Embedded Files
In the interest of improving our community, past ENST students have completed SMP's that are focused on our own campus and surrounding areas. They have provided their final projects in hopes that someone else will pick up where they left off.
If you choose to build upon an existing project, be sure to cite the original source and inform them of your choice to continue their work if they have provided their contact information (email).
If you have completed a project and wish to add it to this space, fill out this form.
The keywords beneath each project were adapted from the 12 NWF's EcoSchool Sustainability pathways. Some keywords were changed to reflect a higher level of expectation.
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Consumption & Waste, Energy, Health, Safety & Justice, Education, Green Building & Landscaping, Sustainable Food, Transportation, Water, Watersheds, Oceans, and Wetlands
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Consumption & Waste, Energy, Health, Safety & Justice, Education, Green Building & Landscaping, Sustainable Food, Transportation, Water, Watersheds, Oceans, and Wetlands
This project establishes an ArcGIS platform for the properties of Historic St. Mary’s City (HSMC). It is designed to improve the Critical Area Buffer Management Plan (CABMP) at HSMC when they submit it for state review. Previous Buffer Management Plans designated zones along the shoreline, but the improved mapping platform will streamline data entry and allow new buffer management to be conducted within property lines instead of arbitrary habitat areas. Over 720 data points were gathered using GPS surveys including identifying or updating locations of invasive and non-invasive species. Three high concentration areas were identified within the northern properties of the park. A total of 28 species were identified over 27.5 acres. Initial survey data focused on areas of high concentration of Phragmites australis or Phragmites and Broussonetia papyrifera or Paper Mulberry; invasive species that are prolific in Southern Maryland. The project broadened to encompass surveyed native and non-native tree species within two parcels, also called focus areas. The data were captured to streamline future updates to the CABMP and provide an example and scope for the potential of the mapping platform.
Increasing the availability of pollinator habitat at St. Mary’s College of Maryland (SMCM) is crucial to improving the likelihood of pollinator survival in St. Mary’ County, Maryland. There has been a sharp decline in pollinator population due to parasites, pesticides, and loss of habitat. In St. Mary’s County the amount of developed land has increased by 21% from 1973-2010, thus decreasing potential pollinator habitat. Pollinators are vital to the nutritional and economic health of the human population. As a public, educational institution with many green spaces and a high capacity for future pollinator habitats, SMCM is an ideal choice for the promotion of pollinators. This project proposes how SMCM can diversify available pollinator habitat on the campus by providing pollinator-friendly landscape designs and implementation procedures for successful habitats. Drawing on the literature of pollinator conservation, landscape design, and the incorporation of native species, four landscape designs are proposed to increase the pollinator habitat on campus. ArcGIS was used to analyze the change of landscape throughout the county and better understand the SMCM landscape characteristics. The designs were created using a landscape design software after careful consideration of habitat requirements for pollinators. The designs included two flowering meadows and two structured gardens. These designs illustrate multiple ways the SMCM campus can advocate for the conservation of pollinators. Furthermore, they can be used as an example for other public institutions who are working towards integrating ecological and aesthetic components into public spaces.
Environmental literacy is broadly defined as a knowledge of surroundings, both natural and artificial, that informs decisions. My project focuses on the development, undertaking, and analysis of guided ecology walks to Chancellor’s Point which promote environmental literacy. Inspired by pre-orientation adventure programs offered at other undergraduate institutions, I designed a guided walk through trails in Historic St. Mary’s City and led the walk during first-year orientation. Interest from campus clubs and organizations throughout the fall semester allowed me to lead the walk in other contexts and further improve its content. I developed an online survey to assess the effectiveness of the walks and received an overwhelmingly positive response, suggesting that the walk would be successful if institutionalized. In order to promote sustainability of the walk, I composed a written manual detailing suggested tips, content, and data retrieved from the surveys.
Biodiversity, Health, Education, Green Building & Landscaping, Watersheds Oceans & Wetlands
Rowan Limbach, 2019
Rowan Limbach, 2019
The design of outdoor public spaces has important social and environmentalimplications. Whenever a space is rearranged or altered to serve a spacific function, itnot only impacts the immediate activities that happen there, but also the dynamicsocial and ecological relationships that unfold as the space is used. This researchapplies the theories of human centered design and regenerative design in order tounderstand the potential for outdoor public spaces on the St. Mary’s College ofMaryland (SMCM) campus to better facilitate social and ecological wellbeing throughtheir everyday use. This research is place based in that it is specifically tailored to fitthe context of the physical, social, and administrative environments of the SMCMcampus. By conducting a series of informational interviews, an online survey of thestudent body, and focus groups, my research draws on a broad variety of localperspectives in order to identify actionable information that can be used to improveoutdoor spaces on campus for students who’s everyday interactions are shaped by thedesign of its outdoor spaces. I then compare the findings of this study to an assessmentused by the SMCM administration to inform the development of the campus landscape.My research identifies key differences between experiential knowledge of students andthe expert knowledge of campus planners suggesting that students’ alternative ways ofunderstanding space can offer important new perspectives that should be integratedinto the campus design process.
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