Report on Proposal for Elementary School in Anderson Prairie Land Use Committee Executive Summary The college administration asked the Land Use Committee to evaluate a proposal to develop 7 acres of Anderson Prairie as an elementary school (pre-k to 3 rd ) with associated facilities and infrastructure. The committee reviews proposals using the Land Stewardship Plan (2010) with input from the college community and additional resources. The committee membership includes representatives from college administration, staff, faculty, and students. Feedback from the community focused on current students, faculty, and staff, but we also appreciated input from alumni and the Decorah community. The committee voted that the proposal is not consistent with the Land Stewardship Plan; and as such the proposal should not be carried forward. Based on the committee s assessment, the proposal would restrict or in some cases eliminate our ability to meet the three major goals of the Land Stewardship Plan (educational mission of the college; nurturing connections to and care for our natural surroundings; and act as stewards of the natural areas placed in our care). The committee also found that the proposal is inconsistent with the Land Stewardship Plan s specific goals for Anderson Prairie, particularly its use for education, research, and recreation. Students, faculty, and staff have a deep connection to Anderson Prairie and it serves as one of the unique characteristics of the college. Given this sense of place and entryway to the college and Decorah, many raised significant concerns about the potential impacts of this proposal on student recruitment and retention in a current era of admissions uncertainty. Members of the Land Use Committee, along with many of the students, faculty, and staff who submitted comments, respect the partnership between the college and the Decorah community, and wish to strengthen that partnership in the future. Indeed, committee members and the college community provided ideas on how to assist the school board and City of Decorah in other ways, during the time of transition, construction, and beyond. Others thought of new ventures to build on the strong collaborations that already exist between the college and the school district. It is not the place of this committee to outline such potential collaborations, but we hope they will be pursued in place of this proposal. We trust this document shows that Anderson Prairie has significant value for both the college and the Decorah community. Our full assessment of the proposal is provided below. Anderson Prairie School Proposal Land Use Committee report Page 1
Approximate footprint of a 7-acre parcel superimposed on Anderson Prairie, with adjacent college facilities. Anderson Prairie was dedicated by the Board of Regents on November 11, 1995 in honor of Jutta F. and H. George Anderson, the then presidential couple. Any expansion of Baker Village would extend into the prairie from the north. Anderson Prairie in the context of Luther College s Land Stewardship Plan Based on the Land Stewardship Plan, the Land Use committee evaluated a proposal to develop 7 acres of Anderson Prairie as an elementary school (pre-k to 3 rd ) for the Decorah School District. In 2010, the Board of Regents approved a Land Stewardship Plan that set objectives to assist with long-term planning for the college s natural areas. The plan benefitted from a long history of the college s connection with and service to the surrounding landscape. Three primary goals were established: Land Stewardship and Natural Areas Goals (Land Stewardship Plan, 2010): To support the educational mission of the college, To nurture a connection with place by providing opportunities to explore, enjoy, care for, and contemplate the natural world, To fulfill our responsibility as land stewards by sustaining and restoring the ecological communities placed in our care. In addition to overall goals, there were specific goals for Anderson Prairie (Land Stewardship Plan, 2010): Due to its accessibility, this area has the highest educational and recreational use. Increasing the educational value by restoring diverse habitats should be the highest priority. The primary method of managing Anderson Prairie will be continued use of spring prescribed burns, some mowing, and occasional mid-summer or fall burns when research needs warrant the availability of those treatments. Given the proximity of this open space to College Drive and the central campus, future core campus expansion may take place in Anderson Prairie. Any future development should be restricted to the southern edge along Ridge Road. Compatible uses: Restoration of native plant communities, recreation, education, research Incompatible uses: Sale of land, annual agriculture Anderson Prairie School Proposal Land Use Committee report Page 2
The goals of the Land Stewardship Plan have been affirmed elsewhere, including the Sesquicentennial Strategic Plan ( deepen the college s commitment to a sustainable future by creating awareness and nurturing a connection to place. ) and our recent 2016-18 College Priorities ( Continue to implement the sustainability goals adopted in 2008 and Increase programs, opportunities and resources to help students enhance their well-being. ). Important highlights of how the college is meeting each of the three major goals of the Land Stewardship Plan in Anderson Prairie: Educational mission of the college Over the past five years, over 30 courses from at least 9 programs/departments from across campus have used Anderson Prairie. Some courses, such as Introductory Biology (est. 170-200 students annually), use the prairie for multiple weeks during the semester to introduce students to research questions, such as investigating the interactions among grassland birds and wildflowers or the effect of different restoration techniques. In other courses, such as Creative