Mountain Lake Biological Station

Mountain Lake Biological Station is a residential field station located atop Salt Pond Mountain in the southern Appalachians of southwestern Virginia. The station is remote, but is accessible by car. The MLBS community is diverse and welcoming!

Programs include summer field courses, internships, research projects, scientific meetings, workshops, artist residencies, and outreach activities. Scientists conduct research in plant and animal population biology, behavioral ecology, life history evolution, community ecology, ecological genetics, biosystematics, epidemiology, conservation biology, the physiology of behavior, and more. MLBS is a NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) site. Researchers and others interested in using the station are invited to get in touch for more information on how MLBS can support their work.

The Station is most active during the summer season, but research support and limited housing is available year round.

• Logo:
• UN Geographic Region: North America
• Street: 240 Salt Pond Circle
• City: Pembroke
• Zip Code: 24136
• Country: United States
• State/Province: VA
• Latitude: 37
• Longitude: 80
• FSML E-mail Address: mlbs@virginia.edu
• FSML Web Address: https://mlbs.virginia.edu/
• FSML Year Founded: 1930
• Year Join OBFS: 1993
• University affiliation(s)?: Yes
• Names of Universities affiliated / Parent Organization: University of Virginia
• Address Line 1: 485 McCormick Rd.
• City: Charlottesville
• Zip Code: 22904
• Country: United States
• State: VA
• Contact Name: Jaime BeVille Jones
• Contact Email: jjones@virginia.edu
• Contact Position: Station Manager
• Contact Phone Number:
• Station Director Name: Butch Brodie
• Station Director Email: bbrodie@virginia.edu
• Billing Contact Name: Megan Champion
• Billing Contact Email: mcc8t@virginia.edu
• Voting Delegate Email: jjones@virginia.edu
• Operating Budget: $200,001 - $500,000
• Size of Field Station: 101-500
• Federal, state, or local governmental partners?: NEON
• Minority Serving Institution/Historically Black Colleges and Universities users?: Yes
• Community College users: Yes
• Onsite staff?: Yes
• Year Round Staff: 3-5
• Seasonal Staff: 1-2
• Overnight housing facilities: 50+
• Conference space: 51-100
• Food service or catering available?: Yes
• Electricity: On Grid
• Distance to emergency services?: 21-40 minutes
• Internet Access?: Yes
• Library?: Yes
• Classes: Undergraduate
• Hiking trails?: Yes
• Artists in Residence Program?: Yes
• Internships?: Yes
• Biome Type: Terrestrial
• Terrestrial Biomes: Temperate Forest
• Minimum Elevation: 751-1500 meters
• Maximum Elevation: 751-1500 meters
• Köppen climate classification: C (temperate)
• Freshwater habitats: Yes
• Urban/Rural: Rural
• REU host station?: Yes
• Dry lab space?: Yes
• Wet Lab space?: Yes
• GIS capacity on site?: Yes
• Long term data sets?: Yes
• On site herbarium or voucher species?: Yes
• Outdoor manipulative experiments: Yes