Christy Clark
As Michigan’s largest energy provider and one of the state’s largest landowners, we at DTE Energy take responsible land management seriously.
From closely monitoring water quality at power generation sites to maintaining thousands of acres of wildlife habitats throughout the state, the environmental team keeps environmental stewardship and biodiversity at the forefront.
With a team of more than 70 environmental staffers, we ensure that DTE conserves the resources we own and proactively enhances those resources across our service territory. Nature-based solutions are critical towards a cleaner future in Michigan and the world.
The drive to find nature-based solutions has led us to a unique approach to managing brush overgrowth at its service centers. Through a partnership with Michigoat, we have started using goats to clear excess vegetation at job sites across southeast Michigan.
With the help of these four-legged friends, we are maintaining service centers in a way that turns waste into a resource while solving other problems.
“We believe we bear a large responsibility to our customers and the environment in making sure we are the best stewards of that land.”
The goats are used for vegetation management that eliminates invasive species like phragmites and buckthorn instead of using fuel-based equipment that releases harmful emissions. There is also a financial gain. After three years, regrowth will cease due to the goat’s digestive process, and there will no longer be a landscaping cost. That is a significant return on investment for the company.
On the electric side of the business, we are also improving reliability while also protecting wildlife.
Osprey—a raptor that likes to nest in high, open places near bodies of water—have been building their homes atop power poles near Lake Erie and the Detroit River. These nests are in a dangerous spot for both the animals and our equipment, but the birds don’t respond well to being relocated. So, the environmental team came up with another solution: nesting platforms added to power poles.
The solution is one that’s tried and true at coastal utilities across the United States, which have been protecting osprey and operation lines for years. These platforms can hold up to 750 pounds—a necessity when the birds and the nest can be upwards of 300 pounds—and are designed to keep nesting materials in place during high winds, protecting the birds and the lines alike.
Todd Baker, environmental manager at DTE, mentions that Michigan is very unique. Since the Great Lakes surround it, it faces challenges that many states don’t have with the birds. These platforms are a massive benefit for the birds and for our customers because they protect our lines and prevent outages. Plus, one can enjoy the view of the birds as well.
The team has already installed numerous platforms—all of them occupied—and more are on the way to help ensure the birds’ and equipment’s protection.
We need to be environmentally minded because we have such a large footprint and influence in the communities we serve. We want to leave the spaces we touch better than how we found them and be supportive of wildlife as well as our communities that are looking to enhance natural resources in their neighborhoods. Having a positive impact on the environment is good for everyone, and we need to lead by example.
