Environment and safety
BP Cherry Point Refinery owns over 900 acres of land that has tremendous potential for ecological restoration. We have identified this land as an area we would like to permanently dedicate to habitat preservation and enhancement.
BP believes the potential of this area can be best realized by developing and executing a long-term land management plan. To begin this process, we'll fully fund a fellowship for a graduate student this year from Western Washington University's Huxley College.
"The scientific knowledge and creative energy of a graduate student from Huxley College of the Environment would fit perfectly with BP's long-term land management vision," said Liz Daly, Cherry Point's Environmental Manager. Students selected for this fellowship will be funded at $10,000 per year. The development of the management plan would include gathering information regarding which habitat and wildlife conditions currently exist, and determining which types of habitat and wildlife have the greatest potential to become established in the area.
This property, located across from the refinery on the north side of Grandview Road, is bisected by Terrell Creek and includes fallow pasture, emergent wetlands, and young forested areas. This area currently serves as a home to several native animal species including coyote, deer, heron and assorted waterfowl.
"There are several components that must be addressed in order for ecological restoration to be successful, and a Huxley graduate student will have a great deal of flexibility in designing a project that would fit his or her academic interests, as well as satisfying BP's desire to improve the environment," said Liz.
Specific graduate study opportunities include wetland delineations, study of the hydrologic regime of the area, soil characterizations, investigations of wildlife usage patterns and ecological interactions, to name a few.
The Huxley student would have several resources available to him or her, including the BP Cherry Point Environmental Staff, wetland biologists and ecologists from local consulting firms, and other citizens and public groups interested in preserving and restoring the local ecosystem.
"BP Cherry Point is delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with Huxley College of the Environment, and to extend this fellowship offer," said Liz.
