Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 51.18
Liaison Joseph Kahn
Submission Date April 20, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Central Michigan University
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Morgan Hummon
Sustainability Advancement Graduate Assistant
Facilities Management, Great Lakes Institute for Sustainable Systems
"---" 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, and/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:

The Great Lakes Basin Coastal Wetland Habitats are internationally recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as areas of conservation importance. Further, many locations along the coastal regions of the Great Lakes Basin, are identified by the EPA as legally protected areas, as well as priority sites for biodiversity.


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?:
Yes

Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify environmentally sensitive areas on institution-owned or –managed land?:
Yes

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:

The Great Lakes Institute for Research, through Central Michigan University engages in the Great Lakes Coastal Monitoring Program. "This program involves monitoring of Great Lakes coastal wetland biota, habitat, and water quality to provide information on coastal wetland condition using fish, birds, calling amphibians, wetland vegetation, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and water quality."

http://greatlakeswetlands.org/Home.vbhtml

All further information presented are excerpts from :

GLIC: Implementing Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring
Semiannual Progress Report 
October 1, 2015 – March 31, 2016 
Prepared for: 
U.S. EPA GLNPO (G‐17J) 77 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60604‐3590 
Contract/WA/Grant No./Project Identifier: 
GL‐00E00612‐0 
Prepared by: 
Dr. Donald G. Uzarski, Principal Investigator  
CMU Institute for Great Lakes Research 
CMU Biological Station 
Department of Biology 
Central Michigan University 
Brooks 127 
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 
Dr. Valerie J. Brady, QA Manager 
Natural Resources Research Institute 
University of Minnesota Duluth 
5013 Miller Trunk Highway 
Duluth, MN 55811‐1442 
Dr. Matthew J. Cooper, QA Manager 
Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation 
Northland College 
1411 Ellis Avenue  
Ashland, WI 54891

Please reference attached report for specific methodology of the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program.


A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:

This study resulted in the identification of the following, along land owned and operated by Central Michigan University Beaver Island Biological station, as well as areas all over the Great Lakes Basin:

 Comparative study of Bulrush growth between Great Lakes coastal wetlands and Pacific 
Northwest estuaries. This study includes investigation of water level effects on bulrush  growth rates in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. With leveraged funding from NSF for the primary project on bulrush ability to withstand wave energy.  

Please reference table 14 within the attached report for a list of avian species identified within this monitoring program to be wetland-obligate and/or habitat health indicators.


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

Important results:  
 A high quality Lakeplain Lake Prairie complex, a rare plant community throughout the 
Great Lakes region, was found during our plant survey of St. Johns marsh in an area that 
had been proposed for a dike enhancement project by the Michigan DNR (Figure 29). 
The site contains abundant milkweed plants, which appear to include both common 
milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and rare Sullivant’s milkweed (A. sullivantii, awaiting 
confirmation), both of which were being used by monarch butterflies. The survey has 
resulted in ongoing discussions concerning the proposed boundaries of the project.  

CMU Fabiano Botanical Garden certified as Monarch Waystation and Pollinator
Habitat
These certifications and their posted signage
help educate the campus community of the
importance of habitat preservation.
As certified by Monarch Watch: “This site
provides milkweeds, nectar sources, and shelter
needed to sustain monarch butterflies as they
migrate through North America.”
As certified by The Xerces Society for
Invertibrate Conservation: “This area has been
planted with pollinator-friendly flowers and is
protected from pesticides to provide valuable
habitat for bees and other pollinators.”


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:
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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.