Tours of UMCES at HPL
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science will offer 90-minute tours of the Horn Point Laboratory twice each week on Tuesdays and Saturdays from May 1 in 2008 and ending September 27, 2008. There will be no tours on holidays. The nationally recognized laboratory, located just outside of Cambridge, is home to the Jones Oyster Culture Facility, the only state-run oyster hatchery in Maryland and the birthplace for more than 100 million of the Bay's native oysters annually.
As part of the walking tour, visitors will have the unique opportunity to peer into state-of-the-art working environmental labs where researchers are studying environmental issues influencing our local environment. Visitors will also have a chance to walk through the Center's newest building - the Aquaculture and Restoration Ecology Laboratory. It is the nation's only university research facility dedicated to restoration ecology and aquaculture approaches are integrated with ecosystem science to produce effective and environmentally sustainable strategies to restore coastal environments such as Chesapeake Bay.
All public tours are free to visitors and will leave promptly from the visitor reception area at 10 a.m., so visitors are advised to plan accordingly. Advance resgistration is not required, but it is recommended that groups of five or more contact the laboratory prior to their intended tour date. Group tours other than the standard Tues. and Sat. times can also be arranged by calling/emailing the laboratory with sufficient notice. Ample parking is available.
From the wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay to the open waters of the world's oceans, the UMCES Horn Point Laboratory has a national reputation for its groundbreaking research in estuarine, ecosystem, aquaculture and restoration studies. Founded in 1973 and located on the banks of the Choptank River, the Horn Point Laboratory is one of three laboratories of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
For more information about public tours, the laboratory or for directions, call 410.221.8383 or email tours@hpl.umces.edu |
