Committee Purpose
Over the past few years, the Sustainability Office and the Roads and Grounds department have been taking steps to manage campus-owned acreage in more sustainable ways, to encourage pollinator and insect presence, to manage and maintain campus trees, and to create more inviting outdoor spaces. To further these initiatives and continue to make progress, these groups formed the Sustainable Landscapes Committee in Spring 2023. This committee includes members of WVU faculty, staff, and students who have extensive knowledge and experience in sustainable landscape planning and development. The committee plans and installs pollinator gardens, selects appropriate plant species, maintains WVU's Bee Campus designation, and suggest best practices for incorporating sustainability into land management on campus.
Bee Campus USA Designation
This designation from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation supports and encourages pollinator conservation on college and university campuses. Requirements of the designation are intended to ensure survival of vital insect species (bees and beyond), address pest issues with as few pesticides as possible, and to educate the campus community on how important plant and pollinator diversity is to our local environment.
Pollinator Gardens on Campus
Life Sciences Building (Established 2022)
This rain/pollinator garden serves a dual purpose on campus. The garden is designed to collect rain water from nearby building roof downspouts and impervious surfaces like paved parking lots and sidewalks. Pollinator plants were later added to the garden to provide food and nesting sites for insects such as bee, butterflies, and beetles. The garden is mostly made of Purple Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan, and Sunflowers.
PRT Towers East (Established 2022)
This is one of two greenspaces in between WVU's personal rapid transit (PRT) tracks that has been transformed into a vibrant pollinator garden offering beauty and purpose. A blend of 27 deer resistant native plant seed varieties (largely made up of Little Bluestem, Purple Coneflower, and Virginia Wildrye) inhabit the garden which can be seen by PRT passengers as they travel to and from the Towers PRT station.
Evansdale Crossing (Established 2023)
This rain/pollinator garden serves a dual purpose on campus. The garden is designed to collect rain water from nearby building roof downspouts and impervious surfaces like paved parking lots and sidewalks. 100 native pollinator plants were added later to the garden to provide food and nesting sites for insects. The garden is largely made up of Cardinal Flower, Greys Sedge, Blue Vervain, and Red Milkweed.
PRT Towers West (Established 2024)
This greenspace in between WVU's personal rapid transit (PRT) tracks was newly transformed to a pollinator garden in May 2024. The garden is a blend of 34 native plant seed varieties (largely made up of Little Bluestem, Purple Coneflower, and Virginia Wildrye). Within the first two months this garden has blossomed into a dense mixture of flowering plants that attract hummingbirds, butterflies and other native pollinators that can be seen by passengers riding the PRT to and from the Towers PRT station.
Evansdale Library (Established 2024)
This is WVU's newest pollinator garden located in a part sun, part shade area across the road from the Evansdale Library parking lot. 25 different native species were planted in July 2024. The garden features several varieties of mint and Bluestem along with vibrant flowering plants like Blacked Eyed Susan and Common Evening Primrose.