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Institute of the Environment

For over 80 years, the Highlands Biological Station (HBS) has served as a center for research and education focusing on the biodiversity of the southern Appalachians, and has served as the mountain field site of the Institute for the Environment (IE) since 2001. Situated in some of the highest mountain country in the eastern United States, the IE Highlands Field Site offers a unique experience for students interested in biodiversity and conservation issues. The region is an ideal " natural laboratory " in which to learn about the historical and ecological processes that shape the biogeography of the rich southern Appalachian biota, and to explore the interplay of land use pressures and conservation concerns facing the region. HBS is a fully equipped scientific field station that also offers a summer field course program and research facilities for visiting scientists. Additionally, it serves as an important community resource with its Nature Center museum and extensive Botanical Garden of native plants. IE students live in a restored home on the Station grounds in the town of Highlands, N.C. (elevation 4,118 feet). The campus provides a convenient center for course offerings and scientific investigations, with classroom and lab space, a computer lab and a library. Students spend the semester becoming intimately familiar with the issues of the Highlands region, much of which lies within the Nantahala National Forest. Coursework is focused on mountain biodiversity and biogeography, theoretical and applied methods (including GIS) for the study of mountain ecology and conservation, and the social, political and ecological history of land use in the southern Appalachians. The program takes advantage of its proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Qualla Boundary (Reservation of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation), the Blue Ridge Parkway and other areas of interest to experience firsthand the complexities of the environmental issues of the southern mountains.