Open House Held For Shelly Company WHC Montpelier North Wildlife Habitat Site

By: Anna Wozniak
THE VILLAGE REPORTER

Families in the areas of and surrounding Montpelier had a special opportunity to come out and see what is now the Montpelier North Wildlife Habitat Site.

This site had been used by The Shelly Company as a sand and gravel mining site from the 1950s until 2008, when it was turned into a Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) site.

WHC is a not-for-profit organization that partners with corporate organizations to restore land no longer in use to its pre-use state.

The project is now under new management, and employees Christopher Crum, site naturalist Ashley DeVault, and Williams County DNR representative Ethan Bingham are committed to helping it be the best it can.

The fall open house was an opportunity for the community to see the restoration efforts firsthand, as well as hear about a partnership opportunity for local wildlife enthusiasts.

The community now has the option to sign a liability waiver and use the wildlife site in exchange for photo submissions.

The Shelly Company needs help showing off their restorative efforts to the WHC, and in order to prove this cause is worthwhile, they need photos of everything that calls this beautiful area home.

Those who wish to get involved with this project can reach out to Christopher Crum at christopher.crum@shellyco.com or (740) 438-8693.

The Montpelier North Wildlife Habitat Site is home to five different types of habitats, with eight walking paths, a bird box building, wildlife activity center, and fishing derby.

Saturday Sept. 30 had perfect weather, a nice sunny 70 degrees with a light breeze, and everyone present took full advantage of the amenities that the site had to offer, including an arts and crafts center, photo contest, derby contest, yummy snacks, and tractor-pulled wildlife tours.

Anna can be reached at anna@thevillagereporter.com