PROPHET Guidelines PROPHET: Guidelines for PROPHETeers Staying at UMBS

PROPHET

Guidelines for PROPHETeers Staying at UMBS

Index:

Essential Information: What to Expect - What to Bring

Automobiles

Climate and Weather

Computers and Computer Connections

Equipment and Supplies

Fees

Housing

Mailing and Shipping

Meals

PROPHET Lab and Office Facilities at Central UMBS Camp

What to Pack

Rules, Guidelines and Other Information

Absences

Boats

Camping

Children

Collecting Specimens

Guests

Health Service

Laundry

Noise

Pets

Phones

Recreation

Store

Swimming

General UMBS Information

The University of Michigan Biological Station is located on the shore of South Fishtail Bay, Douglas Lake in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan approximately twenty minutes by car from the Mackinac Bridge. The Station covers 10,000 acres of land and ten miles of natural shoreline. The PROPHET Tower and Lab Site are located three miles from the central camp in a forest transitioning from successional stages of aspen, beech-maple, spruce and cedar to white pine.

Directions to UMBS

Travel Routes: [Get Road Map for this section] Allow approximately 4.5 to 5 hours for the trip from Ann Arbor. By car, from I-75, take Exit 322 onto County Road 64 and drive west 3 miles to the entrance of the Station or from US-31, turn east at Pellston onto County Road 64 and drive 6 miles to the entrance. By bus, travel to Pellston (or Cheboygan). By air, land at Pellston Airport (Emmet County). Check with your travel agent for flight information and airlines which service Pellston International. Contact me, Sandra Thomas via e-mail shthomas@umich.edu or the Administrative Office at the Station (phone: 616-539-8408 fax: 616-539-8785) to make prior arrangements for being picked up at the airport or the bus stop.

When to Arrive: Faculty and research staff may arrive at any time, on arrangement, with the Administrative Office. Persons with work at the station should follow any special instructions for arrival.

Upon Arrival: Check in at the Administrative Office in the center for the camp to obtain a housing assignment, registration materials and other information. Arrangements should be made with the administrative office for covering room and board and researcher fees. You may pay by cash or check. The Station cannot accept credit cards. Researchers should make arrangements to reimburse the Station for expenses incurred for phone calls, office supplies or other expenses incurred.

Housing

During the Spring and Summer of 1997 PROPHET Participants were housed in the Dormitory Building attached to the Lounge in the middle of the UMBS camp. Cabins are sometimes available to accommodate families by special arrangement. Each dorm room is shared by two people and is attached by a bath to another room shared by two others. Each room has one computer ethernet connection, but do not have phones. There is a pay phone in the building. Housing is furnished with the essential furniture only (beds, desks, chairs, lamps), Linens blankets, pillows, towels, and toilet articles must be furnished by residents. Cribs and high chairs should be provided by parents for their children.

Smoking: Out of respect for the environment and other residents, smoking is not permitted in UMBS buildings except in designated residence cabins, which must be requested prior to housing assignments.

For those occasions when the UMBS camp is full,and special alternative arrangements are necessary, motel accommodations are available nearby in Cheboygan, Petoskey and Mackinaw City.

Meals

The dining room serves three meals per day every day of the week. Regular registered residents sign up for the first meal of the stay only. The sheet is on the table at the beginning of the serving line. For purposes of planning and economy, it is very important that you sign out (sheet on the dining room bulletin board just inside the door) for meals that you will miss.

During Spring and Summer Sessions meals are served during set times:

Monday - Saturday
Breakfast 7-7:45 a.m.
Lunch 11:30 - 12:30 p.m.
Dinner 6 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

Sunday
Breakfast 7 a.m. - 7:45 a.m.
Brunch 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Dinner 6 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

Dining Hall: During the summer session all Station residents have meals together in the dining hall. This arrangement encourages daily contact between students, faculty, researchers, staff and families. The dining hall area is the social focus of the Station as people gather there for meals to pick up mail, make purchases at the Store, play volleyball, or simply relax and visit.

