Southern Oregon University
IN-11: Grounds Certification

SOU’s Ashland Campus is settled in the foothills of the Siskiyou mountain range and our region is recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature labeled it as an Area of Global Botanical Significance. Our campus is a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. There are currently eight large scale designated pollinator habitat areas on campus, four of which are displayed and signed as Xerces Society Pollinator Habitats. SOU’s Roca Creek area is designated as a pesticide free zone and used as an educationally, protected riparian site and is a “region of conservation importance”. There are over 20 mycologically inoculated logs on campus in sites identified for biodiversity and the SOU Farm: A Center For Sustainability, contains a designated wetland. SOU is also a designated Tree Campus USA. The SOU Tree Advisory Council oversees the protection of the trees on campus through the use of the SOU Campus Tree Care Plan. The campus also now features a botanical tour highlighting more than 100 different species of trees on campus. Trees are marked with informational plaques that include QR codes that visitors can scan to learn more about the tree. https://inside.sou.edu/fmp/landscape.html#sou-botanical-tour Southern Oregon University collaborated with Bee City USA, a private nonprofit organization based in Asheville, North Carolina, to establish the Bee Campus USA designation. Through a six-month process, the university was able to align its practices to meet the new guidelines. In April 2015, Bee City USA recognized Southern Oregon University as the nation’s first Bee Campus USA designee. SOU's Bee Campus USA Subcommittee continues to work on expanding pollinator habitat on campus, offers education and interactive workshops, and applies to renew SOU's Bee Campus USA on an annual basis.

Link to Tree Campus USA campuses: https://www.arborday.org/programs/treecampususa/campuses.cfm Press Release about Tree Campus USA Designation renewal: https://news.sou.edu/2017/02/sou-receives-third-tree-campus-usa-designation/ SOU Named First Bee Campus USA: https://news.sou.edu/2015/04/sou-named-nations-first-bee-campus-usa/ SOU Bee Campus USA Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaILzmHTp58 Bee Campus USA & Certified Wildlife Habitat Article: http://siskiyou.sou.edu/2016/05/26/the-bees-are-here-to-stay/