Itasca turns 100!

The University of Minnesota began its century-long relationship with Itasca, an ecological gem at the headwaters of the Mississippi, when a summer training program for forestry students was launched in 1909. Field biology courses were first offered in 1935. Ever since, biology students have headed to Itasca every summer to take part in hands-on courses in ecology, ornithology, mammalogy, aquatic biology, plant biology, genetics, entomology, photography and other topics.

Over the years, a visit to Itasca has provided a defining academic experience for many students. Since 2003, Itasca has also been the first experience for College of Biological Sciences students. Incoming freshmen spend three days at Itasca in the Nature of Life program, getting acquainted with one another, college faculty and the breadth and depth of biology. Nature of Life is the only program of its kind in the United States. In 2007, when students from the first Nature of Life class graduated, four-year graduation rates jumped by 12 percent.

The Itasca station is also used by groups within the University of Minnesota, other colleges and universities, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and a variety of outside organizations.

One hundred years takes a toll. The field station’s rustic structures have outlived their usefulness and its laboratories have become obsolete. The University of Minnesota recently approved a $25 million plan to renovate the entire campus. The renovation will make it possible to continue offering quality biology education, expand environmental research, and open the station to more University and outside groups.

Itasca is a place that leaves a mark on anyone who visits—especially students. It’s a legacy worth preserving. But we cannot do it without the help of CBS alumni and friends of the college. CBS must raise millions toward the renovation to make it happen. And it’s worth every penny.

Learn more about “A legacy worth preserving” in the fall 2008 issue of BIO magazine.