Middlebury College
IN-4: Innovation 4

Professor of Environmental Studies Marc Lapin recently completed the Ecological Assessment of College Lands, an innovative report that involved nine students over the course of four years assessing about 5,500 acres of agricultural and forest lands. The 160-page report entitled, “An Ecological Perspective of the Middlebury College Mountain Lands: Natural communities and vascular flora of lands of the Bread Loaf Region and the Green Mountain Western Escarpment,” describes the natural communities and their ecological significance at the regional and local levels. The report provides a landscape overview of geology, topography, soils and hydrology, and then presents the ecological values and highlights of approximately 3,000 acres. In addition to documenting ecological values, the report provides specific management recommendations for each parcel. Similarly, a 2009 report, “Ecological and Agroecological Evaluation of Middlebury College Lands: Champlain Valley and Green Mountain Escarpment,” describes ecological and agricultural values of nearly 3,000 acres of lower elevation lands. Together these two provide land management and conservation guidance for the College’s off-campus landholdings.

In evaluating the lands, the team combined intensive field work with GIS analyses and mapping to delineate natural communities and more accurately display locations of wetlands and streams. The team also developed plant lists that include over 400 species. The report has already been put into use by students who have found useful information for locating appropriate study sites for individual research and thesis work. The report has also been used by College administration and staff and has been submitted to the College Lands Advisory Group who will work on developing a less technical summary publication.

The ecological information will help with the management of these lands and encourage better land stewardship. Furthermore, the report has great significance on a state level in that it will assist with revising the Vermont Natural Community Classification. By helping the state update and communicate about natural communities, the report aims to promote an understanding of the biodiversity of ecosystems on a community level. This report will not only impact the College and its understanding of its landholdings, but also provide resources for better ecological understanding to the public of Vermont.