CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Nov. 19, 2015 – CITGO Petroleum Corporation and the CITGO Innovation Academy are proud to partner with the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP) to revitalize areas within the Nueces Delta Preserve and help maintain this local educational resource. CITGO volunteers will assist in the upkeep the Nueces Delta Preserve by spreading grass seed, removing fences and maintaining some of the trails within the 8,500-acre preserve. This effort is part of CITGO Caring for Our Coast, a program that promotes environmental conservation and restoration through a series of volunteer and educational efforts in remembrance of the 10th anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The Nueces River Delta represents a mosaic of highly productive wetlands, open water, coastal prairies, and river and bay shorelines. With a goal of preserving and protecting this unique land, the CBBEP has turned the preserve into a hub for various habitat creation and restoration projects, as well as educational programs.
“The preserve, which serves as a haven for wildlife, is well known for both its quality of conservation and educational field experiences for local students,” said Jake Herring, director of land conservation with CBBEP. “It is encouraging to have a partner like CITGO that is equally committed to both education and environmental causes and truly understands the importance of preserving these unique habitats.”
The CBBEP offers a variety of free field experiences and workshops to teachers and students through preserve visits. Teachers are trained in new topics and provided with equipment needed to bring environmental science to life in their schools, while students are provided hands-on learning opportunities that can only be experienced outside of the classroom.
“The Nueces Delta Preserve is a vital resource for our community, and CBBEP’s work there represents two key focus areas for CITGO: education and environmental protection. Teaching current students about environmental stewardship empowers them to protect areas like the Nueces Delta Preserve for future generations,” said CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery Vice President & General Manager Art Klein.
In August 2014, CITGO launched the Caring for Our Coast program with an event to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education through Dr. Robert Ballard’s Ocean Exploration Trust. Since then, CITGO has led more than 1,200 volunteers on a range of environmental projects; planted 70,200 trees, bushes and grass plugs; and removed more than 230 pounds of trash. Some of the program’s recent projects include maintaining and preserving Hans and Pat Suter Park in Corpus Christi, and planting 65,000 dune grass plugs to prevent coastal erosion along the Cameron Parish shoreline in Louisiana.
About CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery
The CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, which celebrated 80 years of operations earlier this year, provides more than 1,000 jobs locally, while generating more than $345 million per year in support of the local economy through salaries, services and taxes. In addition to producing high-quality fuels for its network of nearly 6,000 independently owned and operated CITGO branded stations across the country, Corpus Christi refinery employees make a major positive impact on the community. In 2014 alone, CITGO employees in Corpus Christi volunteered more than 2,940 hours of their personal time to local and national charities. Over the last five years, CITGO and its employees have provided almost 13,000 volunteer hours and nearly $6 million in support of community organizations such as United Way, Charlie's Place, Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Miracle League, Catholic Charities, the Special Olympics and a variety of environmental and preservation initiatives, such as the revitalization of the Gateway to Corpus Christi, Hans and Pat Suter Park and Adopt-A-Beach Clean Up. For more information on the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, visit www.citgorefining.com/corpus-christi.
About CITGO
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.