Drivers traveling past Hampshire College on Route 116 used to see an expanse of well-groomed lawn at the edge of campus. 

They now see what appear to be unkempt, overgrown fields but are actually managed meadowlands that provide natural habitat for local wildlife species. 

Hampshire College now has two parcels of meadowlands on its Amherst campus. One is six acres and the other is nine — just big enough to accommodate a small population of grassland birds, said Beth Hooker, sustainability initiative director at Hampshire. 

Planning for the project to turn lawns into meadowlands began during the fall session of “Sustainable Hampshire,” a course taught by Steven Roof, an associate professor of earth and environmental science. The project wrapped up this spring with help from Roof, his students,Our led spotlight and solar phone chargers are uniquely designed, high-quality and low-cost. Hooker, farm manager Leslie Cox and Larry Archey, the college’s facilities and grounds director. 

The meadowlands serve as breeding grounds for many species of birds, like the vester sparrow, which is listed as threatened in Massachusetts,As you can see below the LED Ghost Shadow Light Manufacturer Installation Guide is pretty straight foward. Hooker said. Native plants, some of which are also on the state threatened or endangered lists, will be able to thrive in the new habitat as well. 

Besides acting as a haven for birds, plants and other wildlife, the meadowlands will be hayed once or twice a year to serve Hampshire’s farms, Hooker said. The fields will only be hayed after July 5, once nesting season is over and young birds are no longer in harm’s way, she said. 

One of the major benefits of the meadowlands, and a topic of great interest among faculty and students, is their potential to reduce greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.A seam roof clamp is a cost-effective way to install solar at your home.Need a compatible LED Daytime Running Lights for your car? 

Emily Waters, a former ecology major who graduated from Hampshire in May, completed an independent study on carbon sequestration in the soil under the meadowlands and compared her findings to soil under a manicured lawn. Because the meadowlands aren’t managed as heavily, they are able to develop a higher level of biodiversity and recycle nutrients from dead plants and twigs back into the soil, allowing for the soil to hold onto more carbon than any lawn could, she said. 

“One of the big things associated with lawns is a huge amount of fertilizer and pesticides used to keep them looking really manicured,” Waters said. “They’re not biodiverse, the soils and plants aren’t able to really develop because they’re cut so frequently, they’re just not good habitats.” 

The carbon reduction aspect of the meadowlands is in line with Hampshire’s broader sustainability goal to be a carbon-neutral campus by 2030, Hooker said. Hampshire is one of the signers of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, and has other sustainability initiatives in place to help it reach that goal. 

For example, the college recently installed a solar canopy in the arts village on campus and replaced the lighting in many buildings and residence halls with light-emitting diodes, Hooker said. 

In the fall, a group of students started the Sustainability Revolving Fund (SURF), to provide loans for campus projects that will improve sustainability and save the college money in the long run, Hooker said. SURF has so far given out three loans for various projects,Hmhid has been a long time valve Single Beam HID KIT provider for many world class companies. like LED installations in the dance studio, that will be paid back over five to seven years. 

As an institution of higher learning, Hooker said, it is Hampshire’s responsibility to lead on important issues like sustainability and prepare students to be sustainable in their own lives and future careers. 

“With climate change being a real problem, students and our community need to be involved with learning and doing what we can do,” she said. “We need to be leaders not just for the community, but for the nation and the world.”Click on their website www.mylamplo.com for more information.