slated for completion this fall.
Consumers Energy provides natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of Michigan’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Consumers Energy’s Clean Energy Plan calls for eliminating coal as an energy source by 2025, achieving net-zero carbon emissions, and meeting 90% of customers’ energy needs through clean sources, including wind and solar.
Source: PR Newswire
