History
The University of Pittsburgh’s biological field station (then known as the Lake Laboratory) was established on the shores of Lake Erie in Presque Isle State Park in 1926. Due to increased park visitation and limitations on expansion, the field station was re-established in 1950 on a 13-acre property leased from the State of Pennsylvania on the shores of Lake Pymatuning. The Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology’s first building was built in 1952 (a small boathouse/laboratory that is still in use) at PLE’s Sanctuary Lake site, adjacent to the State Fish Hatchery in Linesville. From this very modest beginning, the Sanctuary Lake Site has grown to include eight research labs (including facilities for housing vertebrate animals and molecular research), a stockroom, a computer lab, high-speed wireless internet and 24-hour emergency power back-up. This site also houses a library and five classroom/meeting rooms. A second site, our Housing Site, leased from the State in 1965, provides accommodations for up to 86 people in a variety of housing types (dormitories, apartments and cabins). The Donald S. Wood Field Laboratory was added to PLE’s holdings in 2001 and offers researchers field space adjacent to a laboratory facility ideal for conducting large-scale replicated experiments. PLE also owns or helps steward an additional 135 acres of properties across three additional parcels that offer access for researchers and students to a variety of local terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Mission
“…to foster the establishment of a sustainable culture through environmental education, field research in the natural and environmental sciences, and community involvement”
PLE provides researchers access to a diverse set of habitats and species and supports their work with well-equipped modern laboratory facilities. As a result, PLE attracts researchers from across the country working on an array of topics. The topics of ongoing studies range from animal behavior and disease ecology to plant community ecology, plant-animal interactions and rapid evolution. PLE lands are located within a matrix of rural residential, agricultural and state lands that exhibit varying degrees of human impact, making them an ideal location for research on cross-cutting topics such as environmental degradation and sustainability in the mid-Atlantic region.
Educational programs at PLE complement the research. With undergraduate students drawn from a consortium of regional universities, the station’s summer courses involve students in experiential learning across a breadth of basic and advanced topics in ecology and organismal biology as well as opportunities for student participation in directed research. These programs are distinctive in their focus on field- and lab-based learning and are an important component of STEM and pre-professional training for students interested in careers in the natural sciences and related fields.
Community programs at PLE are designed to enhance and support environmental education and stewardship in the region and make the research and education activities at PLE more accessible to the community. PLE’s educational outreach programs are offered onsite and at local K-12 schools, and its public programs are designed to engage citizen scientists in research. In addition, PLE facilities are made available for conferences and retreat gatherings by groups from regional universities and the surrounding community who seek to take advantage of the facility’s housing, meeting space, and natural surroundings.