University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS)

05/28/2026

Cute Culprit: Director Aimée Classen caught a porcupine in the act of trying to eat the Biotron underground soil science facility at the University of Michigan Biological Station.

05/27/2026

What’s living inside a red pine cone? A crossover between two classes at the University of Michigan Biological Station opens a new line of research into tiny forest homes. Read how undergraduate student curiosity sparked a lead into an intriguing miniature ecosystem featuring ants, pine cones and the microbes inside them. https://myumi.ch/7JAN2

(Video from Dr. Nate Haan, instructor of the Field Studies of Insects course at UMBS)

05/26/2026

WEDNESDAY: How can training in environmental science drive real-world change? UMBS alumna Linda Greer, an environmental toxicologist, will discuss her global advocacy career working to strengthen environmental protections and reduce corporate pollution. Join us May 27 at 7 p.m. for this free public lecture along Douglas Lake, followed by an ice cream social.

Event Details: https://myumi.ch/wwq5G
Full Summer Lecture Series schedule: https://myumi.ch/79zyr

05/22/2026

The adventure begins! From move-in day to first steps into the field, students in the spring term are settling into life at the University of Michigan Biological Station. For the next month, they’ll study northern Michigan ecosystems up close while building community along the way. Meet some of the students: https://myumi.ch/DWkNE

05/21/2026

LOVE SONGS: Listen as toads sing their hearts out along Douglas Lake at the University of Michigan Biological Station. Maintenance Supervisor Renee Kinney captured the chorus on May 19 during spring mating season.

05/20/2026

MLive.com features the University of Michigan Biological Station’s Summer Lecture Series and Director Aimée Classen: “These are the kinds of conversations we need right now.” With topics ranging from beavers’ role in climate resilience to monarch butterfly migration, join us on Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

Ten weeks of presentations cover forest ecology, global pollution, biodiversity genomics, and other environmental topics at the University of Michigan facility.

05/20/2026

Blankets of trillium, a pair of loons, bright sunshine and heavy rain all welcomed new students to the University of Michigan Biological Station on move-in day today. A fitting start to the wild adventure!

05/19/2026

WEDNESDAY: The 2026 Summer Lecture Series kicks off May 20 at 7 p.m. with a simple but important question about plant and animal life amid habitat loss and climate change: When forests are broken into pieces, can biodiversity be maintained across the broader landscape? Join us along Douglas Lake for the free, public event — followed by an ice cream social. All the details: https://myumi.ch/jV4jP

View the full summer schedule: https://myumi.ch/79zyr

05/19/2026

VOLUME UP: Enjoy the sounds of the Northwoods during a foggy sunset at the University of Michigan Biological Station on Monday, May 18. Tomorrow we welcome students for the 2026 spring term!

05/18/2026

Congrats to Scott Haley! The ‘MacGyver’ of the University of Michigan Biological Station was selected by the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) for the 2026 Positive Contributions to LSA Community and Culture Award. https://myumi.ch/kV3q3

05/13/2026

UMBS Stewards have collected more than 500 pounds of garbage so far this spring along Riggsville Road, and there’s still a stretch they plan to cover. Pictured on the left is the “foreman” of the Stewards: Resident Biologist Adam Schubel. He weighed a trash bag as Eva Roos recorded the data on Thursday, May 7.

The annual roadside cleanup kicks off a season of property management projects for the Stewards. Learn about the dedicated group of volunteers of friends and neighbors to the University of Michigan Biological Station: https://myumi.ch/r8E6M