Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	47.06
Liaison	Daniela Shebitz
Submission Date	Dec. 11, 2023

STARS v2.2

Kean University
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	2.00 / 2.00 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	AJ Whitmore Director of Facilities Facilities

"---" 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, 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:

Kean University managed our "Skylands Campus" (https://www.kean.edu/kean-skylands) Which is 40 acres of protected land in Jefferson Township, surrounded by Kittatinny Valley State Park https://stateparks.com/kittatinny_valley_state_park_in_new_jersey.html. The land is owned by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection but leased by Kean University to operate as an environmentally-focused research and education site. The land consists of old forests, wetlands, a lake and stream and is used for our field courses and research.

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:

Our first bio-blitz that was open to the Kean University community and the public was conducted in May of 2023. No endangered or vulnerable species were found on the property.

Areas of biodiversity importance

Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution?:

Yes

A brief description of areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution:

Our first Bio-Blitz that was open to the community and Kean Community documented the high level of biodiversity on the land.
https://www.facebook.com/KUSkylands/

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:

Faculty, students, and members of the public were asked to join a "team": Plants, Wildlife, Birds, Insects, or Fungi and identify the species that were present on site - documented over a 24 hour period.

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

We recognize that this will not come close to documenting every species present on site, but it does provide a snapshot of what is present. Professionals from the NJDEP, Kean University, Rutgers University and other institutions contributed to the assessment.

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

We will continue to provide information to the NJ State Forest Action Plan (NJ SFAP) that can be used to help monitor biodiversity on site.

Optional Fields

Estimated percentage of areas of biodiversity importance that are also protected areas :

100

Website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity initiatives is available:

https://www.facebook.com/KUSkylands/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

---