Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.53
Liaison Taryn Wilkinson
Submission Date Aug. 10, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Niagara College Canada
OP-11: Biodiversity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Taryn Wilkinson
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities Management Services
"---" 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, and/or regions of conservation importance?:
Yes

A brief description of any legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance on institution owned or managed land:

The Niagara College Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus is located at the base of the Niagara Escarpment – a UNESCO-designed World Biosphere Reserve.


Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on institution-owned or –managed land?:
Yes

Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify environmentally sensitive areas on institution-owned or –managed land?:
Yes

The methodology(-ies) used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or environmentally sensitive areas and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:

Between May and September of 2015, three Environmental Field and Lab Technician students worked for the Office of Sustainability and conducted a tree inventory of the Welland and NOTL campus as part of the co-op requirement for the program. Students used previous studies, ID books, and other information relevant to the project to identify and record the Date, Crew, Campus, Sampling Site, Sample Number, Common Name, Scientific Name, GPS Coordinates, Cultivar/Variety, Tag/Label Name (if one currently exists), Condition (newly planted, healthy, sickly etc.), and any other relevant notes. The tree inventory covered over 220 acres with 7,021 trees identified. The Niagara-on-the-Lake campus is home to 3,485 trees, while there are 3.536 at the Welland Campus. Over 230 tree species were identified between the two campuses, 117 in Welland and 197 in Niagara-on-the-Lake.


A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:

Some notable species that were found on the Welland Campus include Eastern Flowering Dogwood which is listed as an Endangered species on the Ontario List of Species at Risk, as well as Kentucky Coffee Tree which is listed as Threatened. At the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, the Butternut tree and Cherry Birch tree were also identified which are also listed as Endangered on the Ontario List of Species at Risk.


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

The landscape strategies at the Welland Campus and the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus promote the protection and development of wildlife habitats. At the Welland Campus the Green Lung Plan was developed as a landscape strategy to increase sustainability and naturalization on site. The plan focuses on restoring regional plant communities including meadow, Carolinian forest and wetland communities which also supports native wildlife species. The Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus landscape strategy, titled The Campus as a Living Lab, has similar principles and focuses on creating natural habitats including native species which also provides habitats for many different species both land species and aquatic species in the lagoon system.


The website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity policies and programs(s) is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.