| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.35 |
| Liaison | Cody Friend |
| Submission Date | May 6, 2024 |
University of Nebraska at Omaha
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
A.T.
Miller Chief Diversity Officer Office of Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion |
"---"
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 Nature Preserve Consortium consists of:
- The Glacier Creek Preserve: Owned and managed by UNO's Biology Department, Glacier Creek Preserve is a 172 ha (424 acre) preserve situated northwest of Omaha that encompasses the entire Glacier Creek watershed and includes the 57 ha (140 acre) Allwine Prairie Tract, a 1970 restored tallgrass prairie. The objective of Glacier Creek Preserve is to maintain an ecologically sustainable, landscape-level wildlife preserve focusing on tallgrass prairie and related ecosystems that will serve present and future generations both as a site for environmental education and as an important community resource for the appreciation of our historic prairie environment.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/preserves/index.php
- T.L. Davis Preserve: Situated along the Elkhorn River west of Omaha, this 10 ha (25 acre) preserve supports a gradient of remnant native ecosystems grading from Loess Hill Mixed-Grass Prairie and Savanna on hilltops to Eastern Deciduous Forests on lower slopes.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/affiliated-preserves/davis.php
- Turkey Creek Preserve: Situated north of Omaha long the hills adjacent to the Missouri River floodplain, supports a diverse mix of restored tallgrass prairie and savanna, woodland, and lake and creek habitats on 241 ha (595 acre).
***Available for University/College research and teaching with written permission from the Turkey Creek Oversight Committee.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/biology/nature-preserves/turkey-creek.php
All three preserves have different degrees of availability and coordination of use but they are connected by the common thread of providing important resources relevant to UNO’s teaching, research, and community outreach objectives. Specifically, these broad objectives are:
- to provide opportunities for education and research focused on historic, natural ecosystems.
- to maintain wildlife habitats that support the natural interactions of biotic and abiotic components.
- to maintain genetic diversity of local ecotypes, thus serving to retain regional genetic diversity.
- The Glacier Creek Preserve: Owned and managed by UNO's Biology Department, Glacier Creek Preserve is a 172 ha (424 acre) preserve situated northwest of Omaha that encompasses the entire Glacier Creek watershed and includes the 57 ha (140 acre) Allwine Prairie Tract, a 1970 restored tallgrass prairie. The objective of Glacier Creek Preserve is to maintain an ecologically sustainable, landscape-level wildlife preserve focusing on tallgrass prairie and related ecosystems that will serve present and future generations both as a site for environmental education and as an important community resource for the appreciation of our historic prairie environment.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/preserves/index.php
- T.L. Davis Preserve: Situated along the Elkhorn River west of Omaha, this 10 ha (25 acre) preserve supports a gradient of remnant native ecosystems grading from Loess Hill Mixed-Grass Prairie and Savanna on hilltops to Eastern Deciduous Forests on lower slopes.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/affiliated-preserves/davis.php
- Turkey Creek Preserve: Situated north of Omaha long the hills adjacent to the Missouri River floodplain, supports a diverse mix of restored tallgrass prairie and savanna, woodland, and lake and creek habitats on 241 ha (595 acre).
***Available for University/College research and teaching with written permission from the Turkey Creek Oversight Committee.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/biology/nature-preserves/turkey-creek.php
All three preserves have different degrees of availability and coordination of use but they are connected by the common thread of providing important resources relevant to UNO’s teaching, research, and community outreach objectives. Specifically, these broad objectives are:
- to provide opportunities for education and research focused on historic, natural ecosystems.
- to maintain wildlife habitats that support the natural interactions of biotic and abiotic components.
- to maintain genetic diversity of local ecotypes, thus serving to retain regional genetic diversity.
Endangered and vulnerable species
Yes
A list of endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution, by level of extinction risk:
Glacier Creek Preserve supports a large, sustained population of the Regal Fritillary butterfly (Speyeria idalia) which, while not listed as endangered, is a species of concern. Data supporting the maintenance of the population of Regal Fritillaries has been collected annually for more than 18 years by Dr. Ted Burk (Creighton University)
Areas of biodiversity importance
Yes
A brief description of areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution:
Glacier Creek Preserve:
Flora: More than 350 species of woody and herbaceous plants, 17 species of bryophytes, and 10 species of lichen have been identified at various locations throughout the Preserve.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/GCP%20flora%2027%20aug%202016.pdf
Fauna: Over 170 species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals have been observed in various locations throughout the Preserve.
