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Monday 8am - 4:30pm Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm Thursday 8am - 4:30pm Friday 8am - 4:30pm

University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS)

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Pellston, MI
University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS)

Dedicated to field-based education and research since 1909.

08/31/2026

One year. Same spot. A dramatically different view of Douglas Lake.

UMBS graduate student researcher Annie Cress took these photos one year apart — including the smoke-filled scene on July 16, 2026.

This summer, the University of Michigan Biological Station experienced a whiplash of climate change: a late freeze, flash flooding, extreme heat, power outages and days of wildfire smoke. The UMBS community adapted at every turn, but resilience cannot substitute for infrastructure.

In the August newsletter, the UMBS director reflects on this extraordinary field season and what it will take to protect this irreplaceable home of historic research and education.

Read the newsletter: https://myumi.ch/zNNQZ

08/26/2026

Across the Great Lakes region, increasingly unpredictable winters are reshaping everything from ice fishing to disease transmission. Join Dr. Aimée Classen, director of the University of Michigan Biological Station, for a Water@Michigan Coffee Talks panel exploring these changes and our future.

🗓 Tuesday, Sept. 8, 3 to 4:30 p.m.
📍 Weiser Hall 1010, Ann Arbor
🎟 Free and open to the public

Learn more: https://myumi.ch/ykkZ1

08/24/2026

Move over, Smokey Bear. “Smokey the Beaver” is here. 🦫 Beaver expert and Disney/Pixar’s “Hoppers” science consultant Dr. Emily Fairfax won hearts and minds during her endowed lecture at the University of Michigan Biological Station, revealing why nature’s engineers are unexpected climate allies and inspiring some new beaver believers along the way. Read the story: https://myumi.ch/QMMr3

08/10/2026

From monarchs to fungi and biological invasions, nine undergraduate researchers from across the country dove into bold, independent projects at the University of Michigan Biological Station during the 2026 field season — experiences fully funded by UMBS donors. Read the story: https://myumi.ch/J4wj2

08/06/2026

Undergraduate students at the University of Michigan Biological Station aren’t just learning about science — they’re doing it. In the General Ecology Lab course, students designed and conducted independent research projects across ecosystems in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula. Read the story: https://myumi.ch/11bJb

08/04/2026

We love our neighbors! A special thank you to Scott Davis and Mary Ellen Sheridan on Douglas Lake for generously sharing their care for the University of Michigan Biological Station.

Scott let a UMBS research team install a groundwater monitor on his property for a water/nutrient budget project. He told a U-M video crew from Ann Arbor, “Douglas Lake is heaven on earth, and the Biological Station is the capital.”

Mary Ellen, a proud U-M alum, told the same team: “It's invaluable. It would be a different lake without the Biological Station." She also took the podium at the University of Michigan’s annual Michigan Up North event and shared her enthusiastic support of undergraduate student research at UMBS.

Thank you to everyone who champions this special place, joins our lectures, volunteers, hikes the trails, and shares our love for the natural world. We are proud to be part of such a wonderful community!

08/03/2026

Clear skies and strong solar activity aligned for an unforgettable aurora over Douglas Lake on Sunday night, captured from her cabin by the director of the University of Michigan Biological Station. Go Blue — and green, and purple! 💙💚💜

07/30/2026

It’s been a beautiful week at the University of Michigan Biological Station — the kind filled with sunset lake swims, UV field research, a packed science lecture all about beavers as architects of climate resilience (plus, a post-seminar ice cream social), and campus shoreline views that remind us why northern Michigan is the best classroom in the world.

07/29/2026

Eric Jackson of Maryland is drawing inspiration from migratory birds and fish in the Great Lakes region during his 2026 artist residency at the University of Michigan Biological Station. The public is welcome to walk, talk and make art with Jackson at a workshop Sunday, Aug. 2, hosted by the Little Traverse Conservancy at Chaboiganing Nature Preserve. Read the story: https://myumi.ch/G74zn

07/28/2026

Did you see the Pixar movie “Hoppers”? Our Summer Lecture Series speaker on Wednesday (July 29, 7 p.m.) consulted with the studio for all things related to beavers. Dr. Emily Fairfax helped ensure the movie accurately depicted the large semiaquatic rodents. They even named a character after Emily! Join us along Douglas Lake for the final event in our 2026 Summer Lecture Series. Details: https://myumi.ch/11ADr

Address

9133 Biological Road
Pellston, MI
49769

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm

Website

http://www.lsa.umich.edu/umbs/

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