The Barbara A. Beiser Field Station

Marietta College, through the generosity of Ralph Voorhees, and with the cooperation of the Lower Muskingum Conservancy and funding from the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Program, operates the Barbara A. Beiser (’49)  Field Station.  Named for Barbara Beiser, Valedictorian of the Marietta College class of 1949 and Ralph’s wife of over 50 years,  the field station occupies 2000 feet of riverbank on the Little Muskingum River about 5 miles east of the college campus.  The approximately 77 acre site has a variety of terrestrial habitats including mature deciduous forest, successional forest and old fields on a landscape that ranges from flat river terraces to steep forested slopes with rock outcrops.  A number of wetlands including seeps, springs, streams and small floodplain ponds are also present.

The station is used for a number of purposes.  Classes such as Flowering Plants, Field Biology Techniques, Lower Plants, and Zoology all use the site.  Special field trips are arranged for bird watching, visits to the ponds during the salamander and frog breeding seasons and spring wildflower viewing, to name just a few. 

When fully developed, the station  will have a pavilion and field laboratory building, as well as a network of trails including marked nature trails.  We envision a full program of educational opportunities, including  field trips for local K-12 students, training sessions for their teachers, and nature study opportunities for citizens of all ages.

For more information Visit: http://w3.marietta.edu/~biol/field_station/fieldstation.html

The station is open to the public; plan your visit with the resources from the link below: