Good morning,
This field season at the University of Michigan Biological Station made one thing unmistakably clear: the future is already here.
In a matter of weeks, our students, researchers, faculty, staff and families endured a whiplash of climate change: late freeze in cabins without heat, a tornado warning, flash flooding after four inches of rain fell in an hour, power and internet outages, extreme heat, and days of wildfire smoke that permeated historic cabins and classrooms.
The smoky Douglas Lake photo you see at the top of this note was taken July 16 by UMBS graduate student researcher Annie Cress. It’s juxtaposed with a photo the Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin took one year ago at the same spot.
Our scientists are working on these global problems, but they still impact our ability to function at a fundamental level.
The UMBS community rose to every challenge. Staff installed additional air filtration, relocated sleeping arrangements, adapted field courses, and kept people safe. We also canceled our annual Open House and a community dance.
I am deeply proud of how our community responded. But resilience cannot substitute for infrastructure.
We are asking aging facilities to withstand 21st-century conditions they were never designed to handle. Founded in 1909, UMBS needs cabins and classrooms that protect people from smoke and extreme temperatures, infrastructure that can withstand flooding and outages, and facilities that support research and education year-round.
We know what must be done. Our comprehensive campus plan provides a clear roadmap for replacing outdated cabins, modernizing essential systems, and expanding to year-round operations. We have identified approximately $17 million toward this work, but that will not be enough to complete the transformation UMBS urgently needs.
The stakes extend far beyond our campus. On 13,000 acres in northern Michigan, UMBS holds more than a century of continuous scientific records. It is one of the University’s most irreplaceable research and teaching assets — a place where we document environmental change, develop solutions, and train the next generation of scientists and problem-solvers.
With transformational investment, UMBS can become a national model for sustainable field research, education and living while accelerating work that benefits Michigan and communities around the world. The foundation is here. The plan is ready. The need is immediate.
If you would like to support this work, connect us with potential partners, or discuss the campus plan with me, please reply to this email. I welcome the conversation. You also can go to the Michigan Giving website or contact Samantha Stears of LSA Advancement directly at slemmen@umich.edu.
Thank you for believing in UMBS and in the critical work our community makes possible.
Please enjoy our August newsletter packed with inspiring stories and videos of field research station life this summer, including some fascinating fish and our reader-favorite photo gallery. It’s the most robust gallery we’ve produced, brimming with 167 moments of discovery, learning and adventure at this special place in the Northwoods. Of note — you may not have been able to attend the Summer Lecture Series, but we’ve included in-depth recaps of our distinguished guests from across the country and their cutting-edge science.
Over the next few months, you’re going to be amazed by the people, the work and the wildlife that we feature in our newsletter.
Today we’re shining a light on Eric Jackson from Maryland, the 2026 UMBS Artist in Residence and the stunning, large-scale pieces he made, inspired by migratory birds in the Great Lakes region.
If you're in the Ann Arbor area next week, please join me Tuesday, Sept. 8, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Weiser Hall 1010 on Main Campus for a U-M Water Center panel on Changing Michigan Winters. We will explore the environmental, economic, and public-health effects and how communities can prepare for what lies ahead.
Before signing off, I’ll leave you with this student feedback: “Thank you for the best summer of my life. I have almost been in love with the subject of biology but never been able to fully express it in front of others until now. This class, this station gave me the freedom to be myself and let my curiosity run wild. And for that, I cannot thank my professors, GSIs, and friends enough!”
Read the August 2026 newsletter.
Sincerely,
Dr. Aimée Classen
Director
