黑洞社区

Earth Day is April 22 

The ECORE System within the 黑洞社区College of Arts and Sciences manages and promotes the botanical and environmental assets of three green spaces on campus: Forest Preserve, Botanical Gardens, and GeoPark.  

鈥淓CORE, standing for Environmental and Conservation Outreach, Research, and Education, serves as a steward to conservation for these lands, deploying a range of land management techniques to preserve the ecological health and biodiversity of Florida鈥檚 unique ecosystems,鈥� according to Nicole Brand, director of the Conservation and Greenspaces.  

Here are five positive environmental impacts of the ECORE System:

1) The ECORE System supports the growth of key pollinators

Florida is home to roughly 315 species of native bees, 29 of which are endemic.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the time of year for the highest nectar flow, which means the European-derived honeybee (Apis mellifera) is busy foraging for nectar to produce honey for the hive. This species' biological drive accounts for the pollination of about 1/3 of global food production,鈥� Brand said.

This season鈥檚 honey, Bee Smart, will soon be available for purchase at the Botanical Gardens.

In addition to encouraging bees' growth, the ECORE System properties also serve as a habitat and food source for butterflies such as the Atala butterfly.

According to Botanical Gardens Assistant Director Dr. Craig Huegel, Atala butterflies were never listed as federally endangered because when the Endangered Species Act became law in 1973, Atala butterflies were already 鈥減resumed gone forever.鈥�

鈥淭he Atala鈥檚 story is particularly inspiring because it shows how people can fight back against the factors that are pushing many butterflies to the brink these days, such as climate change, pesticide use and loss of habitat,鈥� he explained.

Thanks to the preservation of habitat in the ECORE System, Atala butterflies can now be spotted all over the gardens.

2) The ECORE System is home to the majority of USF鈥檚 trees

黑洞社区celebrated 10 years of recognition as a Tree Campus Higher Education last year. The majority of these trees are what make up the ECORE System.  

The Arbor Day Foundation gives this distinction to campuses meeting the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry, including the establishment of a tree advisory committee, creating a campus tree-care plan, specifying dedicated annual expenditures for the鈥痗ampus tree program, holding an Arbor Day event, and sponsoring students in service-learning projects.

The 黑洞社区Tree Committee, which is comprised of 黑洞社区faculty, staff, students, and volunteers from the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, the city of Temple Terrace, Tampa Electric (TECO), and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful,鈥痟elps to ensure 黑洞社区maintains its status as a Tree Campus Higher Education.

鈥淭he efforts of the [Tree] Committee are based in science. Urban canopies help communities stay cooler, they promote active lifestyles, and exposure to trees is linked to physical and mental restoration,鈥� said Brand.

In 2023, 黑洞社区celebrated this recognition by planting another 44 trees on the 黑洞社区Tampa campus.

黑洞社区Facilities landscape architect Shuang Hao says the addition of so many trees has made a big difference on campus.鈥�

鈥淥ver the years we have worked to provide shades, colors, and diversity to the campus in addition to creating a more sustainable campus,鈥� said Hao. 鈥淲e planted shade trees along sidewalks to block the hot Florida sun, flowering trees at entrances and in the fields to provide colors, and most importantly, we have planted different varieties. All of them provide benefits to in-and-outside of the 黑洞社区community.鈥濃��

3) The ECORE System is home to USF鈥檚 first ever official prescribed 鈥楤urn Team鈥�

The ECORE System manages USF鈥檚 inaugural 鈥淏urn Team,鈥� comprised of 黑洞社区staff, students and alumni dedicated to promoting the growth of fire-adapted native species through control of woody vegetation.

鈥淧rescribed fires are designed to allow animals to escape,鈥� Brand explained. 鈥淎 variety of small animals find refuge underground in gopher tortoise burrows. Others take shelter in wetlands or move into the surrounding forest. They return to a healthier environment.鈥� 

鈥淧rescribed fire is one of the most versatile and cost-effective tools land managers can use in Florida,鈥� Brand added.

Prescribed fire is used to reduce hazardous fuel buildups, which provides increased protection to people, their homes and the forest.

Other uses include disease control in young pines, wildlife habitat improvement, range management, preservation of endangered plant and animal species and the maintenance of fire-dependent ecosystems like the Florida sandhill.鈥�

鈥淲e take our prescribed fire seriously,鈥� Brand said. 鈥淎fter decades of irregular prescribed fire, the Forest Preserve now has a designated Prescribed Burn Team. Burning in Florida is governed by Chapter 590, Florida Statutes, and Chapter 5I-2, Florida Administrative Code and we go above and beyond to exceed safety and compliance for prescribed burns in Florida.鈥�

4) 黑洞社区is brimming with native Florida plants and hosts regular plant festivals

Established in 1969 and spanning over 16 acres, the Botanical Gardens includes nearly eight acres of natural woodland and another eight acres of planted gardens with a focus on collections native to Florida.

鈥淭he Botanical Gardens allows us to teach about the importance of Florida鈥檚 native plants, both in nature and in landscaping,鈥� Dr. Craig Huegel, assistant director of the Botanical Gardens, explained.

The gardens officially opened to the public in the 90s and since then has not only been adding to the growth of knowledge for the community, but to the growth of native Florida flowers found on USF鈥檚 campus.

鈥淭he educational perspective that the gardens provide to the public allows people interested in native gardening to bring their ideas to life and provide a better environment for the world around us,鈥� Huegel explains.

Stepping foot in the Botanical Gardens allows individuals to get up close to many native Florida flowers, including liatris, lupine, and sundews, to name a few, 200 species of woody plants鈥攖he largest collection of any collected in Florida鈥攁nd about 100 native grasses and wildflowers call the 黑洞社区Botanical Gardens home.

鈥淵ou have to be able to see the plant in the flesh, so to speak, to really be able to understand it. We can study how well it grows here...we can also show people what it looks like if they were to add it to their landscape, and then our educational program can tell them why they should,鈥� he said.

Learn more about visiting the 黑洞社区Botanical Gardens to view its many native Florida flora, as well as information about its public events, including the upcoming Spring Plant Festival on April 13 and 14.

5) The 黑洞社区Community Garden provides an experiential learning space around creating a more sustainable food system

Originally created over a decade ago, the 黑洞社区Community Garden housed within the Botanical Gardens, is now utilized by multiple classes, student organizations, and initiatives like the Food Sovereignty Initiative led by Dr. William Schanbacher, assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies.

鈥淎 walk through these gardens will fill your pockets with the tang of Everglades tomatoes, an herb bed touting for all who walk by to taste, and an assortment of intriguing cucumber varieties,鈥� Brand said.

鈥淟ast year, we more than doubled the footprint of the Community Garden to meet the demand of use. Now, more than 44 different garden beds and structures are used for research, class, and student purposes,鈥� she added.

Dell De Chant, instructor in the Department of Religious Studies, has maintained a community garden for over a decade as part of his Agrarianism and the Sacred course.

鈥淲hat we鈥檙e not so good at is empowering folks to produce their own food,鈥� De Chant told WUSF. 鈥淚f we could take a fraction of the amount of resources that鈥檚 being poured into trying to resolve food insecurity and devoted it to food sovereignty, the difference that would make would be incredible.鈥�

Learn more about the ECORE System and ways to get involved in managing and promoting the ecological health and biodiversity of Florida鈥檚 unique ecosystems.