The University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) is a research and teaching facility operated by the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. It is located on the south shore of

Douglas Lake Douglas Lake, also called Douglas Reservoir, is a reservoir created by an impoundment of the French Broad River in Eastern Tennessee. This lake is located only a few miles from the Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg area, and also the Great Smoky Mountains ...

Cheboygan County, Michigan Cheboygan County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 25,579. The county seat is Cheboygan. The county boundaries were set off in 1840, with land partitioned from Mackinac County. The Cheboy ...

. The station consists of 10,000 acres (40 km²) of land near

Pellston, Michigan Pellston is a village in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 822 at the 2010 census. The village is the home of Pellston Regional Airport. The village lies on the boundary between Maple River and McKinley townships o ...

in the northern

Lower Peninsula of Michigan The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the ...

and 3,200 acres (13 km²) on Sugar Island in the St. Mary's River near Sault Ste. Marie, in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

. It is one of only 28

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

s in the United States.

Overview

Founded in 1909, it has grown to include approximately 150 buildings, including classrooms, student cabins, dormitories, a dining hall, and research facilities. Undergraduate and graduate courses are available in the spring and summer terms. It has a full-time staff of 15. In the 2000s, UMBS is increasingly focusing on the measurement of

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. Its field researchers are gauging the impact of

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

and increased levels of atmospheric

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...

on the

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

of the upper Great Lakes region, and are using field data to improve the

computer model Computer simulation is the process of mathematical modelling, performed on a computer, which is designed to predict the behaviour of, or the outcome of, a real-world or physical system. The reliability of some mathematical models can be deter ...

s used to forecast further change. Several archaeological digs have been conducted at the station as well. UMBS field researchers sometimes call the station "bug camp" amongst themselves. This is believed to be due to the number of

mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...

es and other insects present. It is also known as "The Bio-Station". The UMBS is also home to Michigan's most endangered species and one of the most endangered species in the world: the

Hungerford's Crawling Water Beetle Hungerford's crawling water beetle (''Brychius hungerfordi'') is a critically endangered member of the family Haliplidae of water beetles. The US Fish and Wildlife Service Draft Recovery Plan for the species published in August 2004 estimates ro ...

. The species lives in only five locations in the world, two of which are in Emmet County. One of these, a two and a half mile stretch downstream from the Douglas Road crossing of the East Branch of the Maple River supports the only stable population of the Hungerford's Crawling Water Beetle, with roughly 1000 specimens. This area, though technically not part of the UMBS is largely within and along the boundary of the University of Michigan Biological Station. UMBS is also the home of the Great Lakes

Piping Plover The piping plover (''Charadrius melodus'') is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange-red legs, a black band across the forehead from e ...

captive rearing facility. The Great Lakes population of this shorebird is federally endangered, but thanks to extensive conservation efforts the population is on the rise.

External links

* University of Michigan campus Biosphere reserves of the United States Biological stations Protected areas of Emmet County, Michigan Education in Emmet County, Michigan Protected areas of Chippewa County, Michigan 1909 establishments in Michigan {{Michigan-university-stub