The Nature Conservancy's 15th Anniversary Corporate Council Announces New International Conservation Partner and Conservation Award Winners

The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana held their 15th Anniversary Corporate Council Celebration at the Pennington Conference Center today.

Baton Rouge, LA—February 22, 2002—The celebration boasted world renowned historical author, Stephen Ambrose, The Conservancy's 15 year accomplishments and honored the 2002 Corporate Council award winners. Honors were given to corporations who work to improve conservation and environmental activities around our great state.(winners listed below).

TNC also announced their new international conservation partnership with CC's Coffee, a brand of Community Coffee Company. The two have teamed up to protect critical migratory bird habitat in southwest Louisiana and Veracruz, Mexico, which also serves as an important source of coffee for CC's Coffee. "There has been a long standing linkage between Veracruz, Mexico and Louisiana that has recently been reinforced by the sister city agreement with Cordoba and Baton Rouge," said Randy Russ, president and chief executive officer of Community Coffee Company and its gourmet brand, CC's Coffee. "This partnership creates further opportunity to nurture economic, social and environmental relationships."

One of Louisiana's greatest natural resources is the large assemblage of migratory birds that it hosts during each fall and spring migration. Nearly every species of migrant bird that nests in eastern North America passes through coastal woodlands in Louisiana. Many of these same bird species also depend on habitat south of the U.S. border during their migration and the winter season. Because of the geographic position of western Louisiana and Veracruz, these two regions are critical links in the pathway used by songbirds that migrate across the Gulf of Mexico. Through CC's commitment over the next five years to this substantive conservation program, the team will focus on three goals; preserving existing habitats, restoring habitats to their natural state, and community education. "We applaud CC's Coffee for their commitment to conservation that will have tangible results at the local scale here in Louisiana and Veracruz. Although our partnership focuses on the local level in Mexico and the United States, the effect will be much broader due to the hemisperic importance of the migratory bird habitat we are striving to conserve in these areas" said Dr. Keith Ouchley, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana.

In addition to supporting The Nature Conservancy, CC's Coffee contributes to other conservation efforts by working with farmers in other countries to grow coffee that thrives in shady conditions, thus protecting native trees, forest, and birds. CC's Coffee purchases these shade-grown and bird-friendly coffees from growers in Central and South America.

The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana awarded the following individuals and corporate today(Feb. 22,2002); Tommy Coleman, Chairman's Leadership Award, ExxonMobil Production Company, Group 1 Corporate Conservation Leadership Award(see below for full description), and Dow Chemical Company, Group 2 Corporate Conservation Leadership Award(see below for full description. "ExxonMobil is pleased to be continuing its long-time partnership with The Nature Conservancy which has provided such wonderful opportunities as Bluebonnet Swamp and now the Grand Isle Bird Conservation project," said John Chaplin, manager for ExxonMobil Production Company's U.S. East operations headquartered in New Orleans. "The Nature Conservancy offered us innovative land management options for the property we have in the Grand Isle area. ExxonMobil is committed to the long-term protection of this vital area through reforestation and education efforts which benefit our native wildlife and environment", Carla Faulkner-Danna, ExxonMobil Public Affairs.

Every year TNC hosts the Corporate Council Luncheon to thank and recognize the council's efforts in conserving Louisiana's natural resources. Specifically, TNC presents two leadership awards to companies that have demonstrated their commitment through their conservation projects. TNC also awards a Chairman's Leadership Award to a company that has played a key role in The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana's protection work. The mission of the Corporate Council is to provide leadership in a coalition that seeks positive results through cooperative efforts. Currently, over 85 Louisiana corporations belong to the Corporate Council. The 2002 Corporate Council was sponsored by CenturyTel, CC's Coffee, International Paper, Moran Printing and Turner Industries.

Winners are in bold:

2002 Corporate Conservation Leadership Award

Summary of Proposals

GROUP 1-LARGE-SCALE OPERATIONS

ExxonMobil Production Company, US East-In January 2000, ExxonMobil and The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana became partners on a project designed to assist important protection and reforestation efforts on Grand Isle, Louisiana, one of the Gulf's most prolific migratory bird stop-over. Goals of the Conservancy which have been advanced with ExxonMobil's funding include: protection of existing tracts of live oak-hackberry forest, reforestation of previously cleared barrier island live-oak hackberry forest, restoration of degraded woodland patches, and development of educational materials, about both the project and migratory birds, for use in area schools. Thus far, this three-year effort culminated in the planting of more than 4000 live oak, hackberry and red mulberry on approximately 20 acres of previously cleared acreage by ExxonMobil.

Willamette Industries, Inc.-Sustainable Management for Timber, Water Quality and Wildlife is a program designed by Willamette Industries foresters as a comprehensive approach to address biodiversity issues through careful consideration of how the plant and animal communities interact and thrive within our Louisiana ownership. Founded in 1906, Willamette based the program on lessons learned from nature over a long history of land stewardship and cooperative partnerships with conservation organizations.

GROUP 2-SMALL-SCALE OPERATIONS

Cleco Corporation-The Bayou Jean De Jean Reforestation Project is a bottomland hardwood project on 112 acres of marginal pastureland. Reforesting this area will return this land to a forest buffer along Bayou Jean De Jean and return habitat to wildlife such as wild turkey, black bear and white tail deer.

The Dow Chemical Company -Dow's Greenbelt Enhancement Project has grown from 500 acres to 1000 acres that surround its 1200-acre production facility in Plaquemine. Native trees and vegetation, an arboretum boasting over 100 varieties of native trees, a cypress forest, Bayou Barbeaux, a flyway for migratory birds, wildlife, a one-mile walking track, a restored plantation home, grazing horses and cattle and sugarcane farming comprise the Greenbelt.

DuPont/DuPont Dow Elastomers-Established in 1991, the Dupont/Dupont Dow Elastomers Pontchartrain Site Wildlife Habitat Program involves five major habitat enhancement projects on 900 acres of the 1132-acre Dupont site to enhance food, cover and water resources for wildlife.

Georgia-Pacific Port Hudson Operations-Helping Education Turn Green

The Port Hudson Operations combined two strategic investment areas, Education and the Environment, and provided trees and environmental education for all schools in the Zachary area.