Around the Company in Pictures: Biodiversity Week Offers Hands-On Learning in Freeport Communities

November 26, 2025 - From high in the sky to down in the dirt, Freeport once again offered a celebration of the wildlife around its sites.

The company recently hosted nature-themed events as part of Biodiversity Week, an annual initiative blending education, conservation and community fun. These events highlighted the important role bats, bugs and other creatures play in the ecosystem, and showcased Freeport’s commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement. Freeport has supported Biodiversity Week since 2018.

This year’s activities spanned the company’s operating and discontinued sites in Southern Arizona. In Morenci and Duncan, students in schools and daycare facilities enjoyed mascot visits, activities and photo opportunities before rolling up their sleeves for seedballs and agave plantings. Bisbee children watched videos, attended presentations and played prize-filled Bat Bingo. At Cyprus-Tohono, participants learned about bat foraging through games, while younger kids received bat-themed coloring books. Safford restored riparian habitats with native grasses and added greenery to a local park.

“Biodiversity Week is a unique opportunity for us to spotlight the vital role bats play in ecosystems and in our daily lives,” said Ann George, Senior Scientist-Biodiversity and Sustainability. “By engaging young learners through this initiative, we’re not only celebrating biodiversity but also strengthening conservation literacy - one of our core commitments to sustainability education.”

Photo (clockwise from top left): At Cyprus-Tohono, children rolled the dice to find out just how hard the life of a bat can be; Safford’s first planting focused on restoring native grasses to the Gila River; Antonia Alvillar, Membership Supervisor-Morenci, showed students the importance of pollinators and helped them build planters; with education and prizes on the line, Bisbee’s Bat Bingo proved to be quite the crowd pleaser; Morenci’s ever-popular biodiversity mascots made their rounds through nearby schools.