The State of California Department of Conservation Office of Mine Reclamation (OMR) has recognized Vulcan Materials Co. Western Division’s Rank Island Reclamation to Wildlife Habitat Project along the San Joaquin River in Fresno, Calif.,with the 2011 Award of Excellence in Reclamation.

The award was presented to Vulcan at the annual California Construction and Industrial Materials Association conference that took place Oct. 12 in Monterey, Calif. The selection committee for the award included the State Mining and Geology Board (SMGB) and the OMR.

“Vulcan Materials is committed to responsible stewardship of the land,” Alan Wessel, president of Vulcan’s Western Division in a written statement. “We have built a strong reputation as a leader in environmental stewardship, and this prestigious recognition by OMR further demonstrates Vulcan and its employees’ efforts to social responsibility and sustainability.”

Added Steve Grace, manager of business development and permitting, Central and Northern California, “Rank Island is a special place with unique opportunities. Vulcan’s commitment through time and funding ensures this site will continue to be reclaimed properly and with great care for its rich diversity of natural resources. It has become a labor of love for us and it has turned into a beautiful place.”

Responsible stewardship at Vulcan’s River Rock project site has been in practice since 1988 through adherence to the principle of balanced management of natural resources, according to the company.

Vulcan says that balanced management is achieved by following the overall goals to preserve, recover, and enhance: preservation of unique natural resources (valley oak woodland and mixed riparian forest on Rank Island and along the river), the recovery of the natural resource (aggregate) that provides construction materials, and the enhancement of the land that is used through reclamation to wetlands and wildlife habitat.