Enbridge funds habitat restoration for threatened butterflies
The Valley Crossing Pipeline being constructed along the Texas Gulf Coast will do more than move natural gas. It will serve as one of the nation’s largest pollinator pathways for monarch butterflies.
Part of the 176-mile pipeline is located along the monarch butterfly’s primary migratory corridor, making it the perfect location for a habitat restoration project undertaken by Enbridge Inc. and Houston-based King Ranch Inc.
The two companies jointly donated $100,000 to the Kingsville-based Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University–Kingsville, in order to plant native grasses and wildflowers along a 42-mile segment of the pipeline’s route.
Enbridge said its donation is an example of its commitment to sustainability—helping to meet North America’s growing energy needs in ways that are economically, environmentally and socially responsible.
“The objective of this collaborative donation is to provide essential funds to and awareness of the research efforts required for the future development and deployment of these native seeds, which are critical to restoring native habitat for the monarch butterfly and other wildlife,” Devin Hotzel, manager of stakeholder engagement at Enbridge, told American Gas.
Enbridge is impressed by the research institute’s work and believes the project will “benefit landowners, industry and the habitats of this region and beyond for years to come,” Bill Yardley, Enbridge’s president of gas transmission and midstream, said in a statement.
Forrest Harris, program director of South Texas Natives and Texas Native Seeds at Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, said he hopes the project will serve as a model for future pipeline development.
“We look forward to teaming up with other pipeline operators and landowners to implement similar restoration projects for monarchs and wildlife,” Harris told American Gas. “If each new pipeline right of way ended up supporting a thriving and productive native plant community, the impacts for monarchs and wildlife could be substantial.”
Harris said that a great benefit of this project for future pipeline restoration efforts is the ability to learn about the challenges each group faces and determine ways to work together toward solving them.
The pipeline, which is more than 70 percent complete, begins in Agua Dulce, Texas, and extends south toward Brownsville, where it terminates 14 miles offshore in Texas state waters.