University earns kudos for commitment to ecology

Published

The University of Louisiana at ĒąÉ¬Ö±²„ has one ā€œwildā€ campus.

Itā€™s one of 85 colleges and universities, and the only one in Louisiana, profiled in ā€œThe Campus Wild: How College and University Green Landscapes Provide Havens for Wildlife and ā€˜Lands-onā€™ Experiences for ĒąÉ¬Ö±²„s.ā€

The National Wildlife Federationā€™s campus habitat guide singles out schools that ā€œare playing a dynamic role in protecting wildlife and restoring habitats,ā€¦,ā€ according to information at .

A profile about the University in ā€œThe Campus Wildā€ 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 Universityā€™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 lakeā€™s cypress trees, and water birds, such as egrets and herons, wade its shores.

ā€œThe Campus Wildā€ guide can be viewed at

For more information about the National Wildlife Federation, visit