Our commitment to the environment goes beyond our waste-to-energy facilities. WIN Waste maintains the Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, a 370-acre refuge abutting the 2,274-acre Rumney Marsh ecosystem in Saugus and Revere. The Sanctuary provides habitat for more than 200 species of migratory birds and is certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council as both a Wildlife at Work and a Corporate Lands for Learning habitat location.
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Bear Creek features an outdoor classroom and hosts school groups for tours and field trips. A large group of birders participate in weekly walks, documenting various species that have taken up residence in the sanctuary.
Bear Creek is solid GOLD
Our Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary has been held up as the Gold standard. Thanks to the Wildlife Habitat Council for the recognition.
You can read about it in here.
Nesting Box Initiative
Saugus High School students experience project-based learning by installing nesting boxes at several sites in the community as part of the Nesting Box Initiative, a partnership between WIN Waste Innovations and Saugus Public Schools.
The Nesting Box Initiative provides a nursery habitat for wrens, swallows and other bird species whose nesting areas have been reduced. These birds feed on nuisance and potentially harmful insects — especially mosquitoes, which can transmit West Nile Virus.
Saugus senior citizens and Lynn Vocational Technical Institute students build and decorate the nesting boxes. Working with Bear Creek teachers Kim Usseglio and Geoff Wilson, Saugus High students have installed them at several sites.
Salt Marsh Sparrow Initiative
Through the Salt Marsh Sparrow Initiative, we are developing nature-based salt marsh restoration resiliency strategies. Salt marsh restoration has a major socioeconomic impact in Massachusetts, as all coastal tourism depends on ecosystem services provided by salt marshes. In addition, salt marshes provide one of our best defenses against the impacts of sea level rise. Our SMARTeams (Salt Marsh Adaptation and Resiliency Teams) are making a positive impact in every major estuary in Massachusetts, including the Rumney Marshes.