Field Lunches: For individual sack field lunches, sign up TWO days in advance on the clipboard in the dining room. TA's will sign up for class field lunches. On the morning for which the lunch is requested, each person goes to the dining room during the breakfast hour and makes his/her own lunch. Provisions are made for each person to have two sandwiches, one fruit, two cookies and a serving of the relishes. Please do not use more than your share so that there will be enough for everyone. The Station does not provide thermos bottles for individual field lunches. You may bring your own. Beverages and containers are provided for class field trips. If you'd like to conserve on the use of throwaway paper products, you may bring your own plastic lunchbox/bag and reusable containers for sandwiches, drinks, veggies, etc…

Alcohol: While moderate, legal alcohol use is accepted, the drinking of alcohol is never actively encouraged. Illegal behaviors involving alcohol (e.g. underage drinking, drinking and driving) are not acceptable. Alcohol is not to be present or consumed in public areas or events (e.g. laboratories, classrooms, vehicles, boats, streets, beach, ballfield, etc., or other public Station facilities).

What to Pack

For lab and office needs:
Science groups should be prepared to bring: a cart for transporting cylinders or other heavy objects from the delivery area into the Tower Lab Site, as needed. The drive from the delivery/fenced storage area is approximately 800 feet on a rough gravel surface from the road to the Tower and Lab Site in the forest. The Tower Lab Site is 3 miles from the central UMBS camp. Safety equipment including hard hats and flashlights are also required for those working at the Tower Lab Site. Those working on the tower will also require training on site, fall protection harnesses, lanyards and sleeve grips. For specific recommendations on safety equipment contact Sandy Thomas, Program Manager. PROPHET participants are asked to refrain from wearing and scented lotions when working at the Tower Lab site, this includes insect repellent and sunscreen, among others. Participants may want to take extra care to pack clothing, mosquito netting, etc. to provide protection against insects and sun. During black fly season, generally from mid-May through mid- June insects can be a serious problem for investigators.

For personal use:
Housing is furnished with the essential furniture only (beds, desks, chairs, lamps), Linens blankets, pillows, towels, and toilet articles must be furnished by residents. Cribs and high chairs should be provided by parents for their children. PROPHET participants are asked to refrain from wearing and scented lotions when working at the Tower Lab site, this includes insect repellent and sunscreen, among others. Participants may want to take extra care to pack clothing, mosquito netting, etc. to provide protection against insects and sun. During black fly season, generally from mid-May through mid- June insects can be a serious problem for investigators.

Life is informal at the Station. Everyday wear should be chosen for comfort and hard service. Everyone will want sturdy shoes and sneakers to wear in streams, bogs and wet vegetation. You will also probably need heavy socks, jeans, shorts, sweaters, jackets, soft hat or cap, rainwear, swim wear, towels, washcloths, soap, toilet articles, mirror, sewing kit, clothes hangers, laundry bag, and a flashlight. Sleeping bags are always useful, especially for cool nights and overnight field trips. You might find an alarm clock handy.

Because of demanding study schedules and the close community lifestyle, DO NOT bring TVs or stereos

PROPHET Lab and Office Facilities at Central UMBS Camp

In addition to the Tower Lab Site, PROPHET also has laboratory work space on the third floor of Lakeside Lab (at the far end of the UMBS camp). Ethernet connections, phone and fax services are available to PROPHET members at this location as well as limited desk space.

Each group leader will receive a four digit code for making phone calls, faxes and xeroxing. Team leaders will be responsible for the charges assigned to these codes.

Equipment and Supplies

Equipment and supplies may be borrowed or purchased through a check out system from the Stockroom in Lakeside Lab. The Stockroom is open from 9a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday mornings. While the stockroom has a wide variety of items, including keys for the PROPHET Lakeside Lab, and mosquito netting, it does not have everything. Cook's Hardware Store in Pellston is a five minute drive away. They can meet most hardware and many household needs and can order special items. Other stores, K-Mart, Walmart, lumber yards, grocery stores, etc. can be found in either Cheboygan (30 minutes to the northeast) or Petoskey (30 minutes to the southwest). Office supplies can be purchased through the Camp Store.

