‘Allow this place to be your haven’
Since its founding in 1909, U-M’s Biological Station in Pellston, Mich., has hosted students and researchers of all stripes, from natural scientists to future CEOs to aspiring poets. Immersive, magical, and fondly referred to as “Bug Camp,” the site features 50 one-room cabins in the woods. And thanks to their graffiti-loving residents all these years, no two are the same. “A Cabin in the Woods” at heritage.umich.edu details the cabins’ fascinating history. Enjoy this preview of images by Daryl Marshke of Michigan Photography.
Marilyn McKenzie - 1967
UMBS kept me from being a college dropout! I will never forget my four summers plus spring classes there!
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Cathy Church - 1961
Going to the UMBS changed my life. (circa 1958) I studied Ornithology under Dr. Olin Sewell Pettingil and a class in fresh water habitats. That is where I wanted to look at what was going on under the water with scuba gear instead of just collecting fish with a net to study their scales, so when I returned to Ann Arbor I arranged for a class to learn how to SCUBA dive (from Dr. Lee Somers). After my Junior year I went out to Stanford’s “Hopkins Marine Biology Station.” in Monterey California. And my career as a marine biologist took off. I continued studying at University of Hawaii for a master’s degree and I am now a renowned underwater photographer, writer and teacher. Thank you UMBS!!
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Gary Rodabaugh - 1976
Went there in 1976 with Dr. Gary Pace! Wonderful to see that the University finally sees its importance and need for upgrading.
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Hope Alexander - 1980
My family spent a couple summers at the Biological Station. My father, George Alexander, was getting his PhD in Biology. We must have been there in 1960/1961 time frame. Even though I was very young, I have vivid memories of staying in the cabins. There was a snapping turtle tank and a lovely beach. Sometimes mice were in the rafters. I was on the top bunk.
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Margaret Dinner - 2004
As a UM alum who spent winters cross-country skiing the silent trails of the Bio Station during middle school, high school and winter breaks, I sincerely hope that UM will consider the environmental and local impacts of running the camp year round. To my fellow Wolverines who spent summers soaking up the wonders of the woods and wetlands there, consider the crystalline silence of gliding through fresh powder on those same trails, untouched by anyone other than perhaps a fellow set of silent skis. Certainly consider snowshoes and skis rather than shovels and machines which will undoubtedly alter the trailside ecosystems and disturb the overwintering native species so loving studied by generations of Bug Campers.
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Mike Bailey - 1973
My wife and I spent the summer together of 1974 working for Mark Paddock on a Natural History Survey of the recent federal designation of Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshores. I edited and organized the report based on inputs from a professional ornithologist,botonist,geologist, limnologist, and entomologist. I provided the input on wildlife which set my groundwork for my Masters at the University of Maine and or 34 years as a wildlife biologist with the Michigan DNR. The summer at Bug Camp is filled with great memories and experiences which I will always treasure.
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