Skidmore College
OP-9: Landscape Management

Skidmore composts landscaping debris and horse manure at the College's larger-scale composting facility. The compost generated at this site is used on the College's landscaped beds. Additionally, the student-run compost program collects food scraps from campus apartments. The compost generated from this project is used on the Skidmore Community Garden, an organic garden that supplies food to the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall.

Skidmore’s main campus is carefully monitored to avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides. In some instances, the Grounds department will cautiously spot-treat specific locations to prevent the spread of disease or pests, ensuring healthy plant communities while minimizing the overall use of synthetic applications.

The College owns over 1000 acres of forestland and low-maintenance turf. A portion of these lands are currently managed under specific stewardship guidelines, and a subgroup of the Campus Sustainability Subcommittee is currently developing a detailed land stewardship plan for the all college-owned forest land.

In 2014, a student North Woods Steward presented a proposal to the College calling for the removal of problematic invasive species on campus. In 2015, the College accepted the proposal and committed to eradicating invasive species from the developed portion of campus. In August 2015, over 80 Japanese barberry and burning bush plants were removed from landscaped beds and replaced with native species.

Skidmore has several rain gardens and bio-retention basins to capture and filter stormwater. The College also employed xeriscaping in an apartment village to minimize water use.