|
|
|
Surprisingly, the Cook-Douglass Campus contains many areas of open space and natural habitats. These areas of environmental
significance range from Helyar Woods old growth forest to the quiet waters of Weston Mill Pond to the Cook Farm fields and pastures to
Douglass's wooded ravines to scenic Passion Puddle. There are also a number of forgotten corners where marshes, grassy swales and
forest woodlots still persist. In many cases, this 'green infrastructure' is under appreciated in campus planning and management.
The goal of this year.s course was the identification and assessment of these environmentally significant areas, what we term green
infrastructure, on the Cook-Douglass campus. Using color infrared aerial photography, the students mapped the Cook-Douglass campus. land
use/land cover. Large areas of environmentally significant habitat were identified and a sampling scheme devised. Armed with GPS
receivers, the students visited these sites and recorded information concerning the species composition of the woody vegetation along
with information on the terrain and soils. Ground photos were taken to document the site. These map and field data were then integrated
into a GIS data file with appropriate metadata documentation and is available for free download.
|