The University of Texas at Dallas
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Gary
Cocke Sustainability Director Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution own or manage land that includes or is adjacent to legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, 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 University of Texas at Dallas manages an 8 acre Black Land Prairie Restoration area located at the Southeast portion of campus. The restoration area is home to over 200 species of plants, birds, insects and animals important to the preservation of the native grassland ecosystem that used to dominate North Texas. Among the species promoted at the site are important pollinators such as the Monarch Butterfly and the Western Honey Bee that play a vital role in restoration efforts for populations of native plants in that area.
The restoration area is of conservation importance because it provides habitat for native plants, and animals that would otherwise be facing habitat loss from rapid development in the Dallas Metroplex. The site is maintained by a coalition of student and community volunteers, local experts, and campus departments such as the Office of Sustainability and the Office of Student Volunteerism who all work together to protect pollinators and provide a space on campus for students to learn about and participate actively in the conservation process.
As part of promoting biodiversity and aiding the restoration of native plants, 2 apiaries are managed on campus. UT Dallas is certified as a Bee Campus USA for efforts related to our work with pollinators and native plants since 2018. In 2022 we welcomed the addition of a new apiary site on the far north side of campus, an addition to the student-led farm known as the Eco Hub, where bees assist with pollination of the surrounding crops and where there is a native pollinator wildflower field. In addition to the apiaries, the Black Land Prairie Restoration area houses the Monarch Waystation, a native pollinator habitat that includes Milkweed, which is certified through the organization Monarch Watch, a non-profit managed through the University of Kansas. These certifications allow our campus to expand our efforts in promoting biodiversity by increasing the network for resources and outreach that can be directed towards sustainability efforts on campus.
Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify endangered and vulnerable species (including migratory species) with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution?:
A list of endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution, by level of extinction risk:
Green Ash: Critically Endangered
White ash: Critically Endangered
American Elm: Endangered
American Bumblebee: Vulnerable
Texas Ash: Near Threatened
Common Grackle: Near Threatened
Sharp-shinned Hawk: Least Concern
Prothonotary Warbler: Least Concern
Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution?:
A brief description of areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution:
UT Dallas has dedicated acreage toward preserving the habitat for the Monarch Butterfly. The no-mow zone space is identified as the Monarch Waystation. This location is also certified through the nonprofit organization known as the Monarch Watch.
UT Dallas has two apiaries so students can study the biology of honeybees. The bees have access to native plants in a secluded area of campus left fallow. In addition to the apiaries, there are also connected acres of land protected for these pollinators, most including native wildflowers that are under a no-mow zone.
The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:
In May, the university hosted its 3rd annual Bioblitz event to monitor species richness in the Black Land Prairie restoration area and determine if the area contained any endangered or vulnerable species. A Bioblitz is an event in which a group of volunteers document as many species of plants, animals and insects as possible in a set amount of time by taking photos and using a database, such as iNaturalist, to identify species. Developed by Cornell University, iNaturalist is a citizen science app used globally by over 350,000 observers daily who have logged over 115 million observations as of June 2022. This event was a collaboration between the Office of Sustainability and the Office of Student Volunteerism. At the event all volunteers were taught on how to use iNaturalist as a surveying tool by the Office of Sustainability student Eco Reps. At the event on May 2nd, 90 observations of 62 species were logged in 2 hours. While only one endangered species was identified, American Elm, categorized as endangered since 2020, a geofenced project in iNaturalist will allow for the detection of any changes in the ecological balance of the area. All of these observations counted towards the larger City Nature Challenge 2022, which is a 3 day international competition among cities to see which city can document the most biodiversity in that time period using iNaturalist. All of our observations at the UT Dallas Bioblitz counted towards the larger total for the city of Dallas. Biodiversity data collected through this event will continue to serve as a baseline measure to quantify changes in species richness as our campus undergoes further development and construction.
A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):
The UT Dallas Bioblitz took place within the main campus bounds in Richardson, TX, while the City Nature Challenge took place worldwide, but was divided into cities and metroplexes. UT Dallas fell under the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:
The Black Land Prairie preservation area is currently maintained through a collaboration between Facilities Management, the Office of Student Volunteerism and the Office for Sustainability. The Monarch Waystation is designated as a No-Mow zone and the head groundskeeper oversees a land care plan to ensure that the area remains undisturbed. Also in 2022, the Monarch Waystation was replanted by Sustainability Honors graduates in the spring to provide migrating Monarch Butterflies with a stable source of food and a habitat for laying their eggs. This year, 32 Milkweed samplings were transplanted at the waystation and these plants will continue to improve the health and productivity of the Monarch Waystation. In the winter of 2020, with the help of the Project Green Grant, the university sowed 65 lb of native flower seeds in a 6.5 acre area far north of campus to help increase biodiversity and restore native plants to the area. The health of the Monarch Waystation, the Black Land Prairie Restoration, and all other protected pollinator habitats at large are monitored throughout the year by the Grounds Department in Facilities Management and by observations made by citizen scientists through the tool iNaturalist.
Estimated percentage of areas of biodiversity importance that are also protected areas :
Website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
UTD on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=135920
UTD Threatened Species: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=135920&subview=map&threatened
IUCN Red List: https://www.iucnredlist.org/
Monarch Waystation Field Guide: https://www.utdallas.edu/sustainability/download/Monarch_Waystation_Field_Guide.pdf
UTD Our Green Campus Map: https://utdallas.edu/sustainability/download/Our_Green_Campus.pdf
UTD on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=135920
UTD Threatened Species: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=135920&subview=map&threatened
IUCN Red List: https://www.iucnredlist.org/
Monarch Waystation Field Guide: https://www.utdallas.edu/sustainability/download/Monarch_Waystation_Field_Guide.pdf
UTD Our Green Campus Map: https://utdallas.edu/sustainability/download/Our_Green_Campus.pdf
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.