Planning Grant for the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station

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The University of Florida is awarded a grant to carry out strategic planning for the Ordway Swisher Biological Station (OSBS), a 3,700 ha field research station in Putnam County, north-central Florida, approximately 50 km east of the University of Florida. OSBS is primarily comprised of the Katharine Ordway Preserve (2,468 ha) and the Swisher Memorial Sanctuary (1,214 ha). The activities supported by this award will lead to the development of: 1) a strategy to enhance the quality of the teaching and research programs at OSBS, 2) a site plan for future educational and research infrastructure at OSBS, 3) a strategy to increase use of the site by under-represented groups and minorities, 4) an outreach strategy to create a conduit for information generated at OSBS to be used by K-12 programs and the public, and to increase involvement of citizen science programs, community colleges, and K-12 programs, 5) a strategy to enhance linkages between OSBS and other key field stations and institutions, 6) a strategy for optimizing linkages between OSBS and NEON, and 7) an economic development strategy to generate additional resources.