| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 49.23 |
| Liaison | Maria Dahmus |
| Submission Date | June 21, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of St. Thomas
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.00 / 2.00 |
Jim
Hoffman Director of Facilities Maintenance Facilities Management |
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?:
A brief description of the legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance:
The St. Paul campus is adjacent to the Mississippi Gorge Regional Park portion of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. According to the National Park Service,
"The Mississippi River's character changes more throughout the 72 mile (115 km) stretch of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area than anywhere else along its 2,350-mile course.
The river enters the northern corridor as a free-flowing prairie river and moves downstream to plunge over St. Anthony Falls and into the river's narrowest gorge. Eight and one-half miles later, the river exits the gorge to become the country's dominant floodplain river and part of the largest inland navigation system on earth.
Through the eight and one-half mile gorge, the Mississippi drops more than 110 feet, the river's steepest descent anywhere. The river's rapidly changing character explains why the national river and recreation area has such a unique concentration of nationally significant resources."
Source: "Learn About the Park." Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. National Park Service, 13 Dec. 2016. Website: https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/index.htm
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?:
Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify environmentally sensitive areas on institution-owned or –managed land?:
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:
In 2016, the university inventoried all 1,484 trees on our campus. The inventory captured general information on tree species, size and condition. It noted any trees that really stood out and whose contributions exceeded those of the other trees due to their size, structure and location. It identified these trees as Heritage trees and Honorable Mention trees and incorporated them into the university's long term campus master plan.
There have also been some efforts to look into the microbiome on campus and link functional biodiversity to environmental impacts such as compaction, erosion, and managed lawns.
A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
A brief description of plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
Biology students, staff, faculty and the St. Thomas Grounds crew worked together to increase the amount of the pollinator habitat on St. Thomas' St. Paul campus. Students enrolled in two Biology courses also conducted pollinator counts to evaluate the effectiveness of the newly established pollinator friendly landscaping. https://news.stthomas.edu/pollinator-path-blooms-with-new-opportunities/
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:
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.