Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 67.19
Liaison Mark Youndt
Submission Date May 30, 2021

STARS v2.2

Skidmore College
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.95 / 2.00 Levi Rogers
Director of Sustainability Programs and Assessment
Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total campus area:
1,489 Acres

Figures required to calculate the total area of managed grounds:
Area (double-counting is not allowed)
Area managed organically, without the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides 269.80 Acres
Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses selected chemicals only when needed 0 Acres
Area managed using conventional, chemical-based landscape management practices 296.30 Acres
Total area of managed grounds 566.10 Acres

A brief description of any land excluded from the area of managed grounds:

Skidmore's unmanaged grounds include 980 acres of undeveloped woodland, 18 acres of building and facilities footprint, 20 acres of parking lots, 4.2 miles of roadway, 8.3 miles of walkway, 5 acres of synthetic turf, and less than 1 acre of ponds.


Percentage of grounds managed organically:
47.66

A brief description of the organic landscape management program:

The land included here is managed or monitored by the Sustainability Office. The solar array property (113 acres) is a low-mow area with grass and wildflowers. The North Woods is 155 acres of hardwood forest adjacent to the built area of campus, providing space for community recreation and academic research. The trail network is maintained by student North Woods Stewards employed by the Sustainability Office, 2 students in the summer and 1 in the academic year. These students conduct trail maintenance, manage invasive plant species to create zones for protected species to thrive, and lead projects on trail improvements and communication. Our compost site (1.8 acres) manages a variety of inputs from lands and grounds, including horse manure, leaves, and wood chips. The site and windrows of compost are managed by Sustainability Office staff and student employees, and the front meadow of the lot is a low-mow area.


Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
0

A copy of the IPM plan or program:
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A brief description of the IPM program:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:

The Sustainability Office's North Woods Stewards maintain an invasive species management program each summer in the campus North Woods, removing invasive plants to create protected zones for native species to thrive.


A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:

The college hosts a variety of water infiltration features, most importantly one centrally located "Haupt Pond" with cattails and native marsh grasses and a retention pond with native wildflowers at the site. These features capture and filter rainwater.


A brief description of the institution's approach to landscape materials management and waste minimization:

Skidmore composts landscaping debris and horse manure at the College's larger-scale composting facility. The compost generated at this site is used on the College's landscaped beds.

In addition, the student-run compost program collects food scraps from campus apartments. The compost that is generated from this project is used on the Skidmore Community Garden, an organic garden that supplies food to the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall.


A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
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A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution:

Skidmore’s main campus is carefully monitored to avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides. In some instances, the Grounds department will cautiously spot-treat specific locations to prevent the spread of disease or pests, ensuring healthy plant communities while minimizing the overall use of synthetic applications.

The College owns and maintains over 1000 acres of forestland and low-maintenance turf. A portion of these lands are currently managed under specific stewardship guidelines, and a subgroup of the Campus Sustainability Subcommittee is currently developing a detailed land stewardship plan for the all college-owned forest land.


Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable landscape management program is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Skidmore composts landscaping debris and horse manure at the College's larger-scale composting facility. The compost generated at this site is used on the College's landscaped beds. Additionally, the student-run compost program collects food scraps from campus apartments. The compost generated from this project is used on the Skidmore Community Garden, an organic garden that supplies food to the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall.

Skidmore’s main campus is carefully monitored to avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides. In some instances, the Grounds department will cautiously spot-treat specific locations to prevent the spread of disease or pests, ensuring healthy plant communities while minimizing the overall use of synthetic applications.

The College owns over 1000 acres of forestland and low-maintenance turf. A portion of these lands are currently managed under specific stewardship guidelines, and a subgroup of the Campus Sustainability Subcommittee is currently developing a detailed land stewardship plan for the all college-owned forest land.

In 2014, a student North Woods Steward presented a proposal to the College calling for the removal of problematic invasive species on campus. In 2015, the College accepted the proposal and committed to eradicating invasive species from the developed portion of campus. In August 2015, over 80 Japanese barberry and burning bush plants were removed from landscaped beds and replaced with native species.

Skidmore has several rain gardens and bio-retention basins to capture and filter stormwater. The College also employed xeriscaping in an apartment village to minimize water use.


Skidmore composts landscaping debris and horse manure at the College's larger-scale composting facility. The compost generated at this site is used on the College's landscaped beds. Additionally, the student-run compost program collects food scraps from campus apartments. The compost generated from this project is used on the Skidmore Community Garden, an organic garden that supplies food to the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall.

Skidmore’s main campus is carefully monitored to avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides. In some instances, the Grounds department will cautiously spot-treat specific locations to prevent the spread of disease or pests, ensuring healthy plant communities while minimizing the overall use of synthetic applications.

The College owns over 1000 acres of forestland and low-maintenance turf. A portion of these lands are currently managed under specific stewardship guidelines, and a subgroup of the Campus Sustainability Subcommittee is currently developing a detailed land stewardship plan for the all college-owned forest land.

In 2014, a student North Woods Steward presented a proposal to the College calling for the removal of problematic invasive species on campus. In 2015, the College accepted the proposal and committed to eradicating invasive species from the developed portion of campus. In August 2015, over 80 Japanese barberry and burning bush plants were removed from landscaped beds and replaced with native species.

Skidmore has several rain gardens and bio-retention basins to capture and filter stormwater. The College also employed xeriscaping in an apartment village to minimize water use.

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