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Researchers and instructors are expected to secure the appropriate Federal or State permits for work in the nearby National Forests or National Parks. In accordance with Federal law, researchers planning on conducting any work involving vertebrates at HBS must also have an HBS IACUC application approved (click HERE for form) prior to undertaking their research.
Research facilities at the Highlands Biological Station support a wide range of field and laboratory investigations. General laboratory and office space, walk-in environmental rooms, live streams, tanks and chillers, microscopes, and a diverse array of field equipment (all described in detail below) are available for researcher use on a first-come, first-served basis. Please indicate space and equipment needs well in advance on the Housing Reservation form.
The William Chambers Coker Laboratory The William Chambers Coker Building houses laboratories, stockrooms, a herbarium, a library, and a computer facility. It contains 6,600 square feet of heated space and was constructed in the 1960s. Attached to the Coker Lab is the Thelma Howell Administration Building, which consists of four offices and storage space. It is a two-story, heated building with 700 square feet on each floor.
The Coker Building is also the nexus of our education program. The building includes a classroom with space for 25 desks, a marker board, and a projector screen. There are also two teaching laboratories of about 400 square feet each with tables, storage cabinets, sinks, a marker board, and projector screen. These rooms are used by visiting groups from various colleges and universities in the spring and fall semesters. During the summer, our intensive, two-week courses use these facilities.
The E.E. Reinke Library
The Maintenance Shop and Aquatics Lab
The Richard C. Bruce Biodiversity Laboratory
Motor Pool and Watercraft HBS maintains several vehicles including a 15-passenger mini-bus, a 12-passenger van, an 8-passenger van, and some pickup trucks. However, these vehicles are only for the use of Station employees for work-related trips and, in the case of the bus and vans, by temporary faculty for class field trips. Thus, researchers working at the Station must make plans to bring their own transportation. In the event of an emergency or other unexpected circumstances, the Executive Director of the Station may permit use of a vehicle by researchers employed by the UNC system for a short period of time. Such use will be billed at the prevailing rate for use of a state vehicle, currently 66 cents per mile. HBS also owns two small boats and a canoe for research use on six-acre Lindenwood Lake.
The Highlands Biological Station has been the town's official U. S. Weather Bureau Station since 1961. Since December of 1999, an automated climate station has recorded temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, solar radiation, and wind velocity. These data are maintained in the Station office and are available to researchers and the general public. Weather Data - Current Month (B-91 Form) Summary Tables (1961- present): Annual High Temperatures (°F)
The Clark Foreman Museum Building
Botanical Garden
Finally, on the grounds of the Station is the Highlands Botanical Garden, which has labeled specimens of about 500 species of plants native to the Southern Appalachians. These are all located in a natural setting, with trails extending from the shores of Lindenwood Lake. Using funds raised by our annual Conference for Landscaping and Gardening with Native Plants and the Highlands Biological Foundation, we are constantly making improvements to the trails and numerous demonstration gardens. The Garden employs summer interns and also works with volunteers to improve and maintain the grounds while providing educational and recreational opportunities for public enjoyment.
Special Research Areas The Station has access to several tracts of land that are maintained as natural areas by the Highlands Biological Foundation. These include the Margaret Cannon Howell Wildlife Refuge, the William Chambers Coker Rhododendron Trail, and the Frank Dulany Bog. All of these properties are available for long-term studies by investigators at the Station, subject to conditions that ensure minimal disturbance.
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© 2004 Highlands Biological Station