Research at Itasca

Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories is committed to fostering scientific research that deepens our understanding of the natural world and enables biodiversity conservation. Our unique location is an ideal site for ecological research. We are located in Itasca State Park, at the headwaters of the Mississippi River, situated at the narrow convergence of North America's three largest biomes – coniferous forest, deciduous forest, and grasslands (prairie).

The Park's 1600 acre Scientific and Natural Area located along the western side of Lake Itasca protects roughly two miles of undeveloped shoreline along the lake, along with a mosaic of eighteen native plant communities, dominated by fire-dependent red and white pine forest communities. The SNA contains 848 acres of designated old-growth forest in 16 stands. In addition to these terrestrial habitats, aquatic ecosystems are plentiful and diverse in the Park: the Mississippi River and its smaller tributaries, over 100 lakes and countless more smaller semipermanent and temporary ponds and freshwater marshes, as well as bogs and fens.

In addition our unique geographic and ecological setting, the station offers an assemblage of facilities and equipment that facilitates both short and long term research stays. The station is open year-round with several winterized cabins and lab spaces. Lodging options include full bath and kitchen cabins, and bunkhouses with shared bathhouse facilities. Our dining hall serves buffet-style meals available from mid-May to early October.

Meet our Station Scientist!

Victoria Simons joined our team in January of 2024 after earning her M.S. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology in Dr. Kyle Horton’s Aeroecology Lab at Colorado State University, during which time she also earned a Graduate Certificate in Data Analysis. Her thesis research focused on the relationships between weather conditions, flying insect activity, and Tree Swallow provisioning behaviors in high elevation airspace habitat. Before venturing west, Victoria grew up in Minnesota and spent much of her time in the Northwoods. She earned her B.S. in Wildlife Biology with a minor in Wetlands Ecology from Bemidji State University in 2021.

Victoria manages the Station’s ongoing research activities, which currently include monitoring lake ice freeze/thaw, daily weather data collection, lake water quality sampling, and loon monitoring for many lakes in the Itasca region. Her research interests include ornithology, aeroecology, and behavioral ecology.

Contact Victoria with any questions about research, datasets, and permitting. Her office is located at the Itasca Biological Station in the bottom of Lab 48.

Email: ibsl@umn.edu; Phone: 218-699-3550 ext. 3345