The Illinois Natural History Survey at the Prairie Research Institute is home to the first inland field station in the United States. Founded 130 years ago, Forbes Biological Station is located in Havana, Illinois. Director Auriel Fournier reflects on the history and research legacy of the Forbes Biological Station on its anniversary.
Forbes Biological Station was the first of its kind in the nation. Tell us about that history and incredible research legacy.
Forbes Biological Station is the oldest inland field station in North America, founded by Stephen Forbes, our namesake, because he thought that studying the Illinois River was important not just for the sake of science, but for the sake of the peoples of Illinois. At that time the work was focused on aquatic ecology but has grown to include a wider array of habitats – especially wetlands – and a wider suite of animals – waterfowl and other wetland birds. The work that has been done at Forbes over the past many decades has shaped policy and regulatory decisions, has informed how wetlands are managed across the country, and continues to play a big role in informing decisions about natural resource management in Illinois and beyond.
Who was Stephen A. Forbes?
Stephen Forbes was a scientist whose work was very broad, covering many ecological topics from entomology to aquatic ecology and more. In addition to founding the Forbes Biological Station, he was also the first chief of the Illinois Natural History Survey. Forbes really saw the value in place-based work, and in how getting to know a place could help you understand the ecosystems and organisms that used that place. This was one of the reasons that he felt in-depth study of the Illinois River and its associated waters was so important.
What kind of research was the foundation of Forbes Biological Station’s early years?
The station was established in Havana in 1894 for the “continuous investigation of the aquatic life of the Illinois River and its dependent waters” and that was the primary focus of the station’s work for the first several decades – including fishes, mussels and other aquatic creatures – along with the ecology of the river and its associated flood plains. Much of this work was done before the current lock and dam system was put in place on the Illinois, along with the large levees that protect drainage and levee districts today. This gives us a great baseline to compare to the river today, which is a different waterway and serves the people and fish and wildlife of Illinois in a different way then it did 130 years ago.
What are some landmark accomplishments that have come from Forbes Biological Station research?
Frank Bellrose’s work on the negative impacts of lead shot were instrumental in changing regulations around the use of lead shot in waterfowl hunting. His work had wide ranging impacts outside of Illinois and helped to prevent lead poisoning and death of many waterfowl and Bald Eagles as a result of this change. The work at the time was not popular, as moving away from lead shot was a big change, but Bellrose was able to pursue that subject because of the support the field station had to investigate what was important, not just what was popular.
How has Forbes Biological Station’s research mission evolved and/or stayed the same over 130 years?
We started with a core mission focused on the river and aquatic organisms. In the 1930s, a second focus was added – on waterfowl. Those two research programs occurred in tandem at the station until the 1980s when we basically became too successful for our limited facility. At that time the Illinois River Biological Station was formed and the aquatic science program at Forbes moved there. IRBS is also in Havana and continues to do amazing, impactful science on a wide variety of fishes and aquatic systems. Today the mission of the Forbes station is focused on wetlands and wetland birds, historically mostly waterfowl but also increasingly marsh birds, shorebirds, and other birds which rely on wetlands.
What are some of the current, ongoing research projects today?
Today our work is focused on wetlands and wetland birds, from the mallard, wood duck and lesser scaup – which are all game species in Illinois, sought after by birders and hunters alike – to wetland birds that are listed as endangered or imperiled at the state and federal level – like king rail and eastern black rail. At our core we are doing work that informs conservation decisions to make wetlands better for these species and support healthy populations. Much of that work takes place in Illinois, but also increasingly across the country. In the past three years I’ve had students working in Illinois, Colorado, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
What are you excited about as you look to the future of Forbes Biological Station?
I’m not sure that Stephen Forbes could anticipate the changes coming to the Illinois River when he started working in this area, but he knew that the river was important for the fish and wildlife of Illinois, and for the state’s people. The station has a long legacy of being willing to tackle messy problems, like lead shot, and problems that require us to branch out across disciplines. I think that will serve us well in the decades to come, as wetlands and wetland wildlife face a wide variety of challenges that will require us to adapt and think broadly about how to help our colleagues managing natural resources make the best use of what we know.
