Anyone on the Collins Hill Campus has noticed our new meadow restoration projects on many formally mowed areas. These areas (blue on the map) were identified by a team from the Inst. for a Sustainable Environment, Ground crew and President Collins as areas with limited summer activity and a lot of potential to support a range of pollinators, birds and small animals. Bird houses have been built by many students and installed by the grounds crew in many of these areas
The concept of restoring some of our mowed lawns to a more natural state was initiated through an on-going ISE Sustainability Fund project. Results of an open house that included many images of landscape options indicated that a majority of people liked the idea of meadows around the periphery of campus. We will continue to work on adding wildflower seeds to selected areas as these restored areas evolve. It will take time to really establish the diverse vegetation that we are striving for.