Writing or Environmental Philosophy, students visit the prairie for contemplative writing assignments or journal entries. Conducting research is an area in which Luther excels to offer student opportunities during their education at Luther. Anderson Prairie has been the setting for countless student research projects as a part of class research, senior projects, and long-term summer research projects. In particular, Anderson is used because of its proximity to indoor classrooms, but also because it s long-term data sets have been accumulating since the 1990s. In biological research, long-term data sets are important to understand trends that frequently do not appear in only a few years. Seven peerreviewed publications have been published by students (with Professor Kirk Larsen) on their research in Anderson Prairie. Hands on research experiences are critical to the development of our students. Effects of proposal on educational mission The educational opportunities for programs and departments that currently use Anderson would see a decline in quality of their use (if not outright loss). Classes, projects, contemplative writing, and any new student research would be constrained by loss of prairie, species, competing noise from the school, and visibility. Research plots would be lost and end the collection of a long-term data set. One reason for considering this proposal was that physical proximity might increase connections between the college s Education department and the elementary school. However, the college currently has a very positive relationship with the Decorah Community School District (including Luther student observations, assistance, and upper class Methods placements). The Education department is confident that this relationship will remain strong, regardless of where the school is built. Many education majors and alumni noted that Decorah is such a small town that connections with and access to the schools is not an issue. Additionally, the Biology, other STEM, and Education departments currently work with teachers from the Decorah School District on sponsored science Anderson Prairie School Proposal Land Use Committee report Page 3
workshops, practicums, and research partnerships through the HHMI Science Research and Education Grant. The feedback received from the Luther community saw the proposed school negatively affecting the educational mission in multiple ways, from its use in courses (mentioned by 53% of faculty, 25% of staff, 35% of students) to its use in faculty-student research (mentioned by 19% of faculty, 14% of students). Anderson Prairie was one of the drawing points that made me choose Luther. It was valuable to my learning experience for a variety of classes and provided an amazing recreational area during stressful times. Student comment First, we consider the college s primary mission to be teaching and learning: something that takes place in the prairie as the nearest-to-central-campus natural area, and the college s oldest large area of established prairie. English Department statement Nurturing connections When deciding between other similar schools, I choose Luther because the natural areas it prides itself on. Taking away a prairie, especially one so prominent on Luther lands would greatly diminish its appeal to prospective students. Student comment Students attend Luther for varying reasons, from studying Music to Spanish language to Environmental Studies and more. However, students typically do not select their college on program alone, and many students are drawn by Luther s surroundings. Feedback indicates that many students specifically chose Luther because of its peaceful campus surrounded by natural areas, rather than being surrounded by development (mentioned by 27% of students). This access to prairie and woodlands, especially in the heart of campus, defines students sense of place connection with Luther, and is a characteristic that sets us apart from most of our peer institutions. Anderson Prairie continues to be one of the most highly used college prairies due to its accessibility. Students across campus report using Anderson Prairie as a place to escape to, when they need a break from busy and sometimes stressful college life. On many other college campuses, students must travel by vehicle to get to college owned natural areas and trails. The connections to Anderson Prairie extend well into the Decorah community. Many neighbors wrote in to give stories about their regular use of the trails in Anderson Prairie. Elementary and grade school age children participate in Discovery Camps run by the college s Center for Sustainable Communities. Discovery camp kids are in the prairie daily at the peak of its growth in the summer, when the prairie has the most abundant displays of flowers, insects, and birds. There was a longstanding tradition of Decorah students using Anderson and other Luther prairies as the primary Anderson Prairie School Proposal Land Use Committee report Page 4
locations for their insect collections (7 th grade). Last September, Decorah parents and their children participated in banding monarchs with college faculty and students. Effects of proposal on nurturing connections with the natural world The development of Anderson Prairie (as a non-college resource) might likely lead to a decline in admissions from students who place value our natural areas and picturesque setting. Many students brought up the incongruity of elementary school-aged children and college life, including noise, traffic, and the sense of a college campus. The proposal would also result in a decrease in the cohesiveness between central campus and this natural areas classroom and decrease its usefulness as a respite for students during the school year. Building an elementary school might lead to additional opportunities for young children to interact with prairie and opportunities for teachers to develop