- https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/gcp-amphibian-reptile-species-list-22june2020.pdf
- Birds: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/gcp-bird-list-website-9nov2020.pdf
- Butterflies: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/gcp-butterfly-list-23june2020.pdf
- Mammales: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/gcp-mammals-23june2020.pdf
- Moths: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/gcp-moth-list-2018-2019.pdf
T.L. Davis Preserve:
Flora: Preserve supports over 170 species of vascular plants, 10 species of moss, and 2 species of liverworts.
- Flora list: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/T.L.%20Davis%20Prairie%20FLORA%202016.pdf
Fauna: No extensive fauna surveys have been conducted but a few verified observations have been made. A more complete survey of the fish along the Elkhorn River reported finding 30 species of fish.
- Fish species list: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/T.L.%20Davis%20Fishes%202014.pdf
Flora: More than 350 species of woody and herbaceous plants, 17 species of bryophytes, and 10 species of lichen have been identified at various locations throughout the Preserve.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/GCP%20flora%2027%20aug%202016.pdf
Fauna: Over 170 species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals have been observed in various locations throughout the Preserve.
- https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/gcp-amphibian-reptile-species-list-22june2020.pdf
- Birds: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/gcp-bird-list-website-9nov2020.pdf
- Butterflies: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/gcp-butterfly-list-23june2020.pdf
- Mammales: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/gcp-mammals-23june2020.pdf
- Moths: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/gcp-moth-list-2018-2019.pdf
T.L. Davis Preserve:
Flora: Preserve supports over 170 species of vascular plants, 10 species of moss, and 2 species of liverworts.
- Flora list: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/T.L.%20Davis%20Prairie%20FLORA%202016.pdf
Fauna: No extensive fauna surveys have been conducted but a few verified observations have been made. A more complete survey of the fish along the Elkhorn River reported finding 30 species of fish.
- Fish species list: https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/_files/docs/T.L.%20Davis%20Fishes%202014.pdf
Methodologies
If yes to either of the above, provide the following:
Glacier Creek Preserve
Flora and fauna surveys have been conducted at the preserve. Their website provides links to the species lists that have been created. In addition, their website provides a list of publications and theses of past research conducted at the Preserve.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/preserves/index.php
T.L. Davis Preserve
Flora surveys have been conducted at the preserve, however, no extensive fauna surveys have been completed. Their website provides links to the species lists that have been developed. In addition, their website provides a list of research being conducted at the Preserve.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/affiliated-preserves/davis.php
Flora and fauna surveys have been conducted at the preserve. Their website provides links to the species lists that have been created. In addition, their website provides a list of publications and theses of past research conducted at the Preserve.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/preserves/index.php
T.L. Davis Preserve
Flora surveys have been conducted at the preserve, however, no extensive fauna surveys have been completed. Their website provides links to the species lists that have been developed. In addition, their website provides a list of research being conducted at the Preserve.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/affiliated-preserves/davis.php
A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):
https://youtu.be/1ybCRUA-Fo8
A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:
Glacier Creek Preserve
Prescribed Burning: Glacier Creek Preserve conducts prescribed burns to replicate the historic role of fire in maintaining a vigorous tallgrass prairie. The first prescribed burn was conducted in the spring of 1974 with the restoration burned in its entirety. Starting in 1975, the 140 acre original restoration was divided into three management units with only one unit burned each spring. This rotation maintained the 3-year fire return interval which is estimated to approximate historic fire frequency. Over the years, this fire frequency has been shown to maintain a diversity of habitats across the preserve for species favoring various stages of post-burn plant recovery. In 2016, two of the three burn units were further subdivided to facilitate smaller burned areas, although the 3-year fire return interval standard remains across the preserve.
Mowing and Other Management: The entire restoration was mulch-mowed at various times from 1970 through 1977 in order to reduce ruderal (aka “weedy”) plants and facilitate establishment of seeded prairie species. Between 1978 and 2009, portions of the preserve were hayed in some years, mostly in the lowland, but never with any regularity. Today, mulch-mowing only occurs as part of the treatment of long-term research plots. In addition to prescribed burning and mowing, present land management practices include mechanical and chemical control of noxious and invasive species and woody plants. Management activities include efforts to increase plant diversity by collecting seeds from local native prairie remnants and scattering them at pre-determined locations across the preserve. Records are retained on where and when seeds were collected and scattered.
