FSML: The Need for Facility Infrastructure Improvements at the Cornell University Biological Field Station

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This award provides partial support for renovation and expansion of an existing dormitory facility at the Cornell Biological Field Station (CBFS). The CBFS is located in the Oneida Lake ecosystem; studies conducted at the station have contributed to one of the longest continuous freshwater north-temperate lake data sets in the world. The station enables the research of scientists and students with interests ranging from limnology to bio-geochemistry to fishery ecology to policy. Demand for use of CBFS facilities, including housing accommodations, has increased over the last decade, with peak usage between 2003 and 2005. This increased demand has occurred in association with completion of the station's new aquatic experimental research facility. The newly remodeled dormitory would 1) replace a seasonal housing unit converted to student housing in 1956, 2) result in a net gain in both seasonal and year-round housing capacity, 3) provide handicapped accessible accommodations, and 4) meet both current and anticipated future housing needs of the station. The CBFS provides a training ground for graduate students in aquatic ecology, fisheries, and limnology, promotes learning through discovery and hands-on experiences for undergraduate and high school students, and disseminates scientific findings to enhance public awareness and understanding of the environment. Long-term studies of ecological ecosystems, such as those conducted by CBFS faculty and students are vital to improving our understanding of the dynamics of ecological disruptions and of the mechanisms that influence these dynamics, including the impacts of human activities and of natural variability.