Student Comment

"URI doesn't even have enough money to maintain their faculty and they are trying to build a multi-million dollar facility to become a regional leader in biotechnology? They have this new branding initiative that gave them a new website featuring scrolling boxes with text that I can barely read and pointless "quad cams." I would also be interested in how much money they spent for some company to come up with the slogan "Think Big. We Do." Four words that mean absolutely nothing and are likely one reason for the continued hikes in our tuition. And don't you just love those little banners along Upper College Road? The State of Rhode Island is on the verge of cutting off virtually all funding to URI, which would essentially make it a private school in publically-owned buildings. But if URI really needs to build this office park (which would feature a PARKING GARAGE, yes thats right we've only needed one for, well, for a long time) then why do we need to cut down the forest to do it? Why not build it on one of the many useless turf fields that dot the bottom of campus? Not only are they a waste of space, but they are also really flat and would save a lot of time and money in preparing for construction (no pesky trees or rocks to remove). URI will be getting a new president in the next few months, hopefully one that will recognize the value of the North Woods."
-Alex Patterson

From the editor

This is an open invitation for anyone viewing. If you cannot post to this forum send your comments to herpo313@gmail.com or zseverin@mail.uri.edu and I will post them for you. Also please feel free to send this link to anyone you feel would care to read about this subject. Even if you don't agree with their view it would be helpful to hear it.

URI Graduate comment

"I did know that there were plans to do some development in the North Woods. However, I was not aware of any specifics or controversies related to the plans. I have to believe that environmental impacts were taken into consideration in the planning and permitting phases of the project. With that said, I also know that the developer, in this case the University, can make the decision to take the high road and put environmental preservation as a first priority. I am disheartened to learn that the University did not take this approach even though they have stated as a Green Campus that "the functioning of natural systems on campus should be both protected and highlighted as a tool for learning...". Not only should you continue with this blog, but I would suggest that you invite key University decision makers as well as state and federal environmental agencies to participate in the discussion."
-Carlene Newman

URI Graduate comment

"I definitely support halting the development in the North Wood is only for the purpose of having an outdoor classroom for hands-on learning. As it is, URI could stand to provide more opportunities for students to be out in the field. One of the problems with hosting outings are liability issues. The furhter away from campus, the more liabilities. If only for academic purposes, it makes no sense to get rid of one of the most accessible and useful areas for the outdoor classroom.

Ecollogically speaking, old growth forests are extremely important to our world! We're not just talking about protecting a certain species that could potentially be repopulated elsewhere; the value of this place has to do with its age and the intricate developments that only undisturbed habitats can produce over time. The forests of New England have suffered mass clearings since the onset of colonisation. What remains, or what has grown back, is extremely valuable and should be protected.

What are they planning on building?"

-Elisa Midence

Another Student Comment

I'm posting a comment here from another URI student, Robert Swanson, who also is the president of the URI Wildlife Society.

"This is great! I think that the only thing that you could do is to continueto expand the message as you learn more! Continue to stress the fact that there really aren't any other forests like this in southern Rhode Island thatare accessible to students in this way that the North Woods is. Hundreds ifnot thousands of students have taken advantage of the North Woods throughout URI's history and think of the possibilities for the future if it is preserved. There is almost every type of successional habitat in the forest all the way from field to early to mid to late successional, we just don't have climax forest yet but if they don't cut it down we will. The North Woods is, like you said, one of the oldest forest specimens in our area and it is still largely intact and has almost no history of logging which is incredibly rare especially when you consider the fact that those trees in the oldest stand are of extremely high quality and would be worth quite a bit of money. You also might want to mention that the site they want to build on has a soil ordination number of 3 for growing timber. The soil ordination numbers go from 5 to 1, 1 being the best. Because our soils are so young (geologically speaking) the best ordination number found in RI is only a 3 and this is one of the best sites in the area! The highest ordination number in all of New England I think is only a 2 so a 3 is really good for around here! The trees on the site are of an extremely high quality and would make beautiful lumber but they make even better wildlife habitat and an outdoor classroom. I guess just continue to stress how rare the site is and how valuable it is for wildlife but also as a unique teaching opportunity (as you've mentioned). Also maybe mention all the student projects that have been carried out in the North Woods, I did one there myself this semester for Field Ornithology. Field Ornithology also used the North Woods for a field trip this semester too. Keep fighting the good fight! Hope this helps."

Protecting the North Woods

While speaking to a faculty member about the proposed development I discovered that the site of construction in the woods is actually going to be in the oldest stand of trees in the North Woods. When I asked how old the stand was I was told that it was somewhere around 95 years old. That makes it one of the oldest tree stands in South County. That may not mean much but think of it from a teaching perspective. Thousands of students have spent time learning in the North Woods. Off the top of my head I know for a fact that BIO101, Forestry, Plant Taxonomy, Wildlife Field Techniques, and Wetland Wildlife take trips into the North Woods. URI's own Wildlife Society uses it to teach local High School students in. It is an important part of campus as an educational tool and destroying one of the oldest tree stands we have available to us means losing a resource that in all honesty takes ~95 years to get back! We have plenty of examples of disturbed forest to look at. We have plenty of examples of regenerating forest, but without this stand of old trees we will lack an example of a mature forest. Speaking from my own experience as a senior at URI, hands on learning is the best you can get and there is nothing hands on about looking at a picture of a mature forest or reading about one when you can walk across the street to be in one. If that gets taken away, then pictures and words on a page will be all that we have readily available on our campus for Faculty and for students.

Proposed construction on the North Woods of URI

When I found out that the University of Rhode Island's Kingston Campus was planning construction on the North Woods across Flag Road I was concerned. As a student of the university studying wildlife and conservation biology I would have hoped to have heard something of this sooner. I suppose though that I have heard about this rather early on because of the people I speak with daily on campus and the friends I have who are students of URI as well, none of them knew about this proposal either. The main thing that I did know about the University of Rhode Island concerning the environment was that staff and administrators were working towards a "Green Campus". You can even find that piece of information on their website. Though I recommend that you do, if you don't care to go searching yourself, here are some excerpts from the website regarding "going green":

"The Kingston campus itself should serve as a model of sustainable design. The functioning of natural systems on campus should be both protected and highlighted as a tool for learning..."

"The University campus is a wonderful repository of botanical and ecological knowledge. The Christopher Memorial Arboretum provides funds to maintain and protect the plant variety on campus, and Plant Science classes regularly use the campus as a teaching tool. The University should take advantage of all opportunities to enhance the teaching potential of the campus and its ecosystems."

"Some of the most attractive areas on campus are also the most ecologically sensitive...These natural resources should be protected from invasion by new construction or ecologically damaging activities."