Freeport-McMoRan Receives Wildlife Habitat Council Award

The Morenci Mine in Arizona received a Bat Conservation Action Award from the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), presented in partnership with Bat Conservation International for outstanding bat preservation and education efforts.

The WHC partners with organizations dedicated to restoring and enhancing wildlife habitat on corporate lands. Freeport-McMoRan has been a member for many years and now has 18 sites with WHC-certified habitat enhancement, conservation education and wildlife management programs.

Morenci received the Bat Conservation Action Award for efforts to protect Mexican free-tailed bats and Townsend's big-eared bats that inhabit caves near the mine site. These include protecting the caves as a roosting spot by installing specially designed bat-compatible gates at historic mine openings that keep humans out while allowing the bats free movement, educating employees and the public about the importance of the bats in the ecosystem, and partnering with Graham and Greenlee County schools to develop student curriculum.

For information about Freeport-McMoRan’s environmental commitments, please see http://www.fcx.com/sd/env/index.htm

Visit the 2014 Working Toward Sustainable Development Report for more information on all of their social, economic and environmental efforts.