Celebrating Biodiversity
In person and virtual. During the day and at night. At current operating sites Morenci and Safford and the discontinued Bisbee and Cyprus Tohono operations.
Freeport-McMoRan employees took diverse approaches to commemorating this year’s recent Biodiversity Week. What began years ago as Bat Week to educate students on the importance of bats in the ecosystem has evolved into a plethora of lessons and activities aimed at helping the next generation better understand the biodiversity of the area.
During the week of activities, area students planted milkweed and agave, decorated pumpkins and participated in a variety of live presentations and virtual classroom activities on bee pollination, bat conservation and monarch butterfly migration.
The week ended with closing ceremonies at the schools, featuring Freeport employees doing their best to stay cool in animal costumes and students trying to stay in step during dance routines.
“Biodiversity Week is an opportunity for our site staff to engage with students on a variety of topics relating to nature and local wildlife,” said Ann George, Senior Scientist, Biodiversity and Sustainability. “By positively impacting the perspectives of young learners, our sites strive to promote conservation awareness among the next generation of environmental practitioners.”
In the photos above (clockwise from top left): Area student Sophia stops for a photo with her new friend; Cara Reed, Senior Environmental Scientist, takes great care handling a tarantula; students from Morenci High School are light on their feet during the closing celebration; a mural demonstrates the coloring talents of area school children; and virtual curriculum showcases the bats’ habitat.