Computers and Computer Connections

Computers: There are two small computing centers at the Station, both with Macs and Zeniths. Both are open to all UMBS residents, but the center in 1052 Lakeside Lab is primarily for researchers and the other center in LaRue Laboratory is primarily for student use. The rooms in the dormitory have ethernet connections to the UMBS server. To use this you will need an internal ethernet* (e.g. pcmcia) board and cord. The Lakeside Laboratory has eight ethernet ports. If you have access to a cabin you may have a phone line which you can use for fax/modem connections. There are two phone lines available at the Tower Lab for data transfers. An ethernet IP address and general instructions for set up using the UMBS server can be obtained from Professor Bob Vandekopple whose office is in the lower level of Lakeside Lab.

Mailing and Shipping

UPS and Federal Express make daily deliveries and pick ups at the central UMBS station. Federal Express has an office at the Pellston Airport five minutes from the UMBS.

US mail is delivered once a day. Each Station resident will have a mailbox located in the mailroom adjacent to the Store. Outgoing packages (USPS, UPS, FED EX) will be sent from the Store.

Resident Mailing Address:

(Your Name)

PROPHET

UMBS

9008 Biological Road

Pellston, MI 49769

Please Note the Following Special Instructions for Shipments to the UMBS:

Correspondence and shipments to UMBS should be clearly marked with the recipient's and sender's names AND THE WORD 'PROPHET' to assist UMBS staff in ensuring that the package or letter gets to the right destination.
Shippers of large shipments should be instructed to call the UMBS prior to delivery. This is very important since large trucks cannot be accommodated at the Biological Station Camp and must be given alternative instructions for delivery.
When PROPHET members are on site, shippers may be instructed to deliver directly to the Tower Lab site: 6501 Bryant Road, Pellston, MI 49769. The Tower lab is 3 miles from the main camp, therefore, inadequate instructions to the shipper can cause great inconvenience to everyone. (Shipments should be addressed to PROPHET, University of Michigan Biological Station, 9008 Biological Road, Pellston, MI 49769).

Pets

Because of the close community living style and surrounding natural habitats, you are not permitted to bring pets to the Station. Year-round residents may keep inconspicuous pets, but only with the permission of the Director. Be sure your guests are aware of the "no pets" policy.

Store

Located in the same building as the dining hall, it stocks books and supplies for courses; other items such as field guides, stamps, postcards, UMBS t-shirts, sweatshirts, and maps; and snacks such as candy, ice cream, coffee and tea. We cannot accept credit cards.

Laundry

Coin-operated washers and dryers are housed in the laundry building near the center of camp immediately west of the dorm.

Fees

Room and Board Fees: All persons staying at the Station are required to pay established fees for room and board. Those registered and considered in residence pay either session, weekly or daily rates depending on the length of their stay and appointment (Investigators, Postdocs: weekly $133, session $890, graduate student researchers: weekly $129, session $868).

Facility Fees: Research Investigators, graudate student research investigators and their research assistants are charged fees for research facilities and equipment while their research is ongoing (senior investigators: UM $35 per week, non-UM $49 per week; graduate student researchers: UM $21 per week, non-UM $28 per week).

Children

Families of faculty and regular staff are welcome and have always been an integral part of the Biological Station community. Responsibility for the conduct and safety of children, however, belongs to their parents, and the Station cannot assume responsibility for them. Children may not be left unattended. Minors in camp should always be accountable to a responsible adult who is also in camp. The Station tries to be as helpful as possible in maintaining safe and enjoyable conditions for families.

Camping

No fires or camping are permitted on Station property. Grills for cookouts are also not permitted.

Noise

The Station is not an environment for loud stereos, TV or excessive noise of any kind. Please keep in mind that our cabins are very close together. Be considerate of your neighbors.

Guests

Guests may be accommodated at the Station when space is available, but should not plan to use the Station as a resort or vacation base. Limited overnight housing is sometimes available by prior arrangement at the Administrative Office. Guest Stays are limited to 5 nights or less and to the availability of accommodations. Please advise your guests that camping, picnics, pets and recreational motor boating are not allowed at the Station.

Automobiles

Cars or vans may be rented through Hertz at the Pellston Airport (616-539-8404) or through rental agencies in Cheboygan or Petoskey.

