| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.84 |
| Liaison | Paulina Szlachta |
| Submission Date | May 6, 2024 |
St. Lawrence College
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.74 / 2.00 |
Jadon
Hook Sustainability Officer Facilities Management Services |
Total campus area:
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 | 4.63 Hectares |
| Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses selected chemicals only when needed | 0 Hectares |
| Area managed using conventional, chemical-based landscape management practices | 0.70 Hectares |
| Total area of managed grounds | 5.33 Hectares |
A brief description of any land excluded from the area of managed grounds:
Land excluded from the area of managed grounds includes our buildings footprint, parking lots, sheds, and trails/paved areas across our three campuses.
Percentage of grounds managed organically:
A brief description of the organic landscape management program:
SLC's grounds (tri-campus) are managed organically, without the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. The only exception is our athletics field which is fertilized twice per year.
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
A copy of the IPM plan or program:
A brief description of the IPM program:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
St. Lawrence College has recently completed biodiversity assessments on all three campuses. To do this, the Sustainability team collaborated with an external team of ecologists (North-South Environmental) to develop a comprehensive guide for increasing biodiversity through our plant stewardship and planting. Through this plan (the Sustainable Landscape Management Plan) we protect vulnerable plant and animal species (and remove invasive plant species), work to enhance biodiversity of each campus site, and act as stewards of our campus grounds. SLC's grounds management team also plants only drought-resistant and native plants on our campuses.
Please see below (Data sources and notes section) for further details on St. Lawrence College's approach to plant stewardship.
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
SLC does not irrigate any of our ground with the exception of two athletic fields. In 2019 SLC installed a rainwater cistern to reduce the amount of water obtained from regular sources.
A brief description of the institution's approach to landscape materials management and waste minimization:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
Through the Sustainable Landscape Management Plan SLC is developing a shading strategy and has outlined methods to reduce heat-island effects in our parking lots and around the campus.
A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution:
Continued monitoring of campus species and biodiversity (through our regular Bioblitz events) means that the college is managing campus grounds more thoughtfully, to understand what plant species may need support, and what invasve species need to be removed. This inventory and monitoring informs our SLC Sustainability Landscape Management Plan which will be used to guide the Master Campus Plan, and increase biodiversity as well as outdoor engagement on campus grounds.
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable landscape management program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The following is also included under section OP 9 'A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems'
Sustainable Landscape Management Plan:
The college has developed a plan to implement a list of recommendations developed from our biodiversity assessments with the aim of positively affecting the species, habitats, and ecosystems that are on St. Lawrence College. Our over-arching goals for this plan include:
- To protect vulnerable and endangered species and remove invasive species.
- Enhance biodiversity and ecological health to promote a sustainable environment for future generations.
- Act as stewards of this land and manage grounds through a sustainable and thoughtful process and with the guidance and input from our Indigenous partners.
- Create outdoor spaces at SLC that promote increased engagement with the outdoors and green spaces that serve the needs of our SLC community.
A detailed overview of the Kingston Sustainable Landscape Management Plan process, along with examples of the projects we are undertaking can be seen in ‘Pre-2 Points of Distinction’, under ‘Second Point of Distinction’.
Highlights of the plan geared towards supporting our natural environment include the implementation of the following projects:
- Grass to Meadow (Reduced Mowing, Over-Seed to Create Meadow Space).
- Helping Habitats (Log/Woody, Pollinator & Bird-focused Gardens, Bird and Bat Boxes, Micro-habitats.
- Trees and Plants (Building Biodiversity through High Value Plants, Mass Planting with Perennial Designs, Increased Shade (Tree Planting), Woodland /Miyawaki concepts)
- Enhancing Indigenous Garden Plantings.
- Increasing Shade on Campus (Trees, shelters, pergolas).
The full biodiversity assessments for each campus + the recommendations for Kingston (Brockville and Cornwall's are in the consultation phase), can be viewed in this drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LZFGvrq8aovmivW0P-PiZ-1eotn9uEG-?usp=sharing
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.