| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.66 |
| Liaison | Marian Brown |
| Submission Date | Feb. 26, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Wells College
OP-11: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Marian
Brown Director Center for Sustainability and the Environment |
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 any legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance on institution owned or managed land:
All the campus grounds lie within the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network, which actively seeks to protect the water quality of water entering the lake, the drinking water source for thousands of people in the Finger Lakes.
A portion of the campus is listed by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Natural Heritage Program as a zone where Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals may be found.
Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify endangered and vulnerable 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 methodology(-ies) used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or environmentally sensitive areas and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:
We utilized the New York DEC's Nature Explorer mapping system, searching on the Town of Ledyard and zeroing in on the map area that comprises the Wells College campus. http://www.dec.ny.gov/natureexplorer/app/location/town/results.12
This DEC Nature Explorer mapping is updated with reports and sightings.
In addition, various Biology classes, including Ecology and Evolution, Biology of Organisms, and Plant Diversity and Evolution, have all included class projects or lab assignments to map and evaluate the plant populations in sections of the undeveloped areas on campus. That work is expected to continue, as Advanced Ecology: Forest Ecology labs will feature population inventories of GPS-located grid mapped sections.
This spring, Vertebrate Zoology is undertaking a mammalian inventory of campus natural lands areas.
A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
Birds: Red-headed Woodpecker, last confirmed 2011, status: Special Concern
Animal Assemblages: Winter Waterfowl Concentration Area, recently confirmed
Flowering Plants:
Bear's-foot (Smallanthus uvedalius) Extirpated 1991 Endangered
Cooper's Milkvetch (Astragalus neglectus) Recently Confirmed 1995 Endangered
Twin-leaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) Recently Confirmed 1997 Threatened
Woodland Agrimony (Agrimonia rostellata) Recently Confirmed 1992 Threatened
Yellow Giant-hyssop (Agastache nepetoides) Recently Confirmed 1992 Threatened .
A brief description of plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
Nearly all of the species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas are located in undeveloped areas of the campus along natural waterways and gorges, which which campus has no plans to develop because of their topography and/or their function as valuable riparian buffers within the watershed.
The website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity policies and programs(s) is available:
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.