| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.34 |
| Liaison | Jennifer Andrews |
| Submission Date | July 29, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of New Hampshire
OP-11: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Doug
Bencks Director Campus Planning |
Does the institution own or manage land that includes or is adjacent to legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance?:
A brief description of any legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance on institution owned or managed land:
UNH holds three land areas that are classified as “natural areas” with the State of New Hampshire: the College Woods Natural Area (64 acres), the MacDonald Natural Area (13 acres), and Squam Lake Natural Area (206 acres). In addition, the university owns several other tracts of woodlands throughout the state of New Hampshire that are carefully managed but are not legally protected. These are all overseen by the Office of Woodland sand Natural Areas. Recognizing their duty of stewardship and to set an example to others of properly managed woodlands and natural areas, the Office of Woodlands and Natural areas achieves management objectives while observing the following tenets: support ecosystem integrity, support biological diversity, support sustainable forest utilization, protect the productivity of the resources in their care, provide educational, research and recreational opportunities
Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on institution-owned or –managed land?:
Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify environmentally sensitive areas on institution-owned or –managed land?:
The methodology(-ies) used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or environmentally sensitive areas and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:
All of our properties are re-assessed on a ten year interval for presence or likely presence of endangered or vulnerable species (both plant and animal), as well as for general ecosystem health and for improved management opportunities. This assessment is undertaken by staff and faculty biologists, ecologists and other scientists. See http://www.colsa.unh.edu/woodlands/properties for more detailed information, offered on a parcel-by-parcel basis.
In addition, as part of the 2004 campus master plan (http://www.unh.edu/facilities/2012-campus-master-plan), a broad assessment was done on all university-owned open lands within a 6-mile radius of campus, which included approximately 1500 acres.
Date Revised: Oct. 22, 2014
A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
Detailed information is contained in specific management plans for each parcel of UNH-owned or managed land. Links to each of these management plans, which include assessments of species habitat and detailed strategies for protecting or improving the landscapes in the interest of protecting key species/habitats as well as biodiversity in general, can be found here: http://www.colsa.unh.edu/woodlands/properties.
For example, see pages 32-40 of the plan for College Woods (https://colsa.unh.edu/woodlands/sites/colsa.unh.edu.woodlands/files/docs/cwmppdf2014.pdf), which is one of the three designated "Natural Areas" managed by UNH.
Date Revised: Oct. 22, 2014
A brief description of plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
The UNH Ecosystem Task Force (EcoTF, www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/ecotf) examines sustainability issues related to land use, development, and ecosystem management. The overarching goal of the EcoTF is parallel to that of the UNH Energy Task Force: to serve in an advisory capacity to the UNH President and be responsible for making recommendations on the full range of issues that relate to land use, landscaping, ecosystem health, biodiversity and development. In particular, the EcoTF is charged with:
- Developing a long-term plan for sustainable management of biodiversity and ecological integrity of UNH lands including the core Durham campus.
- Developing tools for assessing, evaluating and managing ecosystem function and services within the Oyster River and Lamprey River Watersheds including approaches to landscape design and management in support of the Campus Landscape Master Plan and in accord with knowledge and best practices of sustainable ecosystem management.
- Identifying mechanisms that support professional development opportunities for UNH faculty/staff to contribute to the goals of the EcoTF including related curriculum, research, operations and engagement activities.
Part of the EcoTF, the Office of Woodlands and Natural Areas (WNA) at UNH is responsible for managing wildlife habitat on UNH properties (viewable here: http://www.unh.edu/woodlands/properties.html) and participate in UNH's Ecosystem Task Force (http://www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/biodiv_ed/ecotf.html). The decisions of the WNA are deeply rooted in their guiding management principles:
* Support ecosystem integrity
* Support biological diversity
* Support sustainable forest utilization
* Protect the productivity of the resources in their care
* Provide educational, research, and recreational opportunities
Moreover, the WNA takes a diverse approach to management by seeking to:
* Provide a variety of stand vigor conditions
* Provide a variety of vegetation types
* Provide a variety of stand age classes
* Maintain an adequate forest road access and maintenance program
* Maintain a centralized research, recreational, and forest management record keeping system.
* Improve and maintain a variety of wildlife habitat
* Enhance compatible recreational opportunities
* Prevent watershed degradation
* Provide educational opportunities and assistance to students
* Interact with other organizations and individuals that need access to areas administered by the Woodlands and Natural Areas Committee
The website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity policies and programs(s) is available:
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.