The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has one “wild” campus.
It’s one of 85 colleges and universities, and the only one in Louisiana, profiled in “The Campus Wild: How College and University Green Landscapes Provide Havens for Wildlife and ‘Lands-on’ Experiences for Students.”
The National Wildlife Federation’s campus habitat guide singles out schools that “are playing a dynamic role in protecting wildlife and restoring habitats,…,” according to information at www.nwf.org.
A profile about the University in “The Campus Wild” highlights Cypress Lake, a two-acre microcosm of the nearby Atchafalaya River Basin. A photo of a great egret standing near the edge of the lake from the University’s website louisiana.edu also is featured.
Cypress Lake offers more than a bucolic setting in the heart of campus. The diverse ecosystem provides students, including biology classes that study in adjacent Wharton Hall, with learning opportunities.
It is home to alligators, several species of turtles, and fish such as bass, sunfish, and garfish. Birds, such as hawks, nest in the lake’s cypress trees, and water birds, such as egrets and herons, wade its shores.
“The Campus Wild” guide can be viewed at http://www.nwf.org/Campus-Ecology/Resources/Reports/The-Campus-Wild.aspx
For more information about the National Wildlife Federation, visit www.nwf.org