Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	47.04
Liaison	Debbie Liddick
Submission Date	April 21, 2023

STARS v2.2

Black Hills State University
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	1.00 / 2.00 This credit is weighted more heavily for institutions that own or manage land that includes or is adjacent to any of the following: Legally protected areas (e.g., IUCN Category I-VI) Internationally recognized areas (e.g., World Heritage, Ramsar, Natura 2000) Priority sites for biodiversity (e.g., Key Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites) Regions of conservation importance (e.g., Endemic Bird Areas, Biodiversity Hotspots, High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas) 2 points are available for this credit if the institution owns or manages land that includes or is adjacent to any of the above. 1 point is available for this credit for all other institutions. Close	Eric Hanson Grounds Crew leader Facilities Services

"---" 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, 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:

BHSU owns land adjacent to Spearfish Creek which is the main river that runs through town. This land is in a floodplain which is legally protected. We are starting conversations with the city who wants to implement a Spearfish Creek Preservation project which might include some collaborative creek restoration along this portion of land owned by BHSU.

Endangered and vulnerable species

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:

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Areas of biodiversity importance

Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution?:

Yes

A brief description of areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution:

BHSU has an area of ~1.5 acres that is considered native prairie and is believed to have never been plowed. This area is not mowed or fertilized, and is left alone to protect the native species there. Botany classes and professors have identified the biodiversity of plant life present in this area. Link to the list of species identified there is included below:
https://www.bhsu.edu/Faculty-Staff/Campus-Services/Facilities-Services/Sustainability/Native-Area

Methodologies

If yes to either of the above, provide the following:

The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:

Classes have gone out to identify the plant species present in this area of native biodiversity - this is not an ongoing assessment or very structured monitoring mechanism, especially because it does not gather information about other species present there.

A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):

Classes went out to identify what species are present in 2017-18.

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

Continue to leave the native prairie area alone.

Optional Fields

Estimated percentage of areas of biodiversity importance that are also protected areas :

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Website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity initiatives is available:

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Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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