Preserve Management - Recent Acquisitions (the Papio Tract, Barbi Hayes Overlook, and Bouteloua Tract)
Most of the recently acquired land is leased and used for rotation between corn and soybean crops while we move toward it’s restoration to prairie and prairie-associated habitats. These areas are leased for cultivation on a year-by-year basis, although small areas have been set aside for specific research projects. Keeping the land in cultivation eliminates the need to control large areas of ruderal species while also supplementing our operating budget as we gear up with equipment and supplies to manage more than two times the amount of land than was in the original preserve.
The Papio Tract is scheduled to be a stream and wetland mitigation bank that will be developed by the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District. In this restoration, in addition to reconstructing the Glacier Creek stream channel, swales will be created in the lowland where standing water during the spring will provide habitat for amphibian reproduction. A similar effort will be conducted along the North Creek lowland. Uplands on both the Barbi Hayes Overlook and the Bouteloua Tract are to be restored to tall or mixed-grass prairie with strategically placed areas of oak savanna. In the Bouteloua Tract, the historic wetland will be managed to reduce further head cutting to continue to function as active headwaters of Glacier Creek.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/preserves/index.php#top
T.L.Davis Preserve:
Preserve management, the responsibility of UNO’s Department of Biology, has been developed to establish and maintain a gradient of wildlife habitats to support education, research, and general visits to appreciate native, historic habitats. From prairie and savanna ridgetops and upper slopes to lower slope woodlands, the habitat gradient being developed reflects our approximation of historic conditions using, as our points of reference, both data collected from research and 1941 aerial photos of the site. These sources provide a long-term goal of reestablishing a mix of grassland and savanna over approximately 55% of the preserve with the remaining 45% in woodland.
Preserve management involves efforts in both (1) restoration and (2) long-term management. Restoration of savanna and prairie was initiated during the summer of 2005 and continues today. The principal focus of these efforts has been removal of all trees and non-prairie shrubs, other than bur oaks, from the upper-most slopes and ridgetops. The removal of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii), and smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) have been of particular concern. Woody plant removal, which involves a combination of cutting and herbicide application, is important to prairie restoration because it removes canopy vegetation allowing sunlight to reach remaining prairie plants. Sunlight is required by prairie plants both to ensure their survival and to provide suitable conditions for prairie seeds to germinate and grow. As prairie vegetation reestablishes itself, future efforts will be to expand the prairie further downslope until reaching mid-slope locations where prairie-savanna will grade into woodland.
Long-term management of savanna and prairie is designed to maintain conditions that favor herbaceous species (i.e. grasses and forbs) while preventing extensive woody plants from becoming established. These conditions are maintained at T.L. Davis Preserve by conducting prescribed spring burns of either the West Ridge or the North Ridge every 2-3 years, a fire frequency intended to approximate historic conditions. To maximize site heterogeneity and protect resident biota, only one ridge is burned in any year. Whether this management regime will maintain a dynamic population of widely scattered bur oak is yet to be determined as conditions for savanna oak regeneration are poorly understood among various savanna ecosystems. Monitoring of the plant community at the Preserve will provide some insight on the success of our current management. An accidental fire of unknown cause along the West Ridge in early 2005 was the first recorded fire on the preserve. The first prescribed burn at the preserve was conducted in spring of 2013 on the North Ridge. The West Ridge was first burned in the spring of 2014.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/affiliated-preserves/davis.php#mang
Prescribed Burning: Glacier Creek Preserve conducts prescribed burns to replicate the historic role of fire in maintaining a vigorous tallgrass prairie. The first prescribed burn was conducted in the spring of 1974 with the restoration burned in its entirety. Starting in 1975, the 140 acre original restoration was divided into three management units with only one unit burned each spring. This rotation maintained the 3-year fire return interval which is estimated to approximate historic fire frequency. Over the years, this fire frequency has been shown to maintain a diversity of habitats across the preserve for species favoring various stages of post-burn plant recovery. In 2016, two of the three burn units were further subdivided to facilitate smaller burned areas, although the 3-year fire return interval standard remains across the preserve.
