Welcome to the Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories (ISBL) Web site. As director, I invite you to explore our field course offerings or to consider our station for your research, retreat or group meeting needs.
Located within Itasca State Park, the station offers a unique and beautiful environment on the shore of Lake Itasca with access to the headwaters of the Mississippi and an abundance of rare flora and fauna. Preserved by the Minnesota Legislature in 1891, Itasca State Park is a living museum of plant and animal species that have disappeared from other parts of the state.
The year 2009 is very special for IBSL. We are celebrating our centennial and launching a building campaign to renovate the campus for its next 100 years.
The station is owned by the University of Minnesota and operated by the College of Biological Sciences (CBS). CBS freshmen attend an orientation program called Nature of Life at Itasca every July. Several CBS graduate programs also hold orientation sessions here.
Summer field biology sessions are open to college students from the U.S. and around the world. The 2009 session runs from May 28 to June 30. Credits are transferable to most institutions.
Itasca is a popular spot for field research. In fact, field research conducted at the station has produced more than 925 articles in peer-reviewed journals. One of our newest endeavors is the Minnesota Mississippi Metagenome Project (M3P), which will provide a database of aquatic microorganisms to study human impact on the Mississippi River from the headwaters to the Twin Cities.
The field station is also available to groups within and outside of the University for retreats and meetings. Our cabins and dining hall accommodate up to 120 people. The cabins, some with kitchens, may also be rented on an individual basis.
For further information about using Itasca facilities please contact Program Administrator Erin Fider at fider002@umn.edu or 612-624-6743. We look forward to working with you to plan your event at Itasca and we hope you can join us to celebrate our centennial in 2009.
—Professor David Biesboer, Ph.D., Director, IBSL
