| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.70 |
| Liaison | David Gibson |
| Submission Date | March 30, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Hampshire College
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.06 / 2.00 |
Todd
Holland Projects and Operations Manager Facilities & Grounds |
Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
Figures required to calculate the total area of managed grounds:
| Area (double-counting is not allowed) | |
| Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses a four-tiered approach | 131 Acres |
| Area managed in accordance with an organic land care standard or sustainable landscape management program that has eliminated the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides in favor of ecologically preferable materials | 9 Acres |
| Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) | 0 Acres |
| Total area of managed grounds | 140 Acres |
A brief description of any land excluded from the area of managed grounds (e.g. the footprint of buildings and impervious surfaces, experimental agricultural land, areas that are not regularly managed or maintained):
Wooded areas, approximately 680 acres, are not actively maintained except for informal trail maintenance.
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
A copy of the IPM plan or program:
A brief description of the IPM program:
Hampshire College is committed to using Integrated Pest Management (IPM), an effective and sustainable approach to managing structural pests, across all areas of campus. IPM uses information on the life cycle of pests and their interaction with the environment to manage pest damage with the least hazard to people, property, and the environment.
IPM pest controls include cultural, physical, biological, and chemical methods.
Cultural: Avoidance of situations that create favorable conditions for pests (e.g., sanitation)
Physical: Removal of insects at various stages when numbers permit
Biological: Use of beneficial biological agents that control growth of pests (generally not used for structural control)
Chemical: Use of pesticides including organic, natural, or inorganic materials
Over-the-counter pesticides, with the exception of mosquito/tick repellent, are not permitted to be used on campus without permission.
On other areas of the campus, pesticides are not used. Please see attached plan.
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
A brief description of the organic land standard or landscape management program that has eliminated the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides in favor of ecologically preferable materials:
In 2013, Hampshire stopped mowing about nine acres of lawn, converting them into managed meadowlands. Areas near the College's main entrance are included. Initially seeded with wildflowers, these meadows are designed for natural succession and to provide habitat for pollinators, birds, and microfauna (bugs).
We use no fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides on this land. They are still mowed once a year to keep invasives at bay.
A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
All new landscape plantings on campus are native plants.
The Community Garden was re-designed with native fruit trees, berries, grape vines, wildflowers and grasses. There are also native wild edible and medicinal plants.
Ongoing since 2013, a 15-acre parcel was managed as a grassland bird habitat, with haying allowed after July 15. Previously, one or two unrestricted cuttings were allowed in late spring or early summer.
In 2015, Hampshire College partnered with the Kestrel Land Trust, Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs, and the Town of Hadley to permanently protect 46 acres of the Mount Holyoke Range, which is part of Hampshire's 800 acre campus.
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
Hampshire College uses natural buffer strips in runoff areas, and uses best practices plans in stormwater management.
A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):
The College does not bag grass trimmings. They remain in place as they are cut. All leaves from raking and other organic materials are composted on site and are used as organic amendments on the farm.
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
A large traffic circle and parking area was pulled up in 2014 and made into two fields, removing cars from the heart of campus and returning it to pedestrian access. One field was planted with grass, the other with native wildflowers.
Hampshire has ceased mowing nine acres of campus land to create ecologically-diverse meadows that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create wildlife and plant habitats, produce savings on grounds-keeping costs, and provide teaching, learning, and research opportunities.
A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution (e.g. use of environmentally preferable landscaping materials, initiatives to reduce the impacts of ice and snow removal, wildfire prevention):
A path from campus to the nearest grocery store, adjacent to one of the large solar fields, was paved using pervious pavement.
Hampshire College uses magnesium chloride snow melt as a safer alternative to rock salt.
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:
The Hampshire Farm Center currently includes 15 acres of vegetable crops, and 85 acres of pasture and hay production for a small herd of heritage-breed Dutch Belted dairy cows. We also have a brood of egg-laying hens, a drove of pigs, a pair of heritage-breed sheep, and several hives of bees. The farm is operated following USDA organic guidelines: vegetables are grown with organic fertilizers and no conventional pesticides; production crops are rotated with nitrogen-fixing cover crops; beef and dairy cows are pasture raised in summer and fed hay in winter; pork is milk-fed; chickens are pastured in summer and cage-free in winter, and fed organically.
Organic practices go beyond integrated pest management on the farm. Crop rotation to create a more diverse environment, making it harder for pest populations to build up. Physical cultivation to control weeds (no herbicides). Organic pesticides to control tomato blight (copper). Organic pesticides to control caterpillars on some crops and apple orchards.
The Hampshire Farm Center currently includes 15 acres of vegetable crops, and 85 acres of pasture and hay production for a small herd of heritage-breed Dutch Belted dairy cows. We also have a brood of egg-laying hens, a drove of pigs, a pair of heritage-breed sheep, and several hives of bees. The farm is operated following USDA organic guidelines: vegetables are grown with organic fertilizers and no conventional pesticides; production crops are rotated with nitrogen-fixing cover crops; beef and dairy cows are pasture raised in summer and fed hay in winter; pork is milk-fed; chickens are pastured in summer and cage-free in winter, and fed organically.
Organic practices go beyond integrated pest management on the farm. Crop rotation to create a more diverse environment, making it harder for pest populations to build up. Physical cultivation to control weeds (no herbicides). Organic pesticides to control tomato blight (copper). Organic pesticides to control caterpillars on some crops and apple orchards.
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.