| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.21 |
| Liaison | Lindsey Kalkbrenner |
| Submission Date | May 5, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Santa Clara University
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Lindsey
Kalkbrenner Director Center for 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, and/or regions of conservation importance?:
No
A brief description of the legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance:
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Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify endangered and vulnerable species (including migratory species) with habitats on institution-owned or –managed land?:
Yes
Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify environmentally sensitive areas on institution-owned or –managed land?:
No
If yes to either of the above, provide the following:
SCU has conducted a number of Environmental Impact Reports prior to major development projects which have identified any environmentally sensitive areas on campus grounds.
Santa Clara University's citizen science project, SCU Gone Wild, focuses on campus naturalism. The program's website serves as a database to document observations on campus, field trips, and field courses. SCU gone Wild is documenting and highlighting these natural opportunities for the SCU community and integrate longitudinal data collection for students and faculty through a website and observation platform powered by iNaturalist. SCU Gone Wild hopes that this citizen science project will educate and engage the campus community in their natural surroundings promoting more sustainable behavior and conservation. The project is ongoing.
A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
Sensitive areas around campus tend to be due to nesting birds and rare species, and as a result are seasonal. SCU attempts to preserve all nesting habitats on campus during renovations and construction.
SCU Gone Wild participants have observed salamanders, a burrowing owl, a peregrine falcon, flocks of cedar waxwings, killdeers, and an increasingly diverse plant ecology on campus grounds. In addition, several SCU courses integrate field station visits and wildlife observation both on and off campus. They are currently identifying spots on campus that serve as wildlife refuges.
A brief description of plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
SCU prioritizes the preservation of bird habitats and nesting trees during any construction/renovation or landscaping projects of any sort on campus. Environmental Impact Reports are conducted prior to any major development in order to determine potential damage and come up with mitigation strategies.
SLURP and Bird Habitat: The Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project of CyPhi RLC has initiated an applied research project (as part of ENVS 195) to investigate establishing the SCU Campus record of observations in order to measure the health of the site as a bird habitat.
Optional Fields
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.