PELLSTON, Mich. — The University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) and the University of Minnesota Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories (IBSL) took time this summer to learn from each other.

Teams from each field station visited their counterpart’s campus in June and August as part of an exchange program funded by the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS).

“It was a huge success,” said Dr. Aimée Classen, director of the University of Michigan Biological Station. “Not only was it valuable to have the Itasca team here so we could see our field station and operations through their eyes, it was helpful to see how they run things. We learned a lot — from ideas on research and academic programming to thinking about how to reduce paper waste in our dining hall. Also, it was nice to make contacts at other field stations, which increased our network of field station staff who can help support our team going forward.”

Dr. Aimée Classen, director of UMBS, talks about UMBS history while leading a campus tour along Douglas Lake on Tuesday, June 18, with the visiting IBSL team.

Classen led visitors from IBSL on a campus tour on Tuesday, June 18, along Douglas Lake in Pellston, Michigan, which is located about 20 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge at the tip of the state’s lower peninsula.

Founded in 1909, the U-M Biological Station is one of the nation’s largest and longest continuously operating field research stations. Laboratories and cabins are tucked into more than 11,000 acres along Douglas Lake to support long-term science knowledge and education.

“We got to meet our doppelgängers,” said Dr. Jonathan Schilling, director of the University of Minnesota Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories.

During their stay in northern Michigan, Schilling’s IBSL team explored laboratories and research sites at UMBS and met with Pellston staff to discuss administrative processes, facilities, and research and education programs.

“This exchange has been a very good dollar-to-outcome investment by OBFS,” Schilling said. “We learned so much by visiting, sharing tips, and spending time at UMBS, and we all made connections that will be lasting. That is a unique opportunity for those in operations roles who may not attend conferences. A rural field station job is very different from a job on an urban main campus. As Directors, Aimée and I will always be vocalizing our timeless value and our challenges of isolation back to the main campus, but imagine the value of demonstrating to an entire staff that we are not alone — that others share our experiences and our sense of purpose with these jobs. It is very reaffirming and efficient networking.”

Several UMBS staff members at IBSL during their August visit. From left, Adam Schubel, resident biologist, Dr. Aimée Classen, director, Scott Haley, facilities manager, Jumanah Saadeh, operations specialist, and Karie Slavik, associate director.

In August a subset of the UMBS team traveled to the Itasca field station, which is nestled near the headwaters of the Mississippi River.

IBSL has been in operation since 1907. Its 49-acre campus lies completely inside of Itasca State Park, on the eastern shore of Lake Itasca.

“What a rewarding experience,” said UMBS Associate Director Karie Slavik. “By matching up respective positions we were able to discuss our specific approaches to our roles. We have very similar challenges, and we learned from each other new ways to navigate them. It was fun to troubleshoot together. Our field stations have different programming and land management styles, but the fundamentals are the same — our dedication to research and teaching.”

UMBS Associate Director Karie Slavik and Dr. Emily Schilling, associate director of IBSL, walk on a trail at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca, Minnesota.

Slavik spent time with Dr. Emily Schilling, associate director of IBSL, sharing advice and asking questions.

"The joy of this experience has been in discovering another biological station so similar to ours,” Schilling said. “Even though we come from different institutional ‘home teams,’ it's like convergent evolution: we've both ended up with strikingly similar approaches to our work. This exchange was a fantastic opportunity for our IBSL staff to create new connections with UMBS colleagues who share our passion for field biology and perspectives on how to run a biological field station.”

UMBS Resident Biologist Adam Schubel said he felt immediately kindred with the Itasca field station team, especially Victoria Simons, station scientist at IBSL.

“My lasting impression of the exchange is how stunningly similar the details of their work are to ours,” Schubel said. “Working at a field station is a relatively unique occupation, and it's very unusual to encounter anybody with a similar mix of professional responsibilities ranging from monitoring birds and water quality to equipping classes with supplies to managing IT infrastructure, but Victoria and I could relate about our peculiar mix of responsibilities. Itasca's equipment stockroom was instantly recognizable with waders and glassware and water quality sensors and vasculums and bug nets and coiled rope. I chuckled at the familiarity of their dilemma as they discussed how to deal with a group campfire in an unauthorized area.”

UMBS Operations Specialist Jumanah Saadeh walks on rocks at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca, Minnesota.

The August trip to Itasca marked the first visit to the state of Minnesota for UMBS Operations Specialist Jumanah Saadeh.

“I was delighted by the aptly named ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes’ and the chance to see the headwaters of the Mississippi River,” Saadeh said. “This visit, sponsored by the Organization of Biological Field Stations, enabled us to connect with and learn from peers and experience another field station. It was a genuine pleasure to learn from the IBSL team and to integrate knowledge gained within the Biological Station, alongside Aimee Classen and our colleagues.”

UMBS Facilities Manager Scott Haley enjoyed the 22-hour journey in August to and from Itasca, Minnesota, as he drove with several members of the Pellston team through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the northern tip of Wisconsin.

Over the course of nearly 1,000 miles, Haley learned that Classen “packs tasty travel snacks,” Saadeh “will not pass on the opportunity for ice cream,” and Schubel is “always available to answer my questions regarding plants and trees along the way.”

The destination also proved to be enriching.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Itasca Biological Station,” Haley said. “Their staff is very proud of their facility, as they should be. It was a great learning experience for me seeing their operation.”

Haley’s counterpart in Itasca is Eric Sather, IBSL facilities lead.

“It was helpful to see another field station operation, to be in such a beautiful setting there at UMBS, and to learn from a great guy, Scott,” Sather said. “They are lucky to have him, and I am really glad to gain Scott as a contact.”

IBSL is part of the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences (CBS).

UMBS is part of the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA).

In Itasca, UMBS Operations Specialist Jumanah Saadeh, left, takes a group selfie on a pontoon boat full of UMBS and IBSL staff members participating in the 2024 biological field station exchange program. IBSL in Minnesota has been in operation since 1907. Its 49-acre campus lies completely inside of Itasca State Park, on the eastern shore of Lake Itasca.
In Itasca, Minnesota, several UMBS and IBSL staff members pose in August next to the sign marking the headwaters of the Mississippi River. It says, “Here, 1,475 feet above the ocean, the Mighty Mississippi begins to flow on its winding way 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.”
A subset of teams from UMBS and IBSL share a meal on picnic tables in August in Itasca, Minnesota. Staff from each field station visited their counterpart’s campus in June and August as part of an exchange program funded by the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS).