Contact:

SANDY PERRY, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
PHONE: 908-234-1225, EXT. 104
SANDY@NJCONSERVATION.ORG

HSBC donates volunteers, funds to aid Pine Barrens project

Woodland, NJ, – HSBC-North America, one of the nation’s top ten financial services companies, is providing much-needed assistance to the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF). Some 70 HSBC employees joined forces with NJCF staff to advance a major ecological restoration project at NJCF’s 9,400-acre Franklin Parker Preserve in the heart of the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

The volunteers, all employees of HSBC-North America’s HFC and Beneficial consumer lending branches throughout New Jersey, are clearing brush and planting red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) bushes. HSBC has also contributed $10,000 to the project, which will be used to purchase and erect deer fencing to protect the newly planted vegetation.

“As HSBC has continued to grow as an organization so, too has our commitment to improving our communities and preserving natural resources,” said Kathryn Madison, Managing Director of HFC and Beneficial’s Branch Retail Operations. “We embrace this opportunity to work at the Franklin Parker Preserve, where our employees and the organization can champion change for the betterment of the environment. Plus, some of our most rewarding work comes from hands-on projects in which we are able to get involved and make a meaningful difference.”

The chokeberry bushes are an important host plant to the Precious Underwing (Catocala pretiosa pretiosa), a rare moth that has recently been discovered on the Franklin Parker Preserve. The Precious Underwing is considered to be globally imperiled, with all but one of the known populations occurring in southern New Jersey. The restoration of the moth habitat is part of a much larger 1,100-acre wetland reforestation project in partnership with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that will include establishing new Atlantic White Cedar swamp on the site of former cranberry bogs.

“It is such a great opportunity for us to partner with the HSBC team as we kick off this major wetland restoration project,” said Michele Byers, NJCF’s Executive Director. “HSBC’s support at the Franklin Parker Preserve is invaluable and we are truly grateful for this.”

This project is part of HSBC’s national volunteer initiative - “The Power of 8500.” Throughout the last ten days in August, about 8,500 employees from HSBC-North America’s 1,300 HFC and Beneficial branches nationwide are teaming up with Rebuilding Together and other non-profit organizations in a wide variety of community service projects. HSBC - North America comprises all of HSBC's U.S. and Canadian businesses. The company’s businesses serve nearly 60 million customers in five key areas: personal financial services, consumer finance, commercial banking, private banking and corporate investment banking and markets. Financial products and services are offered under the HSBC, HFC and Beneficial brands. For more information, visit www.hsbcusa.com.

Since 1960, NJCF has preserved more than 100,000 acres of land, from the Highlands of northwestern New Jersey to the Delaware Bayshore. For more information about the Franklin Parker Preserve or any of NJCF’s other properties across the state, visit our website at www.njconservation.org.