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Grounds

The grounds of the College present in six general categories:  Lawns, trees/shrubs, Lake Andrews and the Riparian Zone, cultivated gardens, athletic fields, and pavement.  What follows is a very brief description of current practice in each category along with goals for more environmentally sustainable practice.

LAWNS

Lawns are a central part of the esthetic of the campus.  The care of the lawns involve the application of external materials, including herbicides, regular mowing and irrigation.  In all of these areas efforts are made to insure environmentally sensitive practice.  These include:

  • use of organic fertilizers
  • addition of composted sludge mixed with topsoil to improve soil quality
  • “spot” invigoration to reduce water consumption
  • save topsoil from excavations for re-use – it has been more than 11 years since topsoil purchase has been necessary
  • regular aeration to counter composting tendencies
  • grass clippings left for mulch and fertilizers

    The future of lawn care includes refining these practices to achieve greater environmental sustainability and, most importantly, iniating an experiment in 2003 to test the effectiveness of organic herbicides.

    TREES/SHRUBS

    In the case of trees and shrubs the College uses fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, bark mulch and soil amendments.  The thrust of current practice is to move in a “greener” direction in the application and choice of such materials.

  • Fertilizer:  tress and shrubs are fertilized on a three to four year cycle.
    Dry, organic fertilizer is used on shrubs.  Liquid fertilizers are used on
    tress by injecting it into the soil.

  • Herbicides:  Roundup has been used around the bases of tress to minimize the use of string trimmers.  Roundup is no longer used around shrubs.

  • Pesticides:  Spraying of trees is preventative and restricted to trees especially susceptible to certain insects and diseases.  Preventative spraying allows the use of less toxic materials.

  • Mulch:  Bark mulch is purchased locally and is liberally applied to suppress weeds, add organic matter to the soil, reduce water use and contribute to the esthetic effect.

  • Plant materials are purchased locally and include native grown as well as imported species.  There are fourteen native species on campus.  A tree tour brochure highlighting 42 “historic” campus trees was produced in May 2002 and is available for educational tours.

  • Soil amendments:  Locally produced compost is used, some made on campus, to enrich the soil for new plantings.  The College composts
    landscape waste materials for use.

    Future Goals

  • Introduce mycorrhizal fungi with fertilizer to improve root absorption and reduce fertilizer use.

  • Use native plants, as appropriate, in increased amounts in order to have at least one specimen of each native tree and shrubs on campus in five years.

  • Improve composting on campus by selective inclusion of dining service waste.

  • Develop a database of all trees and shrubs with a brochure on native plants used and a link on the Bates webpage.

    LAKE ANDREWS AND THE RIPARIAN ZONE

    The Riparian Zone is the transitional area between aquatic habitats and upland habitats that includes the banks and shorelines of ponds and lakes.  The Resource Protection Zone of the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance of the Lewiston Comprehensive Plan prohibits any form of development 250-feet from the high-water line.

    Lake Andrews is an artificial, shallow pond, newly reconstructed and installed in 1998 with four primary plant zones; open water in the middle, floating plants near the outer perimeter, emergent vegetation along the edges, and upland shrubs on the shoreline.  Algae are an integral part of all four zones.  The bottom consists of mud and silt.

    Surface water at several locations on campus within the watershed of the pond drain into it from pipes installed along the shoreline.  They are:  the parking lots, lawns and sidewalks around Lane Hall, Smith Dormitory, Adams Dormitory, Page Dormitory, Olin Arts Center, Hathorn Hall, Pettengill Hall, Pettigrew/Schaeffer Hall, the football field, the Village Dormitories, and Roger William Dormitory.  This water is filtered through sand and plants along the shoreline.

    The original recommendation from the landscape architect was to avoid any application of loose fertilizers within 25′ of the water edge and this is the current practice.  The water quality of the Lake is professionally monitored in the spring, summer, and fall.

  • Pesticides are applied in spray form (with minimal drift) and injected
    form, on trees around and near the Lake.

  • Herbicides are not applied on plants around the Lake.  Algae are removed
    manually, not chemically.

