Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	65.84
Liaison	Morgan Hartman
Submission Date	Dec. 12, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
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	Morgan Hartman Recycling Coordinator FMO

"---" 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:

Nine-Mile Prairie is a 230-acre tall grass prairie owned by the University of Nebraska Foundation and managed by the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It is located on the northwest edge of Lincoln, NE. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986 and has a Nebraska State Historical Marker recognizing the its history of conservation and research since the 1920's. The University of Nebraska also owns and/or manages other properties across Nebraska with important conservation value, but only Nine-Mile Prairie is summarized here.

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:

Species listed in the Nebraska Natural Heritage Database (NGPC) that occur at Nine-Mile Prairie
Tier 1 Species: Regal Fritillary, Married Underwing, Whitney's Underwing, Iowa Skipper, White-Fringed Prairie Orchid
Tier 2 Species: Sedge Wren, Yellow-grey underwing, Zabulon Skipper, Wild Senna, Spring Ladies' Tresses Orchid

In addition, the federally endangered American Burying Beetle is found at UNL's Barta Brothers Ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills

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:

In addition to Nine-Mile Prairie, grassland conservation research and management have been done at other UNL properties including: Barta Brothers Ranch, Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory, Dalbey Prairie, Cedar Point Biological Station, and Reller Prairie. These native and restored grassland acres total 23,000 acres, with the majority located in the Nebraska Sandhills. Forestry conservation and research occurs at UNL properties totaling 1140 acres managed by the Nebraska Forest Service including Prairie Pines, Cedar Canyon, Timmas Farm State Ecological Reserve, and Horning State Forest.

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:

All of the sites listed above have been the location of research studies on the ecology and management of particular plant or wildlife species. Methods vary for each study and species of concern. Nine-Mile Prairie has on-going surveys for prairie plant diversity, including plant inventories dating back to the late 1920's. The Barta Brothers Ranch also has replicated plots started in the late 1990's where plant species composition is recorded annually.

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

The standard method for grassland diversity studies at UNL properties is annual surveys of all plant species found in replicated one square meter quadrants.

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

Various management plans exist for different UNL properties. A strategic plan was developed in 2019 for Nine-Mile Prairie and its surrounding landscape. Management approaches at this site include prescribed burning, physical and/or herbicide control of invasive plants, and reseeding (restoring) damaged areas with high diversity, local genotype seed mixes.

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:

https://grassland.unl.edu/nine-mile-prairie

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Questions answered by Dr. David Wedin, Professor and Director of Nine-Mile Prairie and Dalbey Prairie, December 2021. As noted above, Nine-Mile Prairie has an explicit conservation focus and management oriented at maintaining tallgrass prairie biodiversity. In addition, UNL properties contain approximately 25,000 acres of grasslands and forests with high conservation value. The research, teaching, and outreach missions of these properties are primarily aimed at grazing management, wildlife, forestry, hydrology, and related disciplines.