Wildlife Habitat Council recognizes BASF’s Whitehouse site
Company achieves independent certification for wildlife habitat management program

WHITEHOUSE, Ohio, October 14, 2004 -- The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) has announced the certification of BASF's comprehensive wildlife habitat management program at the company's Coatings Technical Support Center in Whitehouse.

BASF will be presented with the WHC’s Corporate Wildlife Habitat Certification/International Accreditation Program Certificate at the organization’s 16th Annual Symposium and Awards Banquet on November 16 in Baltimore.

BASF has been awarded this prestigious distinction because of its demonstrated commitment to long-term wildlife habitat enhancement efforts. In addition to the certification, BASF’s Whitehouse facility was also nominated for the WHC’s “Rookie of the Year Award” which recognizes outstanding wildlife programs for first-time certified sites.

"The efforts of the employees at BASF’s Coatings Technical Support Center have been outstanding,” Wildlife Habitat Council President William W. Howard said in announcing the certification. “Our staff members were particularly impressed with the planning of BASF’s wildlife habitat enhancement program, the development of the BASF Wildlife Team, and the formation of key partnerships with local environmental experts and conservation professionals.”

The BASF Wildlife Team at Whitehouse, headed by Karla Snyder, Environmental, Health, and Safety Team Associate, is comprised of 26 employees who share a common interest in protecting and enhancing the environment. The team has installed several birdhouses, a bat house and two nesting owl boxes at the Whitehouse site, and has also planted over 500 wildflowers and grasses native to the "Oak Openings" region along a walking trail at the site to improve the natural habitat for area wildlife.

“WHC commends the BASF Wildlife Team for its native planting initiatives, artificial nest box program, employee walking trail, invasive species management program, and guided inventory walks with local flora and fauna experts,” Howard noted.

“BASF is known as the company that helps make products better,” said Karl Schnapp, BASF Whitehouse Site Manager. “We also have a goal to make society better through a strategy called ‘sustainable development,’ which seeks to balance economic growth with social needs and environmental management. We are extremely proud to have achieved this endorsement of our wildlife management program.”

The Wildlife Habitat Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the quality and amount of wildlife habitat on corporate, private and public lands. Its programs include a stringent certification process that evaluates the goals, activities and results of wildlife management programs on corporate lands.

Created in 1988, WHC helps large landowners, particularly corporations, manage their unused lands in an ecologically sensitive manner for the benefit of wildlife. WHC also works to broaden understanding of wildlife values. Nearly 120 companies are WHC members, as are two dozen conservation organizations, plus many supporters and contributors. Over two million acres in 48 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and 15 other countries are managed for wildlife through WHC-assisted projects.

BASF’s Whitehouse facility includes the company’s North American Customer Service Center, Coatings Laboratories, and Application and Training Center. With approximately 140 employees, the site provides a wide range of research and development, technical, and customer support services for BASF business groups.

BASF - The Chemical Company. We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.®
BASF Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF AG, Ludwigshafen, Germany. We employ about 11,000 people in North America and had sales of approximately $9 billion in 2003. For more information about BASF's North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world's leading chemical company. Our goal is to grow profitably and further increase the value of our company. We help our customers to be more successful through intelligent system solutions and high-quality products. BASF's portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. Through new technologies we can tap into additional market opportunities. We conduct our business in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. In 2003, BASF had sales of approximately $42 billion and over 87,000 employees worldwide. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

For more information, contact:
Karl Schnapp
BASF
Whitehouse, Ohio
Tel: (419) 877-4309
E-mail: schnapk@basf.com

Glenn Majeski
BASF
Florham Park, N.J.
Tel: (973) 245-6070
E-mail: majeskg@basf.com