Overall Rating	Silver - expired
Overall Score	60.64
Liaison	Eva Rocke
Submission Date	June 30, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Montana
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	Sam Gilbertson graduate student Office of Sustainability

"---" 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:

The University of Montana campus in Missoula includes 600 acres on Mt Sentinel. Mt Sentinel is undeveloped and managed explicitly for biodiversity and conservation values. There are no threatened or endangered species on the site, but most of the UM-owned acreage is “intermountain grassland,” also sometimes called “Palouse Prairie,” which is increasingly rare due to development, agriculture and invasive species.

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:

There are not any formally endangered or threatened species present on the UM Mountain campus.

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:

The grassland on the face of Mt Sentinel is dominated by bluebunch wheatgrass and rough fescue. There are shrub patches that provide important nesting sites for migratory songbirds. The top of the mountain includes Ponderosa pine forest that are negatively impacted by fire suppression (which leads to overgrowth of Douglas fir, suppression of understory plant diversity and increased disease).

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:

The land owned and managed by UM that has been most closely studied and monitored are the 600 acres on Mt Sentinel. Mt Sentinel is undeveloped and managed explicitly for biodiversity and conservation values. There are no threatened or endangered species on the site, but most of the UM-owned acreage is “intermountain grassland,” also sometimes called “Palouse Prairie,” which is increasingly rare due to development, agriculture and invasive species. Mt Sentinel is assessed on an ongoing basis every spring and fall by visual assessment (there are long term monitoring plots too, but we lack funding to collect and manage the data). Main campus employs a Natural Areas Specialist, a full-time staff position committed to monitoring Mt Sentinel's health, managing and promoting native landscaping across the campus, and organizing weed pull, trail maintenance, and educational events for the campus and community.

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

There aren't any formally endangered or threatened species on the Mountain campus. We have checked with the Montana Natural Heritage Program (which tracks occurrences of rare plants and animals) and Marilyn Marler, UM Natural Areas Specialist, is always conducting observations. Methodology includes regular query of MNHP for occurrences and ongoing assessment.

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

Per state and county law, we control invasive plants using a combination of herbicides, biocontrol insects, manual removal, revegetation with native plants, and ongoing education to prevent new infestations. Per state law, we update the weed management plan every 6 years in collaboration with the Missoula County Weed District. In cooperation with adjacent landowners (including the City of Missoula and Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) we are implementing a thinning program to promote forest health.

Optional Fields

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

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

http://hs.umt.edu/umnaturalareas/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

um-natural-areas-management-plan-2015-signed.pdf

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Marilyn Marler- UM Natural Areas Specialist, Division of biological Sciences
E-mail: marilyn.marler@mso.umt.edu
Phone: (406) 544-7189