A short 30-mile drive north of Detroit on I-75 and you will find yourself away from the hustle and bustle of city life, immersed in a more peaceful scene. Here you can find flowing creeks, natural wetlands and even explore a 1.5-mile nature trail where you may spot deer, wild turkeys, blue heron and mallards.
Wildlife, including bucks, can be found on the grounds of the complex.
And while most of the leaves have already fallen, you can still catch a glimpse of the autumn reds, yellows and oranges.
But this isn’t a national park. Rather it’s the location of Chrysler Group LLC’s world headquarters and the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Mich.
The facility is adjacent to Galloway Creek, which serves as a tributary to the Clinton River.
Auto companies and much of corporate America aren’t usually associated with wooded settings and wetlands. But the ongoing dedication to preserve the surrounding habitat helped the company achieve the Wildlife Habitat Council Conservation Certification in 2014.
Chrysler Group’s Wildlife Team is a group of dedicated volunteers from across the organization committed to support the company’s corporate sustainability ethic by conducting many special projects like preserving the 17 acres of wetlands.
Great blue heron live among four natural wetlands on the property where they fish for food.
This is especially important for the great blue herons, which have made a home for themselves among the 1.8-mile test track on the property. While they don’t mind the occasional Viper zooming past, they are very startled by the disturbance of people.
The Wildlife Team focused on two factors to preserve the blue heron rookery (nesting colony): maintaining water levels with engineering controls and restricting access during nesting season. Between 2006–2010, the rookery increased by four to five nests a year and currently includes 20 nests with about 30 birds.
The blue heron created nests near the evaluation road located within the 465-acre property.
The Auburn Hills Complex attracts a variety of wildlife, including more than 65 plants and more than 75 bird species. The Wildlife Team was one of 255 programs recognized for outstanding wildlife habitat management efforts at corporate sites this year. Along with the Wildlife Team, Chrysler Group has a long standing history of enacting eco-friendly practices while promoting sustainability.
