University of Akron Field Station

The Field Station at Bath Nature Preserve, Steiner Woods, and Panzner Wetland Wildlife Reserve are the University of Akron’s living laboratories in NEOH.

The UA Field Station is located on the 411 acre Bath Nature Preserve, and is a partnership between UA and Bath Parks. It is located approximately 2 miles west of the 33,000 acre Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and between the large metropolitan areas of Cleveland and Akron/Canton. Housed in the Dr. Paul E. Martin Center for Field Studies and Environmental Education, the UA Field Station is uniquely situated for studies of anthropogenic change in the highly impacted Cuyahoga Valley. This facility is among the largest terrestrial ecology field stations in Ohio, and we are collaborating with other field stations and environmental education facilities in the region.

Steiner Woods is a 23 acre parcel of wetlands, ponds, and woods adjacent to the southern edge of the Preserve. Through the generosity of Homer and Rosalie Steiner (and made possible by a grant from the Ohio EPA Water Resource Restoration Sponsorship Program), this property is now entrusted to the University of Akron for research and teaching projects, including long-term monitoring of spotted salamander populations.

Panzner Wetland Wildlife Reserve, a 105 acre restored wetland located in Copley Township. Brothers Steve and Jerry Panzner created the wetland areas as a compensatory mitigation bank and then donated the property to the University of Akron to use for education and research. The land was part of the Copley Swamp and was previously farmed by generations of the Panzner family.

MISSION:

The mission of The University of Akron Field Station is to serve the needs of the people of northeastern Ohio through research, education, and service that promotes a better understanding of our relationship with the natural environment. The goals of the Station are: 1) to provide a center for long-term environmental research emphasizing habitat restoration and terrestrial ecology, 2) to support the education programs of primarily urban universities and local schools, and 3) to interact with the local community in promoting environmental awareness.