John P. Hayes Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida PO Box 110430 Gainesville, FL 32611-0430 hayes@ufl.edu
The Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS; ordway-swisher.ufl.edu) is located in NEON’s Southeast climate domain at approximately latitude 29°41N and longitude 82°W. The station covers 3,683 hectares and is located 38 kilometers from the University of Florida, thus providing easy access to a large number of faculty and students of a major research institution. The Station is situated about midway between the northern-most and southern-most points in Domain 3 and the proposed gradient sites, and climatic parameters for the site similarly are median for the proposed Domain 3 gradient sites.
At 3,683 ha, the Preserve is large enough to permit experimentation on a variety of ecological scales, including manipulations of longleaf pine tracts with treatment and control areas. The Station contains a rich array of biological communities, including a diversity of natural forests and small pine plantations, permanent and ephemeral lakes and ponds, clear- and dark-water systems, and wildlife species characteristic of the different ecological communities in the region. Furthermore, the entire tract was under single ownership since the 1930s and the owner used it as a private hunting and fishing camp. The University of Florida Foundation (UFF) acquired the property in the 1980s, and there is a history of low human impact on site for about 75 years. UFF has control of the land, and the site is managed and operated by the University of Florida Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, ensuring long-term continuity of experiments and protection of study sites. The facility is not open to the general public, and there is a secure environment for research and research infrastructure.
Historical data are preserved and accessible, including voucher specimens maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History. The Station maintains data files from studies conducted on site and baseline monitoring on some terrestrial, atmospheric, and aquatic conditions are ongoing.
No significant restrictions impacting the feasibility of core site status exist for OSBS. The site has good security, and is not open to the public.
A diverse group of scientists, educators, and institutions from across the Southeast domain have endorsed the OSBS as the core wildland site. The institutional diversity of this partnership is particularly broad and includes state programs (Florida Museum of Natural History), federal facilities (Kennedy Space Center, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory), academic institutions (University of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Georgia, University of South Carolina), private (Archbold Biological Station, Jones Ecological Research Station) and non-governmental organizations (The Nature Conservancy).