Mowing and Other Management: The entire restoration was mulch-mowed at various times from 1970 through 1977 in order to reduce ruderal (aka “weedy”) plants and facilitate establishment of seeded prairie species. Between 1978 and 2009, portions of the preserve were hayed in some years, mostly in the lowland, but never with any regularity. Today, mulch-mowing only occurs as part of the treatment of long-term research plots. In addition to prescribed burning and mowing, present land management practices include mechanical and chemical control of noxious and invasive species and woody plants. Management activities include efforts to increase plant diversity by collecting seeds from local native prairie remnants and scattering them at pre-determined locations across the preserve. Records are retained on where and when seeds were collected and scattered.
Preserve Management - Recent Acquisitions (the Papio Tract, Barbi Hayes Overlook, and Bouteloua Tract)
Most of the recently acquired land is leased and used for rotation between corn and soybean crops while we move toward it’s restoration to prairie and prairie-associated habitats. These areas are leased for cultivation on a year-by-year basis, although small areas have been set aside for specific research projects. Keeping the land in cultivation eliminates the need to control large areas of ruderal species while also supplementing our operating budget as we gear up with equipment and supplies to manage more than two times the amount of land than was in the original preserve.
The Papio Tract is scheduled to be a stream and wetland mitigation bank that will be developed by the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District. In this restoration, in addition to reconstructing the Glacier Creek stream channel, swales will be created in the lowland where standing water during the spring will provide habitat for amphibian reproduction. A similar effort will be conducted along the North Creek lowland. Uplands on both the Barbi Hayes Overlook and the Bouteloua Tract are to be restored to tall or mixed-grass prairie with strategically placed areas of oak savanna. In the Bouteloua Tract, the historic wetland will be managed to reduce further head cutting to continue to function as active headwaters of Glacier Creek.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/preserves/index.php#top
T.L.Davis Preserve:
Preserve management, the responsibility of UNO’s Department of Biology, has been developed to establish and maintain a gradient of wildlife habitats to support education, research, and general visits to appreciate native, historic habitats. From prairie and savanna ridgetops and upper slopes to lower slope woodlands, the habitat gradient being developed reflects our approximation of historic conditions using, as our points of reference, both data collected from research and 1941 aerial photos of the site. These sources provide a long-term goal of reestablishing a mix of grassland and savanna over approximately 55% of the preserve with the remaining 45% in woodland.
Preserve management involves efforts in both (1) restoration and (2) long-term management. Restoration of savanna and prairie was initiated during the summer of 2005 and continues today. The principal focus of these efforts has been removal of all trees and non-prairie shrubs, other than bur oaks, from the upper-most slopes and ridgetops. The removal of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), roughleaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii), and smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) have been of particular concern. Woody plant removal, which involves a combination of cutting and herbicide application, is important to prairie restoration because it removes canopy vegetation allowing sunlight to reach remaining prairie plants. Sunlight is required by prairie plants both to ensure their survival and to provide suitable conditions for prairie seeds to germinate and grow. As prairie vegetation reestablishes itself, future efforts will be to expand the prairie further downslope until reaching mid-slope locations where prairie-savanna will grade into woodland.
Long-term management of savanna and prairie is designed to maintain conditions that favor herbaceous species (i.e. grasses and forbs) while preventing extensive woody plants from becoming established. These conditions are maintained at T.L. Davis Preserve by conducting prescribed spring burns of either the West Ridge or the North Ridge every 2-3 years, a fire frequency intended to approximate historic conditions. To maximize site heterogeneity and protect resident biota, only one ridge is burned in any year. Whether this management regime will maintain a dynamic population of widely scattered bur oak is yet to be determined as conditions for savanna oak regeneration are poorly understood among various savanna ecosystems. Monitoring of the plant community at the Preserve will provide some insight on the success of our current management. An accidental fire of unknown cause along the West Ridge in early 2005 was the first recorded fire on the preserve. The first prescribed burn at the preserve was conducted in spring of 2013 on the North Ridge. The West Ridge was first burned in the spring of 2014.
https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/nature-preserves/affiliated-preserves/davis.php#mang
Optional Fields
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Website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.