Everyone with a vehicle is assigned a parking space and must use it (see PROPHET Parking Areas) Please adhere to the speed limit in camp - 10 miles per hour! NO CARS ARE TO BE DRIVEN INTO THE CENTER OF CAMP OR ON UPPER DRIVE EXCEPT ON THE RARE OCCASION TO MOVE LARGE PARCELS TO YOUR CABIN, AND NEVER BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 10:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M.

Boats

Motorboats are for class and research use only and by reservation. Rowboats are for general use whenever available. EACH PERSON MUST WEAR A LIFE JACKET. Return all boats and life jackets to their proper areas promptly.

Swimming

Douglas Lake is ideal for swimming, but please use obvious precautions. Be aware that there is a steep drop-off a short distance from the camp shore. Swimming should be confined to areas near camp. Any swimmer attempting a long-distance swim must be accompanied by a boat with two occupants. Children should always be under observation of a responsible adult.

Collecting Specimens

Policies on Collecting Specimens: The organisms of the region constitute the prime reason for maintaining a biological station and they must be conserved. Collecting must be limited to minimum needs. Collecting for commercial use, for class or museum use elsewhere, or for transfer to others is strictly forbidden, unless special arrangements are made with the Director. Individuals must first obtain appropriate collecting permits.

In collecting for scientific use, both on and off Station property, take care to avoid depleting the region and altering habitats. Never take more than enough specimens to satisfy your immediate scientific needs, as approved by the professor in whose area of interest the organisms lie. Do not collect any plant or vertebrate specimens in areas close to the cent of camp. Sponges, snails, clams, crayfishes, amphibians, reptiles and fishes of the shoal in front of the camp are in the greatest danger of depletion, and the pools along the shore area in the greatest danger of being altered. No lymnaeid snails should be taken from them. Some plants and animals are protected by Michigan or federal law and must not be picked for any purpose. Others are so rare that the no-picking rule applies on Station property. Lists of these protected and rare plants are available in the Administrative Office.

Health Services

The Health Service cabin is located in the center of camp across from the dining hall building. Office hours will be posted by a nurse on duty. Residents are responsible for their own health care expenses and should carry their own health insurance.

Absences

If you are going to be absent from camp overnight, please inform someone in the Administration Office. This is important for emergency purposes.

Climate and Weather

Climate and Weather: Northern Michigan has an invigorating and comfortable summer climate long popular with summer visitors. Typically, the cool nights are followed by warm sunny days. Mean temperatures for the summer months range from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (16-22 degrees Celsius) and the mid-day normal range from 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (24-26 degrees Celsius).

Recreation

Outdoor recreation opportunities are abundant at the Station and in the region. Douglas Lake has a clean, sandy beach and is excellent for swimming, sailing and fishing. Recreational motorboats are out of place at the Station because of their potential to disturb research sites and the quiet study environment. A network of hiking trails lead to Burt Lake, the Gorge, Pine Point, Grapevine Point, Carp Creek, and other attractive sites nearby. Northern Michigan abounds in attractions for visitors. The Straits of Mackinac area, settled over 300 years ago, has historic Mackinac Island, St. Ignace, and Fort Michilimackinac Wilderness State Park on Lake Michigan is about 20 miles from the Station. Petoskey and Harbor Springs area has been a favorite for over 90 years.

Volleyball and softball are popular activities at the Station. Other regular recreational activities include films, beach sings, dances, 4^th of July picnic, annual talent show, and costume party. Residents are encouraged to participate in all of these.

Phones

The pay phones are for everyone's use. When the phones ring, please answer, take a message and post the message on the bulletin board in the stairway up to the dining room. Please instruct those calling you to use the phone by the Dining Room (616-539-8811). Individuals may use one of the pay phones (numbers listed below) or may make arrangements with the local phone company to have personal phones installed at their own expense. Office phones are for business use only.

Incoming lines: Dining Room: 616-539-8811
Dorm Lounge: 616-539-8817
Lakeside Lab: 616-539-8813
Lecture Hall: 616-539-8828

Administrative Office:
University of Michigan Biological Station
9008 Biological Road
Pellston, MI 49769
Phone: 616-539-8408
Fax: 616-539-8785

PROPHET Phones:
Lakeside Lab: Phone: 616-539-8791
Fax: 616-539-8797
Tower Lab: Phone: 616-539-7018

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