Gary Belovsky University of Notre Dame Department of Biological Sciences Galvin, Notre Dame, IN 46556 574-631-0172 belovsky.1@nd.edu
Tim Kratz University of Wisconsin Trout Lake Station 10810 County Highway N Boulder Junction, WI 54512-9733 (715) 356-9494 tkkratz@wisc.edu
Domain 5 - Great Lakes (GLACEO consortium)
Geographic coordinates and size: UNDERC (~3000 ha, 30 entire lakes, 46° 13’ N, 89° 32’ W; see attached GIS file) owned by University of Notre Dame and TLS (~ 30 ha, 46° 00’ N, 89° 40’ W) owned by University of Wisconsin are <25 km apart. In addition, research agreements with state, federal and NGO agencies provide >700,000 ha and >6000 lakes.
Unique characteristics: UNDERC/TLS have essential traits for a NEON core site.
UNDERC/TLS is owned, not just managed, and have been linked through common research and users since the 1920s. UNDERC has been closed to the public and protected since 1914. Because UNDERC is owned and closed to the public, experimental manipulations are secure and have always been permitted, including radioisotope studies and whole-lake manipulations.
UNDERC/TLS habitats, soil/landform, climate and land use history are representative of the northern ¾ of Domain 5 (see II.). Mature stands and seral stages (known age) for 4 forest types are interspersed and represent >80% of domain forests (Fig. 1). Northern hardwood and Great Lake pine forests are at northern limits, while Boreal and Conifer bog forests are at southern limits. Meadows and aquatic (30 lakes entirely-owned, bogs, wetlands and streams) habitats are available. Aquatics habitats provide broad gradients of chemistry, productivity and biodiversity. Lake Superior is within 50 km. The environmental integrity of UNDERC/TLS means that food webs include top predators: e.g., wolves on land, and muskellunge and river otter in water.
UNDERC/TLS has a research history since the 1920s and is an LTER site. A Free Air Carbon Exchange (FACE) and 5 AmeriFlux sites (densest in US) are within 15 - 75 km. Lake Superior Research Center, 5 field stations, and 2 experimental forests are within 100 km. UNDERC/TLS is most centrally located to Domain 5 gradient sites (Fig.1), is part of LTER, GLEON, OBFS, and AERC networks, and is used by >30 institutions/yr. Education/outreach include K-12 activities, an undergraduate summer program (32 students/yr with 12 fully-funded minorities in part by UMEB), 45 undergraduate (in part by REUs) and 25 graduate student researchers/yr, and GAANN and IGERT graduate training programs.
UNDERC/TLS has modern apartment-style housing for 168, conference facilities, laboratories (26,205 ft2) and support (classrooms, libraries, herbaria, faunal collections, shop, storage, etc.). Artificial stream and lake facilities, 3 weather stations, 6 sets of aquatic sensors, extensive lab equipment, T1/DSL internet, wireless access, 2 communication towers, emergency power, vehicles and boats are available. Private roads (>50 km) access UNDERC. Travel is by highway and air (~6 Northwest flights/d; Minneapolis - Rhinelander, WI; airport 50 - 90 km away). Agreements with state, federal and NGO agencies provide >700,000 ha and >6000 lakes.
UNDERC/TLS offers to NEON two complete watersheds (~2.5 km2 with topographic variation <10m, electricity/phone within <1500 m, private year-round road access) for infrastructure and experiments, including the rainout/warming/fertilization structure. The area provides two headwater lakes (one with surface and one with groundwater inflow); 1st order streams from each lake create a 2nd order stream that joins a 3rd order stream. Mature stands and seral stages represent 4 of the most abundant domain forest types; wetlands and bogs are also present. The area is contiguous with state, federal and NGO conservation lands. Housing and laboratory use assured along with a building site (power and septic- approved).