The reversal came after UF received heavy public criticism from students, staff and community members. McCarty Woods was initially declared a future development site in December when the 2020-30 Campus Master Plan was approved by the university s board of trustees.
It had been designated conservation land since at least 2000 and public recreation space for over 40 years at that point.
The Sun first reported the change Jan. 2 as part of a breakdown on the master plan. Further coverage through February and March examined pushback from scientists, faculty, students and local residents as they voiced concerns and disappointment and protested to save the woods.
When a tree falls in the forest, it’s the birds that don’t make a sound, study finds
A new study evaluated soundscape saturation in a tropical forest in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, before, during and after selective logging activities.
It found that animal sounds promptly dropped after selective logging, but that the soundscape would recover after about a year. But two or three years after logging, soundscape saturation diminished again.
Insects appeared to be less affected by selective logging than birds, the study found.
Another expert not involved in the study says more realistic findings would have been obtained by recording the sounds from random locations in the forest instead of at the specific logging sites.
Some faculty at the University of Florida and other higher education institutions around the state are unhappy about being left out of the latest COVID-19 vaccine updates from the state and federal government.
New orders announced Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from President Joe Biden and Gov. Ron DeSantis have now added teachers and school staff, regardless of age, to the priority list but only those working in K-12 education.
Universities have vulnerable, essential teachers and school staff too, critics say, and many colleges and universities face similar pressure to fully reopen for in-person learning as their primary and secondary school counterparts.
Over 160 years ago, on private land owned by a state politician, the University of Florida had its beginnings. Flushed with trees and natural wildlife that surrounded a wooden school hall, the acres were verdant and lush. But with ever more students and buildings, that green space has shrunk to a handful of pockets scattered throughout campus.
McCarty Woods is a 2.9-acre forest in the heart of Gainesville s main University of Florida campus. It has been open for community recreational use for over 40 years, and since at least 2000, has been designated conservation land, protected from development through rounds of university growth plans.