Furman featured in “Campus Wild” guide

Furman University is among 85 colleges and universities featured in a new publication released by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), The Campus Wild: How College and University Green Landscapes Provide Havens for Wildlife and “Lands-on” Experiences for Students.

The detailed guide highlights how institutions of higher education are playing a dynamic role protecting wildlife and restoring habitats in campus green spaces, including on-campus landscapes and natural areas, as well as distant campus-owned lands. It explores how green places can benefit students, faculty and staff with leadership opportunities, hands-on learning, energy savings, water conservation and more.

The guide highlights 85 higher education institutions, representing all 50 states including the District of Columbia, and showcases a variety of habitat-related projects from diverse regions across the United States.

The guide describes efforts including a campus building that is home to nesting peregrine falcons, a controlled burn to restore prairie land, forest surveys to measure carbon sequestration capacity, and campus gardens that not only provide food for the dining hall, but provide hands-on learning for students and homes for local wildlife.

Says Furman biology professor Wade Worthen, “Furman views its campus as a living learning laboratory for ecology, environmental sciences, and conservation. From first-year non-science majors to seniors conducting thesis research, students are studying the water quality of Swan Lake, calculating the ecosystem service value of more than 2,000 campus trees, describing the biodiversity on campus, and planting organically-grown crops at the Furman Farm, among other environmental projects. In short, Furman students appreciate that conservation starts at home, on their own campus.”

More than half of the 4,600 schools in the United States have participated in campus ecology projects that have created wildlife habitat, increased biodiversity and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Based in Reston, Va., NWF has worked with colleges and universities for more than 25 years, supporting students, faculty and staff in their campus sustainability efforts to ensure a healthy and prosperous environment for both humans and wildlife. Learn more at www.CampusEcology.org

For more information, contact the Furman News and Media office at (864) 294-3107.