Adirondack Fishery Research Program

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Little moose field station

The Little Moose Field Station, located near Old Forge in the southwestern Adirondacks, serves as the field headquarters for Cornell's aquatic research efforts in the Adirondack Mountain region of New York.

The station includes: coldwater fish culture facilities, a wet lab for chemical analysis and field sample processing, a library and office space with internet access, and temporary living quarters (two bedrooms, kitchen, and bath) for students and visitors. Indoor hatchery space (16' x 25') is used for rearing eggs and fingerlings. Outdoor hatchery space includes eight 10' diameter circular tanks (covered by a 35' x 70' pole barn) and two 21' outside circular tanks (enclosed by an electric fence to discourage bears) for rearing salmonine fishes, including brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum). Smaller tanks are also available for experimental purposes. Hatchery water is supplied from a gravity-fed line from Little Moose Lake that delivers 100 gallons per minute with an annual temperature range of three to 15 degrees C. Water from a low pH stream can also be diverted into the facility for biotic impact studies related to acid rain.

Field studies are conducted on private and public waters throughout the Adirondack region and elsewhere in New York. The Little Moose Field Station is managed and staffed through the Department of Natural Resources in the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. The field station operates year-round and associated research efforts are completed by three professional staff supplemented by seasonal employees, graduate students and undergraduate student assistants. Faculty members from Cornell University, other universities, and federal & state agencies collaborate on research projects based out of the field station.