  • The Bark Mulch used on plants around the Lake is the same standard mulch used on the rest of the campus.  It enhances the shoreline plants by
    preventing some erosion, adding organic material to the soil, controlling the weeds, holding moisture, and is aesthetically pleasing.

  • Native plant species were planted around the Lake as part of the new
    installation in 1998.  These species are maintained in an effort to prevent the natural succession that would overtake the pond.  These plants act as natural buffers and filters for surface water run-off, and are hardy in this climate and type of habitat.  A complete list of the plants in located in the Cutten Maintenance Center on campus.

    Future Goals

  • Create a balanced ecosystem in and around the Lake which will be as
    self-maintaining as possible while controlling major successional changes.

  • Increase the educational components of the Lake such as conducting natural resources inventories by Biology classes, engaging student
    volunteers in the seasonal water quality monitoring, and installing an interpretive panel sign explaining the ecology of the Lake habitat.

    CAMPUS GARDENS

    Campus gardens, strategically located throughout the campus, add importantly to the esthetic qualities of Bates.  They play a dramatic role in contributing to the beauty of the space and the qualities of tranquility and reflection appropriate to a college setting.

    The gardens are also symbols of the community’s relationship to the natural world.  As such, they are opportunities for the college to demonstrate sustainable practice and to educate the community on green gardening approaches.

    The following sustainable and educational practices characterize management of campus gardens:

  • 100% of the fertilization is organically based, especially with the use
    of compost

  • Bark mulch is liberally applied to conserve water, suppress weeds and
    replenish the organic content of the soil

  • 60% of the plantings in all the gardens are perennials, all of which are
    purchased in the local area.  Some are grown in the campus greenhouse.

  • The College is relying increasingly on native plants, seeking to achieve a
    goal of 50% in the next five years.

  • Annuals are removed from campus gardens in the fall and added to the
    compost for return to the soil

    Future Goals

  • Achieve 10% native plants for summer 2003; achieve 30% in five years

  • Achieve 25% perennials in flowerbeds by 2003; 50% in five years.

  • Establish a website link on the Bates webpage for all campus plantings

    ATHLETIC FIELDS

    Issues of player safety and multiple uses require special attention to ca. 10 acres of athletic fields which include one astro turf playing surface.  The College’s current management of athletic field is designed to produce a robustly health turf with minimal environmental damage.

  • Irrigation is both manual and automatic.  The latter applies to softball and
    soccer fields only.

  • Fertilize three times per year based on needs indicated by spring soil
    samples.  Little or no phosphorus is used; nitrogen and potassium content needs are determined by soil sample.

  • The College uses an integrated pest management program to maintain a
    healthy turf resistant to weed, insect and disease damage, thereby reducing the need for chemicals.

  • A regular aeration program loosens soil and promotes deeper, stronger
    root growth

  • We top-dress by adding sandy loam to replace dirt and maintain a flat
    playing surface, and we slice new seedlings with seed blends.

  • Use environmentally safe paints to mark fields.

  • Regularly drag skimmed areas of baseball and softball fields to reduce use of Roundup

    Future Goals

  • Use of organic fertilizers in 2003 as an experiment and plan to make them
    part of the regular regime

  • Install irrigation on baseball/soccer fields to reduce water use.

  • Rely increasingly on natural build-ups of healthy turf by slicing seed
    to reduce pesticide use.

    PAVEMENT

    The Campus has concrete, tar, brick, granite blocks, paving stones, compact gravel and artificial turf as impervious surfaces for parking lots, sidewalks, walkways, and athletic fields.

    Winter care of these surfaces includes application, as needed, of sand/salt mixture, calcium chloride, plus shoveling and plowing.

    Future Goal

  • Investigate the new technologies for parking lot surfaces, and install in the
    near future, an experimental area for educational and environmental
    purposes.

  • Contact Us

    Julie Rosenbach
    Manager of Sustainability Initiatives
    147 Russell Street
    Lewiston, Maine 04240
    Phone: 207-786-8367 jrosenba@bates.edu

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