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Draft Plan: Rowan University Wildlife Society
Developed by Sara DiVito, Keith Meise, Alissa Ambacher, Taylor Gazdzik, Matt Kemner, Kyle Crawford, Eddie Fath, and Kelsey Wright
Vision: Our vision as the project group of Rowan is to increase the number of birds that live in the campus habitat. We want to increase the surrounding environment that will allow for the attractions of birds that have been not been seen in the area for sometime. We want to start awareness of the diminishing bird population to the student body of Rowan, and how birds are an indicator species. If we are able to achieve the goal of being able to turn the surrounding habitat to a more suitable one for birds we would be able to see a growth in this declining environment that is the Rowan Campus. A Campus that utilizes it space better, so instead of open fields we would rather have gardens or shrubbery that would increase the population of not only birds but of all animals on the campus. Partners: In order to make this vision happen, we need a large student following. Everything begins with the students. If the students want it, it will be easier to convince the faculty that these changes need to happen. Once a large student group has been organized, it will be necessary to gain support members of the faculty and members of Rowan’s community. This would include professors, such as Dr. Rob Fergus, and members of the grounds crew on campus, such as Ed Thompson, Director of Landscape Management. It may also be important to persuade the administration to employ someone in the position of Director of Environmental Health, since there is no one currently listed under that position. It will also be important to gain support from members of the administration, such as Michael Harris, Vice President of Facilities and Operations, and maybe even the president of the university himself. We plan on sending out e-‐mail invitations to a meeting that will take place in the Spring 2012 semester. Our student organization will hopefully soon become a charter of the Wildlife Society, in order to gain respect from the university. Although the group will consist of mostly students, we encourage faculty, administration, and members of the community to become involved in our organization so that we can have more support towards accomplishing our goals. Species: We chose to focus on four species for our preliminary plan, this way things would not be too overwhelming or seem too much to handle for other students involved. The first species we chose were Screech Owls. This species was chosen because our school mascot is an owl, so we knew people would get excited about actually having real owls on campus. Next we decided on the American Gold Finch because it is the state bird of New Jersey, and we know they are around here. We also selected Black-‐Capped Chickadees because they
are cute and we know they live in the area, so it’s realistic to try to attract them to campus. Our final choice was hummingbirds. We chose hummingbirds because the Green Living Community and REAL are creating a garden to attract them, and we are helping out with the garden. Screech Owls would be great to bring to campus. They are neat looking birds, with an interesting call and students would enjoy their presence. In order to help this species survive on campus we looked into their habitat, diet, and predators. If we place owl boxes around campus in areas that are lightly wooded, Screech Owls will be encouraged to come. Placing them near the stream could be beneficial because these owls tend to nest near streams, and sometimes eat frogs that could be found near the stream. We plan to put bird feeders out to attract other species of birds, and this could also attract Screech Owls. We also think that if we keep trees on campus that have large cavities in them, rather than cutting them down, we could attract owls because they live in those cavities. The Screech Owl’s predators include other larger owls, so we do not think predation will be an issue. American Gold Finches are also an attractive option to bring on campus. They are pretty, energetic, and very common in the area. To bring these finches on campus we must
provide food and habitat. We plan to place small birdhouses in the trees near the stream. Finches are always attracted to birdfeeders, and we plan on putting these around campus and filling them with aster, thistle, sunflower seeds, and nyjer seeds. Planting thistle and aster plants around lightly wooded areas on campus could also attract these birds. Cats, Blue Jays, and hawks are predators of American Gold Finches. We plan on putting the feeders and houses high enough to hinder cats. The hawks and Blue Jays could be a problem, but by making feeders small enough for the finches, the large Blue Jays
will be less likely to try to feed there or try to hunt the finches. Black-‐Capped Chickadees are a good choice for campus because they live around here and have a pretty song. To attract these birds to campus we want to place nest boxes around campus. We also want to put up feeders with peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet. In the spring they mostly eat
insects, and with the presence of gardens on campus (see next paragraph) there should be many insects. Hummingbirds have been spotted around campus, so our group believes that if we create
more attractive areas to campus then we will have even more. We plan on teaming up with REAL and the Green Living Community to create a hummingbird and butterfly garden. This area will be full of flowers that will be attractive to hummingbirds. It will provide nectar and a population of insects for the hummingbirds to consume. We would also put out hummingbird feeders. These would be placed at least 10 feet off the ground to protect the birds from cats. Other predators include Blue Jays and crows.
Habitats: Much of the Rowan University campus is green, open area that, as far as we can see, is not currently being used for any specific purpose. Potentially, all of these green, open areas can be made “friendlier” for wildlife and can contribute to the overall health of the environment of the campus – trees, shrubs, and small gardens can be planted, and perhaps even tiny ponds or bird baths can be constructed. Specifically, however, the main areas that we would like to focus on to either create an environment or protect the environment already there would be along the campus’s river (which is the Chestnut Branch of the Mantua River), Rowan Pond, Abbot’s Pond, and Robinson Circle. A relatively stable environment already exists along the Chestnut Branch of the Mantua River, and around the Rowan Pond and Abbot’s Pond; wildlife, including ducks, small birds and squirrels, can occasionally be seen in these areas, so we would most likely improve upon and continue to protect the environments that already exist in these places. In Robinson Circle, however, there are sections of open grassland which are home only to insects. This is where much of the group’s attention will be focused. This area has a lot of potential, and can be planted with trees, shrubs, or flower gardens; it would also be the area most suitable to place a small fish pond or series of bird baths in. No obvious environment exists here, and that means that this area is a blank slate which could be used for a variety of purposes.
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