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Any changes to the aesthetic nature of the land, regardless of the functional intent, shall honor the character of the land, sense of place, and quality of community life.
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Land use decisions and management practices must be tested against stated principles.
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Sacred sites shall be noted and protected to foster reverence for the land.
The following principle, with components in priority order, is to be considered for each land use decision. Decisions shall strike a balance among these components.
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Land Management: The College shall employ a deliberate process of decisionmaking for all land management questions that incorporates the following:
A.
Decisions shall protect and enhance the ecosystem.
• Ecosystems maintain integrity when their native components are intact.
Areas and taxa of special biological interest shall be protected and/or created to enhance the ecological value of our land.
• The Collegeʼs land use practices shall enhance the components of the native ecosystem - soil, water, air quality, as well as biodiversity and endemism when appropriate.
• Areas under cultivation are, by definition, impacted ecosystems.
To lessen impact on the native ecosystem, sustainable cultivation methods shall be practiced.
• Fossil fuel efficiency and conservation shall be a deciding factor when choosing land management practices.
• We recognize that the ecosystem of our land encompasses native life, geographic phenomena and ourselves, and that in this interaction we are the ones uniquely capable of exercising responsibility.
B.
The land shall be used for education in a broad context.
• Academics curriculum and Work Program practices shall reflect use of the land as a living laboratory via hands-on study and adherence to best sustainable land use practices.
• Choice of land use practices shall weigh objective data on best sustainable methods, and honor the Collegeʼs principles.
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