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SUNY
ESF UMEB: Research Locations |
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The Adirondack Park
encompasses three million acres of public land protected as “forever wild” by
the New York State Constitution, interspersed with 3 million acres of private
land. It is the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi. Some 90
million people within a day’s drive can recreate and explore the vast areas
of northern hardwood and boreal forests, the 11,000 lakes and ponds, and
12,000 miles of streams and rivers.
The Park’s large size, protection, and rural character has allowed for
the persistence of almost all native species and the natural return of
several others. Yet recreation, housing
development, and related economic issues place pressure on the ecological
integrity of the Adirondack system
and underscore the need for land management decisions to be based on sound
science. The Park is widely
recognized as a dynamic natural laboratory for understanding coexistence of
humans and wild lands. This landscape offers a gradient of land use history
and intensity that frames important research questions, both fundamental and
applied. As such, the Park provides an outstanding research setting in which
to combine science and stewardship. ESF has world-class
field facilities in the Adirondacks dedicated to research and teaching in
this ecosystem. UMEB field experiences are focused at ESF’s Adirondack
Ecological Center and the Cranberry Lake Biological Station located in the
Adirondack ecosystem. There is a long history of active research based in
these sites at all levels of biological organization from molecules to
ecosystems, providing a diversity of research experiences, united in the
context of the complex Adirondack ecosystem. Students in the UMEB program live
onsite for an 8- 12 week field season, during which time they spend a
majority of the day collecting field data, gaining experience in various
field skills, and practice in gathering, synthesizing and presenting
information. |
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Adirondack Ecological Center Cranberry
Lake Biological Center |