prairie-centered curriculum. However, these same lessons for 3-8 year olds might be incorporated into a prairie garden nearer a new school that would not result in a loss of an established prairie habitat, and at such a cost to the college. College community feedback on the proposal frequently raised the issue of connection to the natural world and its importance (mentioned by 19% of faculty, 19% of staff, 26% of students). Stewardship of our resources Luther College was founded where river, woodland, and prairie meet, we practice joyful stewardship of the resources that surround us (Luther College Mission Statement) Many students also indicate that they were specifically drawn to Luther during the admissions process by the strong sustainability espoused and practiced by the college. They talk about a college ethos of land care and stewardship that protects natural areas, especially in a context of an agriculturally-focused landscape. This ethos is embodied in the college s mission statement. Luther is seen as a model amongst our students, our region, and statewide as an example of land stewardship, conservation, and natural areas management. Anderson Prairie provides significant water infiltration, water quality improvement, and flood water storage for water draining from surrounding developments. In the past four summers, the portion of Anderson Prairie nearest College Drive and Ridge Road has been flooded for at least one month. A seven-acre building site would remove this infiltration and increase the amount of water entering the City sewer system and the Upper Iowa River. Other ecosystem services provided by reconstructed prairies include carbon sequestration and improved air quality. Anderson Prairie also plays a significant role in improving local biodiversity. For example, over 200 monarch butterflies were banded in a two hour period in September 2016. The prairie is populated by migratory birds for nesting and feeding habitat and hosts numerous species of native pollinators. Anderson Prairie School Proposal Land Use Committee report Page 5
Effects of proposal on stewardship If developed as a school, this would result in a loss of habitat, habitat fragmentation, loss of species, and decrease overall biodiversity. As prairie becomes fragmented and reduced in size by development, the overall value of the prairie decreases because of edge effects and restrictions to only species that can survive in smaller patches. Managing the prairie with prescribed fire would become more difficult, which would negatively affect fire-dependent species. The development would also encounter significant environmental issues including flooding and reduced carbon sequestration capacity. Overall, there was a strong sense among faculty, students, and staff that putting a school on Anderson Prairie would go against Luther's commitment to sustainability and its mission, and would diminish student connection to the land (mentioned by 33% of faculty, 38% of staff, 36% of students). The negative impacts of the proposal on biodiversity, conservation, and environmental issues were raised by 44% of faculty, 50% of staff, and 46% of student responses. We are all invested in the local schools and can continue to offer services and support to the schools in alternative ways. Faculty comment Good stewardship of our environmental resources is part of our Luther mission. While leasing a portion of the prairie technically gets around the "sale of land" stated as "incompatible" in the land use plan, doing so clearly goes against the intended uses of the prairie and goes against the mission of the college. Staff comment Regulatory considerations exist if land use were to change Endangered Species Any federally protected species and lands that may harbor the species are subject to regulatory processes to ensure no harm is made to the species or their habitat. The rusty patched bumble bee was listed as Federally Endangered on Jan. 10, 2017. We have documented this species on our other prairies. It stands to reason that this species might use Anderson Prairie also. The monarch butterfly is currently under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as to whether it merits protection as federally endangered across the U.S. Significant populations of monarchs exist in Anderson Prairie. Luther is part of Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium with the goal of improving monarch abundance by increasing breeding habitat. Community input summary The land use committee received 318 student comments (2 in favor, 316 opposed), 25 staff comments (6 in favor, 19 opposed), and 37 faculty comments (which included letters from three departments Anderson Prairie School Proposal Land Use Committee report Page 6
representing 35 individuals; 1 comment was in support, 36 were opposed). Comments in forums for faculty, staff, and students likewise found widespread opposition. The reasons given for opposition varied among the groups, and are largely echoed in the summary above. However, concerns about traffic on Ridge Rd and College Drive were also common (mentioned by 13% of students, 31% of faculty, 36% of staff). In addition, all three groups also brought up concerns over the magnified impacts of student misconduct if near an elementary school. Land Use Committee Members (2016-2017) Molly McNicoll (co-chair) Jay Uthoff (co-chair) Eric Baack (Bio/ENVS/Science) Maren Beard (Center for Sustainable Communities) Ivan Hackman (Facilities) Perry Halse (Facilities) Abigail Hughes (Student representative) Kirk Larsen (Bio/Science) Jeff Leschensky (Development) Shannon Meehan (Student representative) John Moeller (Political Science/Social Sci) Ben Moore (Art/Humanities) Eric Runestad (VP for Finance and Administration) Megan Sherman (Facilities) Paul Frana (Facilities) On leave Spring 2017 Report finalized March 17, 2017 Anderson Prairie School Proposal Land Use Committee report Page 7