| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.56 |
| Liaison | Georgeann Moss |
| Submission Date | Dec. 22, 2021 |
Dallas College
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Brandon
Morton Assistant Director of Sustainability Office of Social Responsibility and Inclusion |
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:
Dallas College has approximately 526 acres of land dedicated to native plants, native pollinators, and habitat conservation as wildlife sanctuaries.
Dallas College works directly with the State of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to support biodiversity goals and programs outlined by the Texas Conservation Action Plan (TCAP). The TCAP outlines specific Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) by eco-region and by flora and fauna. tpwd.texas.gov
The Key Biodiversity Sites designated by the college have received conservation status certifications. Several campuses have certifications recognizing the unique biodiversity and habitat.
- Mountain View Campus has original Blackland Prairie and is certified as a Wildlife Sanctuary by the Humane Society of the United States.
- Brookhaven Campus Windmill Garden is certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation and as a Monarch Waystation by Monarch Watch at University of Kansas.
- Richland Campus has more than 20 acres dedicated to wildlife preservation including native landscaping for pollinators and a tree farm operated by the Texas Trees Foundation.
- Dallas College has five campuses that have earned the Tree Campus USA certification from the Arbor Day Foundation: Brookhaven Campus, Eastfield Campus, Irving Center, Mountain View Campus, North Lake Campus, and Richland Campus. Tree Campus USA certification acknowledges campuses that have a tree conservation plan, conducted a tree inventory, dedicated expenditures for tree care, public education for ecological-based tree management and student activities celebrating Arbor Day or Texas Arbor Day.
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:
The data file in this credit includes all plants and animals identified as of May 24, 2021 by the iNaturalist App and includes campuses that have dedicated iNaturalist web sites for the campuses.
Dallas College is working with Texas Parks and Wildlife Urban Biology Department to create iNaturalist observation pages for all locations for a more comprehensive biodiversity assessment report in the future.
Species that are "threatened" according to the Texas Conservation Action Plan that have been identified by iNaturalist on Dallas College campuses include:
- Bombus pensylvanicus (American bumblebee)
- Fraxinus pennsylvanica (green ash or red ash)
- Zonotrichia querula (Harris's sparrow)
- Quiscalus quiscula (common grackle)
- Fraxinus americana (white ash or American ash)
- Phalacrocorax auritus (double-crested cormorant)
- Forestiera pubescens (stretchberry, desert olive, tanglewood)
- Battus philenor (pipevine swallowtail or blue swallowtail)
- Yucca pallida (pale yucca)
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:
Dallas College has approximately 526 acres of land dedicated to native plants, native pollinators, and habitat conservation as wildlife sanctuaries. Several campuses have certifications recognizing the unique biodiversity and habitat as described in the first response of this credit.
Dallas College Office of Sustainability will be working with Facilities Services, students and faculty to identify areas of biodiversity importance that support specific academic and workforce programs and contribute to open green space for community enjoyment for generations to come.
The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:
Dallas College hosts monthly meetings of the North Texas Master Naturalists (NTMN) and has supported several NTMN projects that have helped the campus identify conservation priorities, create education programs, and increase biodiversity awareness using a platform called iNaturalist.
iNaturalist is the leading citizen science tool used by over a million scientists and aspiring scientists around the world for identifying plants and animals. iNaturalist is supported by National Geographic, California Academy of Sciences, and is the primary biodiversity tracking tool utilized by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Urban Biology Program.
The platform is fundamental for environmental and sustainability education and contributes data to academic research and practitioner's goals for biodiversity conservation in the Dallas region and across Texas to support Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SPGN) outline in the State of Texas Conservation Action Plan (TCAP).
A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):
The scope of the assessment includes:
- All Dallas College operations boundaries as defined in STARS credit Pre-3.
- The "verified" observations of citizen scientists from the iNaturalist platform. Verified implies the species observation has been approved by a more experienced member of the iNaturalist community. The majority of Dallas College campus observations in the iNaturalist platform have been verified by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Urban Biology Program and the North Texas Master Naturalist Chapter.
A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:
Six of the seven Dallas College campuses are signatories of the Second Nature President's Climate Leadership Commitment, with specific goals to reach carbon neutrality and community resilience by 2050 or similar. Dallas College will develop a new comprehensive Resilience and Climate Action Plan (RCAP) for the entire college. The RCAP will outline operations sustainability goals with a holistic and inclusive approach that will include green infrastructure priorities to achieve biodiversity and conservation goals important to human health, water supply and water quality.
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.