This year the Sustainable Landscaping Subcommittee is working on some exciting projects:
1. Sustainable lawn: As many people seem to love their lawns (even with our best efforts to convince them otherwise!), we have decided to install a sustainable lawn. Keeping in mind that no lawn is completely sustainable, we can do our best! We've decided to install Pearl's Premium Grass Seed in the areas adjacent to the Science and Technology Buildings facing the Quad. The seed is a mix of slow-growing native fescues, that are tolerant of a wide range of environmental conditions, require no fertilizing or watering once established, stay green longer during the year, and only need mowed two to three times per year. Check out these sites for more information: http://pearlspremium.com/, http://www.greenscapes.org/Page-593.html.
2. Planting trees/shrubs: We are hoping to replace some of the trees that were cut down for the security cameras or because they were dying (as many of you know, most of the trees planted on campus were planted with the plastic bags around the roots, which is why many trees on campus are dying). We will have applied for funding.
3. Farmer's market: We would love to establish a farmer's market on campus, to provide access to healthy, local food for our faculty, staff, and students. For the current year we are mostly interested in having a few farmers sell their produce, etc. after school has started in the fall. If all goes well and there is interest we hope to continue and grow in the future. We need help with this project! If anyone is interested please contact Melanie Trecek-King (mtrecek-king@massasoit.mass.edu).
4. No-mow update: We have begun to manage the meadow area for desirable native prairie species and for cover and habitat for native wildlife. Mowing in the spring generally selects against the mostly introduced cool-season plants. Therefore the area was mowed this March.
5. Spring clean-up: We will need to clean up our previously planted beds this spring, mulch with fresh leaves, and finish installing signs for each species. We now have five native beds, so there's more work involved, but Erin, the student worker, will hopefully be able to handle most of it.
6. Feral cat management: Feral and free-ranging cats in the US kill billions of songbirds and small mammals each year, and have been responsible worldwide for more extinctions of bird species than any other cause except habitat destruction. Cats can also spread deadly diseases to wildlife. Cats are natural hunters, but are introduced into ecosystems. Humans give these hunters the upper hand by feeding them and caring for them, which puts even more pressure on native predators, who often are not able to compete. For more information see http://wildlife.wisc.edu/extension/catfly3.htm. We will attempt to manage the feral cat population on campus through trapping, spaying/neutering and immunizing, and then re-releasing them back on campus. While the cats will continue to hunt, they will at least stop spreading diseases and reproducing.
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