| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.49 |
| Liaison | Julia Angstmann |
| Submission Date | Dec. 20, 2021 |
Butler University
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Julia
Angstmann Director Center for Urban Ecology at Butler University |
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:
Butler University owns land that is adjacent to the White River and Indianapolis Canal (source of 60% of city’s drinking water), which is of conservation importance to the local community.
Butler is a member of Tree Campus USA and is Indiana Certified Wildlife Habitat.
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:
None
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:
We have conducted turtle, bird, mammal, pollinator, and plant inventories and assessments in local waterways, academic areas of campus, campus prairie, and campus forests.
The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:
Turtle species and abundance assessed in the Indianapolis Canal through seine netting. Bird species assessed through class observations and bird window collisions. Mammal species assessed using motion-triggered cameras. Pollinator families and abundance quantified through plot sampling of campus farm and adjacent prairie. Plants inventoried through a tree inventory of all academic areas and via transect sampling in campus forests and prairie.
A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):
Turtle species were assessed from 2008 through 2016. Bird species are observed each semester in the Ornithology course and bird window collision deaths were quantified from 2016-2019 and will continue in 2023 (currently construction inhibits sampling). Data from the bird window collision deaths were used to inform bird-friendly architecture of the new Sciences complex on campus. Mammal species were assessed from 2017-2019, year round. Pollinators are currently being sampled on the campus farm and prairie. Academic trees were tagged and inventoried during the 2017-18 academic year. Forest and prairie plants are sampled annually through course activities and internships, with the most recent forest sampling occurring in 2019.
A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:
Bird, mammal, and plant assessments will continue at least bi-annually. Findings have resulted in invasive species removal, maintenance of academic area trees, replacement of trees removed for construction, because of disease, or other reasons, planning construction around trees of conservation importance, and the design of bird-friendly buildings for the new Science complex construction.
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:
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.