Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 57.22
Liaison Rebecca Walker
Submission Date June 30, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Southern Oregon University
IN-11: Grounds Certification

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Roxane Beigel-Coryell
Sustainability & Recycling Coordinator
Facilities Management & Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution own and/or manage land that is currently certified under the following programs? (at least one positive response required):
Yes or No
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) or ACSP for Golf No
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management standard No
National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat Program Yes
An IFOAM-endorsed organic standard or Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) ---
Salmon-Safe No
Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) ---
Tree Campus USA (Arbor Day Foundation) Yes
Bee Campus USA Yes
An equivalent program approved by AASHE ---

A brief description of institution owned and/or managed land that is currently third party certified under one or more of the programs listed above, including the year each certification was achieved and/or renewed:

SOU’s Ashland Campus is settled in the foothills of the Siskiyou mountain range and our region is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature labeled it as an Area of Global Botanical Significance. Our campus is a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. There are currently eight large scale designated pollinator habitat areas on campus, four of which are displayed and signed as Xerces Society Pollinator Habitats. SOU’s Roca Creek area is designated as a pesticide free zone and used as an educationally, protected riparian site and is a “region of conservation importance”. There are over 20 mycologically inoculated logs on campus in sites identified for biodiversity and the SOU Farm: A Center For Sustainability, contains a designated wetland.

SOU is also a designated Tree Campus USA. The SOU Tree Advisory Council oversees the protection of the trees on campus through the use of the SOU Campus Tree Care Plan. The campus also now features a botanical tour highlighting more than 100 different species of trees on campus. Trees are marked with informational plaques that include QR codes that visitors can scan to learn more about the tree. https://inside.sou.edu/fmp/landscape.html#sou-botanical-tour

Southern Oregon University collaborated with Bee City USA, a private nonprofit organization based in Asheville, North Carolina, to establish the Bee Campus USA designation. Through a six-month process, the university was able to align its practices to meet the new guidelines. In April 2015, Bee City USA recognized Southern Oregon University as the nation’s first Bee Campus USA designee. SOU's Bee Campus USA Subcommittee continues to work on expanding pollinator habitat on campus, offers education and interactive workshops, and applies to renew SOU's Bee Campus USA on an annual basis.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://inside.sou.edu/fmp/landscape.html

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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.