The GLSC | USGS Great Lakes Science Center

USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS

Great Lakes Science Center

Field Stations & Vessel Base

Field Station Map Hammond Bay Biological Station, Millersburg, MI

Research at the Hammond Bay Biological Station is funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) and focuses on development of alternative methods of controlling sea lamprey populations, refinement of existing methods, and on the effects of sea lampreys on Great Lakes fishes. The station participates in a formal research partnership among the USGS, the GLFC, and Michigan State University. Alternative control methods research currently includes topics such as barriers to sea lamprey migration, release of sterilized male sea lampreys to reduce reproduction, and the identification and use of migratory and sex pheromones. Other research focuses on application of lampricides, sea lamprey life history studies, population assessment, and interactions between host species and parasitic sea lampreys. The station has extensive fish-holding facilities, including fiberglass and polyethylene tanks and two raceways. An offshore intake (25-m depth) can supply over 800 gallons per minute and an inshore intake (2-m depth) another 200 gallons per minute of Lake Huron water. The station also houses the facility operated seasonally by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to sterilize male sea lampreys.

Factsheet

Address:
11188 Ray Road
Millersburg, MI 49759-9481
Phone: 989-734-4768
Fax: 989-734-4494
map

Station Supervisor: Mike Hansen

Lake Erie Biological Station, Sandusky, OH

Research focuses on changes in the population dynamics of walleye, yellow perch, lake trout and other key predator and forage species that result in fish community structure changes. Studies of food web dynamics and the impacts of exotic species such as the zebra mussel are an integral part of its ecosystem research program.

Factsheet

Address:
6100 Columbus Avenue
Sandusky, OH 44870-8329
Phone: 419-625-1976
Fax: 419-625-7164
map

Station Supervisor: Richard Kraus

Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station, Porter, IN

Lake Michigan Ecological Station located at the southern tip of Lake Michigan, Indiana conducts terrestrial and aquatic investigation of public natural resources in the Great Lakes basin. Studies include status and trends, contaminants, invasive, endangered species and recreational water quality. Research is often a joint venture with local, state and other federal agencies such as National Park Service, EPA, NOAA and Fish and Wildlife.

Current Research
Aquatic Research

Recreational water quality

Non-point microbial contamination

Predictive modeling of beach closures

Improving beach management techniques

Terrestrial Research

Oak savanna habitat conservation and biological diversity

Nitrogen deposition and disturbance: does it contribute to native species loss and exotic plant invasions in the Great Lakes coastal zone?

Fire effects on native flora and fauna in oak savanna ecosystems

Pollinators

Karner blue butterfly

Biology, distribution, and control of invasive plants in Great Lakes natural areas

Factsheet

Address:
1100 North Mineral Springs Road
Porter, IN 46304
Phone: 219-926-8336
Fax: 219-929-5792
map

Station Supervisor: Richard Whitman

Lake Ontario Biological Station, Oswego, NY

Station biologists assess prey fishes to determine Lake Ontario's capacity to support stocked trout and salmon and evaluate restoration of naturally reproducing lake trout.

Factsheet

Address:
17 Lake Street
Oswego, NY 13126-1025
Phone: 315-343-3951
Fax: 315-342-8065
map

Station Supervisor: Brian Lantry

Lake Superior Biological Station, Ashland, WI

Research focus is on the biology, population dynamics, stock delineation, and yield prediction of Lake Superior fishes with emphasis on lake trout, lake herring, and other forage fishes, as well as on the ecological effects of the invading ruffe on native species and ecosystems.

Factsheet

Address:
2800 Lake Shore Drive East
Ashland, WI 54806-2427
Phone: 715-682-6163
Fax: 715-682-6511
map

Field Station Supervisor: Mark Vinson

Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Science, Cortland, NY

The Tunison Laboratory of Aquatic Science (TLAS) conducts client oriented integrated laboratory and field research to help foster sound management and stewardship of aquatic ecosystems and assist in restoring depleted species in the northeast. The Lime Hollow Nature Center (established with the help of TLAS staff in 1993) is located on the laboratory's 100 wooded acres and provides environmental education and outdoor recreation opportunities to the central New York.

Factsheet

Address:
3075 Gracie Road
Cortland, NY 13045-9457
Phone: 607-753-9391
Fax: 607-753-0259
map

Field Station Supervisor: Jim Johnson

Munising Biological Station, Munising, MI

The station focuses on studies of disturbance regimes of Great Lakes coastal vegetation with an emphasis on fire and dune dynamics.

Factsheet

Address:
Sand Point Road
P.O. Box 40
Munising, MI 49862-0040
Phone: 906-387-2607 x207
Fax: 906-387-4025
map - call for directions

Contact: Walt Loope

Cheboygan Vessel Base, Cheboygan, MI

The Cheboygan Vessel Base provides primary research vessel (R/V Grayling) capability across Lake Huron, eastern Lake Superior, and Lake Michigan, with the vessel operating across four state boundaries, Canadian waters, and Treaty waters in Lakes Huron and Michigan. The vessel provides the platform for research by investigators in the Lake Huron Project, in hydroacoustics, food web dynamics, and fish community and population dynamics.

The R/V Sturgeon, which is used in the Lake Michigan Project's research studies, also docks at Cheboygan. Research focuses on lake trout restoration and concentrates on refuge areas in cooperation with the four states bordering the lake. A primary research activity is assessing the forage base (prey fishes) for salmonids and other fishes of economic importance. Other activities include collection of specimens for Lake Michigan food web dynamics, contaminant monitoring, and modeling fish community dynamics.