Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	72.89
Liaison	Tom Twist
Submission Date	Nov. 8, 2023

STARS v2.2

Bates College
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	Tom Twist Sustainability Manager Facilities

"---" 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:

We manage roughly 600 acres of saltwater estuary and coastal forest known as the Bates Morse Mountain preserve.

https://www.bates.edu/bates-morse-mountain-shortridge/

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:

Piping Plover

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:

As a protected estuary, the salt marsh is especially sensitive to rising sea levels, as shown here -

http://www.cascobayestuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Ecogeomorphology-of-two-salt-marshes-in-midcoast-Maine-2016.pdf

http://www.bates.edu/news/2015/08/28/day-with-students-geologists/

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:

In addition to being operated as a preserve, the Bates Morse Mountain area is home to countless research assessments, listed in part here -

http://www.bates.edu/harward/bmmcashortridge-field-research/#list-of-publications

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

https://www.bates.edu/bates-morse-mountain-shortridge/research/

https://www.bates.edu/bates-morse-mountain-shortridge/list-of-research-publications/

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

Bates College and the Small Point Association cooperate with The Nature Conservancy and Maine Audubon to preserve the plants, birds, animals, and natural communities within the area. These include the nesting sites of the piping plover and the least tern (endangered species of birds which nest on the bare sand), as well as numerous rare and fragile plants, mosses, and lichens. More here -

http://www.bates.edu/harward/bates-morse-mountain-shortridge/

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://www.bates.edu/harward/bmmcashortridge-field-research/#list-of-publications

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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