Acerca de
Our research
Towards a self-sustaining meadow:
We want the Mac Meadow to be a natural greenspace that promotes biodiversity of bugs and birds and more, especially our native pollinators. Our long-term goal is that this rich ecosystem will require less maintenance than a traditional lawn.
​
Preparing the site, selecting the seeds, and planting them was all informed by research specific to our location. We researched and used pesticide free methods of de-weeding: using clear tarps to kill weeds with solar energy. Early site management such as seeding, and mowing were also researched to maximize root structure in first years. The seeding was done by mixing seeds with straw and spreading the mixture over the earth. The meadow is mowed to 6 inches to stop establishing plants from going to seed, and instead strengthening root structure. The seeds are all native and were selected to a) maximize pollinators and b) sustain themselves in the years to come.
Other areas of research:
SM4 recorders:
​
SM4 recorders are sound recording devices that we have set up around campus to listen to the birds and other animals around campus. The devices are set up on July 2021. They record audio for two minutes every 30 minutes in daylight hours throughout the Spring to Fall. We have 2 years of recordings so far and we are still collecting data now. The data we have collected so far is a valuable resource in its own right and has already been used in research done on Mac Campus by other students.
​
​
Soil Sampling:
​
We have a soil sample of the lawn before meadow conversion. We plan on comparing this to tests we do in the future as our meadow continues to establish. We now know the composition of the meadow soil and thus we can better adapt our plants and their maintenance.
​
​
Get Involved:
​
Are you interested in doing a research project related to Mac Meadow? Do you want access to SM4 recordings or soil sample data? Are you interested in creating a meadow of your own? Reach out to head of research Heather Brown for any questions. We would love to help you make the world a more friendly place for pollinators and wildlife in our urban environments.
​
​
Examples of student research:
​
As you have probably seen on our social media, we already have a few Mac campus student projects that have used our meadow.
Isaac Bungee compared insect density and diversity between mowed campus lawn and the meadow.
Heather Brown did a quick animation on the importance of meadows worldwide. She also used the bird song data with her group for their Wildlife conservation project.
The meadow is also now involved in several campus classes: Field Entomology, Ecosystems Ecology, Wildlife conservation, Ornithology (with our SM4 recorders) and Natural History of vertebrates.
​