| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.71 |
| Liaison | Christie-Joy Hartman |
| Submission Date | Sept. 13, 2024 |
James Madison University
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
Abram
Kaufman Energy Conservation and Sustainability Manager Facilities Management Engineering & Sustainability |
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:
According to STARS staff in a conversation with Abram Kaufman on February 10, 2017, the 340-acre Edith J. Carrier Arboretum meets the STARS criteria for a protected area, as it is dedicated and managed for long-term conservation per the designations below:
• The Arboretum has been declared a Living Legacy, commissioned on September 17, 1987 by the Commission of the Bicentennial of the United States of America, chaired by Warren E. Burger. This commission states that the Arboretum will link the past to the future by preserving a natural woodland comprised of native species of the region interspersed with selected cultivars, depicting diversity.
• The Board of Visitors of JMU created a resolution in May 1993 to assure that the Arboretum’s 125 acres (37 acres of developed land, 88 acres in a natural state) will be reserved for student/community use and enjoyment.
For the Arboretum, the grounds are carefully managed for ecosystem protection and restoration, visitor enjoyment of these qualities, and study and research by JMU faculty and students to understand ecosystem and cultural dynamics. Significantly, the area has also seen restoration projects, such as restoration of the main, previously-degraded stream corridor through the heart of the property.
Endangered and vulnerable species
A list of endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution, by level of extinction risk:
Areas of biodiversity importance
A brief description of areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution:
The university is fortunate to have five identified environmentally-sensitive areas (while "environmentally-sensitive areas" was the term used in STARS v. 2.1, and this has now been replaced by the term "areas of biodiversity importance" for STARS v. 2.2, we use the two terms as synonyms): (1) Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, (2) the Port Republic Road Farm property, (3) the riparian corridors along Sibert Creek and other tributaries to Blacks Run, (4) East Campus Hillside Area, and (5) land bridge area.
The ecosystem services benefits of these areas include stormwater and flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, pollinator conservation, wildlife habitat, and the maintenance of a native seed bank. These areas also serve to replicate ecosystem succession, often with an overlay of experimental design and inquiry methods.
Methodologies
If yes to either of the above, provide the following:
Environmentally-sensitive is defined by STARS as “having unique or significant value to plant and/or animal species" i.e., "biodiversity importance". It is critical to note that “environmentally-sensitive” and "biodiversity importance" have many definitions, and the analysis here is based on the professional judgment of how the areas matched the STARS credit specifically. The observational analysis is confirmatory for inclusion in STARS alone, and is insufficient and unsuitable for legal classification of the areas.
A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):
As submitted to STARS in 2018, JMU retained the services of the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC), the Center for Urban Habitats, and Hirschman Water & Environment to independently map areas on campus and identify the areas that fall within STARS biodiversity categories.
The original assessment was reviewed with the JMU ISNW Executive Council in late 2021. The Council affirmed the areas listed last time would be included again. Parts of campus that changed since the assessment were reviewed by the ISNW Executive Council in late 2021, and two changes were documented in JMU's last STARS report: 1) A new Edible Forest Garden/Food Forest was added to the East Campus Hillside Area. 2) The new land bridge was added as JMU's 5th area of biodiversity importance. For the land bridge, the original 1.5 acres of forest/open space meadow in the project area was increased to 3.7 acres of forest/open space meadow and will help meet stormwater management runoff reduction requirements. This area is intended to be used for pollinator education and outreach.
Review of areas of biodiversity importance occurred again in 2024. This time review was conducted by Facilities Management. All areas in the previous STARS report were maintained. Two changes to the East Campus Hillside were documented and included in this STARS report: 1) On the East Campus Hillside, a pollinator meadow was planted around a new, expanded solar array in 2023. The array and planting displaced a portion of the original East Campus Hillside Meadow as well as some grass area. This project received Virginia Pollinator-Smart Program Certification. The Virginia Pollinator-Smart Program, designed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Environmental Quality, is an “ecologically-responsible program to encourage pollinator-friendly solar energy developments throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.” Through rigorous certification standards, the program’s review board deemed the JMU project to meet the performance standards of the program. 2) A new Triangle Meadow was added as part of the East Campus Hillside. This native pollinator meadow area replaced mowed grass that was adjacent to the original meadow.
A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:
JMU has plans and programs in place for each of the areas noted above. As stated, the Arboretum, Hillside, and Farm property are actively used by staff, faculty, and students to learn ecological principles and study methods. Plots and transects are evident in these locations. The Arboretum is continuously developing plans to restore and enhance native plant communities and seeks funding for positive outcomes. Other restored native landscapes (e.g., Hillside) are the subject of wildlife studies (e.g., birds, butterflies, insects) as well as studies on how to use compost derived from campus-generated waste materials.
Optional Fields
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:
JMU originally retained the services of the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC), the Center for Urban Habitats, and Hirschman Water & Environment to independently map areas on campus and identify the areas that fall within STARS biodiversity categories. This was not a full ecosystem study or species/habitat analysis, but an independent verification of areas specifically for inclusion in the credit. Their findings as summarized above provide documentation and responses for OP-10 based on mapping, consultation with Facilities Management staff, a preliminary field investigation, and analysis of collected data. The external contractors did view the areas first-hand to list some species they observed. They did not meet with faculty and students, and based the analysis on first-hand observation.
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.