Happy Spring!
Piping Plovers have returned to the Great Lakes in good numbers — including a 16-year-old female, the oldest plover on record, according to Dr. Francie Cuthbert, a UMBS researcher from the University of Minnesota who started the intensive plover recovery, captive rearing and re-release program more than 30 years ago at the University of Michigan Biological Station.
The team effort involves rescuing abandoned eggs on Great Lakes beaches, hatching and raising baby birds, and tracking their migrations after release. The progress made over the decades by the dedicated people working to save this endangered shorebird species from extinction gives us hope for conservation success. Follow the excitement on the Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort Facebook page.
There are so many wonderful ways that humans are allies in the wild, though we’re merely aspiring to achieve a partnership as fascinating as the ancient defense mutualism between mites and plants in this month’s feature story. We’re better together, though, especially as we keep our eyes on the long-term future of our families and all living beings in our natural world. We have so much more to learn.
Thanks to our generous donors, UMBS is helping launch and boost a lot of science careers this spring and summer. We have awarded $455,786 in student scholarships and research fellowships to support learning and discovery in the Northwoods during the 2025 field season.
Of special note this year, we’ve expanded our funding for undergraduate student research to a total of $79,800 awarded to 10 fellows as we kick off the UMBS Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program. Each undergraduate student research fellow receives a $5,500 stipend, on-campus housing, meals and a research mentor. Your donations truly make a difference for the next generation of scientists who care about the environment. The immersive, hands-on experience and guidance at UMBS gives them a leg up as they find their footing.
The start of this season of new beginnings is certainly one to remember all across northern Michigan.
The steady buzz of chain saws has marked the month of April in the aftermath of severe ice storms that swept through the region, downing trees and power lines. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency on March 31 for ten counties including Cheboygan County, where UMBS is located, to help with response and recovery efforts.
At our field research station, the glaze of ice was up to 2.5 inches thick. It looked as if the trees were all made of glass.
After weeks of cleanup, the restoration of all power and Wi-Fi, and the arrival of warmer temperatures along Douglas Lake, I’m thrilled to report that we are on track to welcome researchers and students for the 2025 field season, which is right around the corner.
The mighty, heroic UMBS crew stationed year-round in Pellston has worked tirelessly to clear the main campus area and trails along South Fishtail Bay and remove hazards. Their resilience and dedication to our community are inspiring.
We’re largely back to business as usual thanks to Scott Haley, Eareckson Myers and Renee Kinney with the UMBS facilities team and Adam Schubel, the resident biologist. Their perseverance under historically challenging conditions brings renewed meaning to the word stewardship and how much we all care for this special place. Thank you to Scott, Eareckson, Renee and Adam for living our values and leading with heart.
We also are grateful for the U-M arborists and grounds crews from Ann Arbor main campus who brought heavy machinery and helping hands up north to support the UMBS team as they cleared hanging branches and debris. Thank you to U-M Campus Forester Mike Rutkofske and his team, U-M Landscape and Grounds Manager Rob Doletzky and his team, E.S. George Reserve Facilities Manager Alex Wenner, and College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) Facilities Manager Rob Ramsburgh.
There is an immediate research opportunity for scientists curious about disturbance to the forests and interested in writing a proposal to study how the historic ice storm alters ecosystems and how those changes affect the environment.
We have great news to share about several UMBS researchers who also teach courses at the field station.
Congratulations to Dr. Gil Bohrer, an engineering professor at Ohio State and the instructor of a new course at UMBS during spring term called “Observation and Modeling of Climate Change Biology.” He has a new study about measuring the drought sensitivity of different tree species published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. We encourage students to join him May 20 – June 19 at the campus in northern Michigan to learn hands-on techniques to measure the science behind climate change. Read the UMBS news story about Gil’s research and how to apply for his course. The deadline for spring term is today: April 30.
We’re also celebrating Dr. Marjorie Weber, an early-career University of Michigan faculty member pushing boundaries with her evolutionary ecology research. Under her guidance, all undergraduate students in her 2024 “Insights From Trees” class at the U-M Biological Station are co-authors on her lab’s newly published research about mite domatia, small chambers made by tiny hairs on the underbellies of leaves that give shelter to mites in exchange for their service as the plant’s bodyguards.
Students — including guest and international students — have the opportunity to join Marjorie July 1 – 31 here along Douglas Lake for her course that bridges the humanities and sciences. The application deadline for the summer term is May 30. Read the UMBS news story about her research and how to apply for her 2025 “Insights From Trees” course.
Mark your calendars. If you’ll be in northern Michigan, please join us in Pellston on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. for our 2025 Summer Lecture Series. The lineup of distinguished scientists from across the country is spectacular this year. The events are free and open to the public. Topics include the fascinating world of fungi, how climate change affects your health, the impact of different milkweed species on monarch butterfly flight, all about the Common Loon, manoomin (wild rice) restoration, and nitrogen as a driver of harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes.
Giving Blueday in March was a historic success for UMBS. Loyal supporters came together to raise nearly $25,000 for the field research station in just one day. That includes a $6,000 match from an anonymous UMBS donor. Plus, UMBS won several friendly competitions with other U-M LSA units and departments, earning an extra $7,850 in LSA match dollars. For example, we won two power hours (8 a.m. and 6 p.m.). We also landed in the No. 2 spot on the leaderboard (most unique donors), an achievement that alone gave us an additional $4,000.
We appreciate every single donation that truly added up in creative ways. This was the most UMBS has ever raised on Giving Blueday, which launched 11 years ago at U-M. We feel your love!
This weekend is commencement at the University of Michigan. We’re proud of all the UMBS alumni graduating on Saturday, including Jake Downey who aspires to make environmental science accessible to all. Read the University Record story where Jake calls taking the summer course “Rivers, Lakes and Wetlands” at UMBS one of his favorite experiences at U-M.
We have the waders ready to suit up the next cohort of UMBS students. I can’t wait to meet them all in a few weeks.
Read the full April 2025 newsletter and see incredible Before and After photos of transformative ice storm cleanup.
Sincerely,
Dr. Aimee Classen
UMBS Director
