Taking the scenic route to work

SINCE 2005, Fidelity Investments has sponsored a 'Wildlife at Work' program that gets workers involved in learning about and protecting the wildlife around their offices. Above, a stop on the Eastern Bluebird Trail at the Smithfield campus. /
SINCE 2005, Fidelity Investments has sponsored a 'Wildlife at Work' program that gets workers involved in learning about and protecting the wildlife around their offices. Above, a stop on the Eastern Bluebird Trail at the Smithfield campus. /

Fidelity Investments’ offices in Smithfield occupy about 10 percent of a 500-acre spread that is mostly untouched woodlands, forest, wetlands, open fields and meadows. That’s why it was such a good fit for the Wildlife Habitat Council’s “Wildlife at Work” program.
Since January 2005, Fidelity workers have volunteered their time to educate themselves and help protect the wildlife on the campus. About 30 to 40 people are involved, and they set goals for each year and then meet once a month to work on them.
This year the group decided to focus on bat conservation, trail identification on the campus, and National Pollinators Week, said Fidelity spokeswoman Robin Smith.
The company learned about the program through Raytheon Co., Smith said.
“Raytheon became certified and wanted to spread the word to other companies,” she said. “They ended up being a mentor for us. We learned a lot from what they were doing at their campus.”
For Fidelity, having the program on its own campus can help attract and retain employees who are interested in wildlife protection and the environment, Smith said.
“We try to provide opportunities for our employees to volunteer, though it is not required,” said John Muggeridge, Fidelity’s general manager in Rhode Island. “Work always comes first, but this type of program gives employees an outlet for their interests, and it is convenient because everything is right here on our campus.”
The volunteers have set up an Eastern Bluebird Trail with eight nest boxes; there are now six birds and roughly two dozen eggs. Last year, the team successfully fledged 13 bluebirds, 18 tree swallows and six house wrens.
In addition, a butterfly garden was installed in July 2005, and several bat boxes were installed in April this year, though they have yet to be inhabited.
The group keeps a list of the animal species on the property – including deer, wild turkeys and various species of birds – on an internal company Web site. And the volunteers lead four “Woodland Walks” per year, bringing in experts to educate employees and volunteers about wildlife, conservation and efforts they can implement in their own back yards.
Most recently, in late June, Scott Ruhren, director of conservation for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, conducted a woodland walk throughout the campus for “National Pollinator Week,” an educational week designated by Congress to highlight the importance of pollinator species to agriculture.
Though Fidelity only uses a small portion of the 500 acres it owns now, the company didn’t buy all that land because it loves nature. Fidelity is expanding on the land, and wetlands that cannot be developed will act as a buffer around the buildings there, Muggeridge said.
“Some of the land is for future development, and some of it is wetlands which are not buildable,” said Muggeridge. “We do manage all of it, but really, the woods don’t require any work from us, and it doesn’t cost anything to our bottom line. We have a certified forester who comes by periodically to check for species and deadwood, and for the most part we keep everything in its wild state.”
Fidelity’s master plan for the campus, approved in 1995, allows for the construction of up to five buildings on the site. The company opened the Smithfield Regional Center in 1998, and completed the construction of a second building in the fourth quarter of 2000.
So far, there are two occupied buildings on the site (100 Salem St. and 500 Salem St.). The third and largest building so far, a 577,000-square-foot, four-level structure at 900 Salem St., is under construction and is scheduled to have employees moving in by the third quarter 2008. A five-level parking garage is also being built to serve that building.
Because Fidelity has shown care in preserving the habitat it owns, the Wildlife Habitat Council gave the investments giant a conservation award in January for its environmental stewardship and conservation education initiatives.
The WHC, a nonprofit, non-lobbying group that works to enhance and restore wildlife habitats, presented the award at its 18th annual symposium, “Connecting People & Nature.”
There are close to 1,500 Wildlife at Work programs running worldwide and 408 achieved certification status last year, including Fidelity Investments. The WHC certifies about 140 programs per year, each for two to three years, said Vanessa C. Kauffman, director of marketing for the Wildlife Habitat Council
To enroll Fidelity, a WHC biologist visited the Smithfield campus to look for biodiversity. The campus has been WHC-certified since last year, and the designation is valid for two years. After that, the company will have to re-commit itself to wildlife conservation to have its certification renewed. •

No posts to display