Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	47.61
Liaison	John Stolz
Submission Date	March 6, 2025

STARS v2.2

Duquesne University
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	0.50 / 1.00 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	Meghan Phillips Graduate Assistant Center for Environmental Research & Education

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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:

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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?:

Yes

A list of endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution, by level of extinction risk:

American Crow (Least Concern)
American Robin (Least Concern)
Blackpoll Warbler (Near Threatened)
Black-throated Green Warbler (Least Concern)
Blue Jay (Least Concern)
Carolina/Black-capped Chickadee (Least Concern)
Cedar Waxwing (Least Concern)
Chimney Swift (Vulnerable)
European Starling (Least Concern)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Least Concern)
House Finch (Least Concern)
House Sparrow (Least Concern)
Mallard (Least Concern)
Mourning Dove (Least Concern)
Northern Cardinal (Least Concern)
Peregrine Falcon (Least Concern)
Red-tailed Hawk (Least Concern)
Rock Pigeon (Least Concern)
Song Sparrow (Least Concern)
Tufted Titmouse (Least Concern)
White-throated Sparrow (Least Concern)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Least Concern)

Areas of biodiversity importance

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:

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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:

Duquesne University engaged undergraduate and graduate students in the Ornithology course to conduct several assessments of bird populations on campus. Students were accompanied by professors and National Audubon Society employees during birding activities of approximately one to two hours in length. The findings were recorded in eBird. These sessions occurred throughout the 2024 Fall semester.

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

The bird assessments will continue every fall, giving new students the opportunity to go birding and participate in biodiversity surveys on campus. Duquesne University is located in downtown Pittsburgh where regions of high biodiversity are limited. Therefore, resident and migratory bird species that are on campus or can be seen from campus are recorded. No areas within the institutional boundary were excluded, although areas with a high probability of finding birds were prioritized.

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

Bird feeders and a pollinator garden have been installed to support a variety of species found on the urban campus.

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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