Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.76
Liaison Allison Jenks
Submission Date Jan. 26, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

New Mexico State University
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Bud Jones
Grounds Manager
FS Grounds
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution own or manage land that includes or is adjacent to legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance?:
Yes

A brief description of the legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance:

NMSU is partnering with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to create opportunities for faculty and student research at the Organ Mountains-Desert Mountain Peaks National Monument.

https://newscenter.nmsu.edu/Articles/view/12210/nmsu-blm-partnership-combines-resource-management-and-research-opportunities


Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify endangered and vulnerable species (including migratory species) with habitats on institution-owned or –managed land?:
Yes

Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify environmentally sensitive areas on institution-owned or –managed land?:
Yes

The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or environmentally sensitive areas (including most recent year assessed) and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:

Many of the campus bird populations are considered a vulnerable species due to their migratory characteristics.


A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:

Swainson's Hawks: http://bit.ly/2abKQX4 We have a pair of nesting Swainson's hawks that have made their home and raised their family for three years in a row. They are a protected species and once they have laid their eggs, as a university, we are bound to take special care of them.

White winged dove: http://web.nmsu.edu/~carleton/Scott_Carleton/Research.html
With our delicate desert environment NMSU researchers are researching ways to maintain our environmentally sensitive areas to be sure the white winged dove has an adequate environment in which to live and thrive.

Burrowing owls: https://newscenter.nmsu.edu/articles/view/8656
Burrowing owls at NMSU are a protected species. When we are doing construction, building new buildings, or other construction activities, NMSU have re-located many of their nesting areas to safe places.


A brief description of plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:

NMSU has a Burrowing Owl program to protect this endangered species. We create nesting sites when their nests need to be relocated due to construction on campus.

http://jornada.nmsu.edu/node/237 is the website for the original Burrowing Owl study that helps us continue to take care of this little protected bird on our campus.

We also have a Waterfowl Protection Program to protect the ducks and geese at one of our ponds on campus. We oversee their protection and make sure that their food supply is adequate as well as monitoring the area around the pond to be sure that it is compatible with the waterfowl's needs.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

We also get a list of winter birds from Christmas bird count from one of our Geography faculty, Dr. Carol Campbell.


We also get a list of winter birds from Christmas bird count from one of our Geography faculty, Dr. Carol Campbell.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.