Phone:
(352) 846.0850
Email:
ffgs@ifas.ufl.edu
Mailing/Physical Address:
PO Box 110410, 1745 McCarty Drive,
Gainesville, FL 32611-0410
Campus Location:
136 Newins-Ziegler Hall, UF campus
Locations
- MAIN CAMPUS
The central location for FFGS administration and programs is on the UF campus in Newins-Ziegler Hall (map). Our administrative staff, academic programs, and the majority of our Forest Resources and Conservation staff are located here. We also have a number of laboratories in the building as well as dedicated classroom space.
Reed Lab (map) is the location of our on-campus Geomatics program. This building houses our faculty and staff in Geomatics as well as a Polycom-equipped classroom, student computer laboratory, equipment, and research space.
Our programs recently acquired space in McCarty Halls B and C (map). There is a student study/work space as well as a conference room and offices for faculty to use while on campus.
- MILLHOPPER UNIT
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences is primarily located in northwest Gainesville off Millhopper Rd (map). Many FAS classes are taught here and on the main campus. Conference room calendar >
More than thirty ponds and a fish hatchery are also housed at the Gainesville facility. These are used for research, teaching, and conducting demonstrations and workshops for the public — particularly youth education activities. Extensive microscope facilities are available within our laboratories as well as access to a broad range of technical software and platforms including GIS capabilities. We maintain active laboratories in: aquatic plants, aquatic invertebrates, algal and microbiological culture, cell biology, fish health, fisheries ecology, genetics, paleolimnology, reproductive physiology, and water chemistry analysis
FAS also maintains a fleet of vehicles, boats, motors, trailers and equipment for research, teaching and extension including numerous skiffs, and medium size nearshore and offshore research vessels up to 35 feet in length. This equipment is available for student use with prior permission from a sponsoring faculty member.
The physical address of the Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences program is:
7922 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, FL 32653
Phone: (352) 273.3642 | Fax: (352) 392.3672
- AUSTIN CARY
The Austin Cary Forest is a natural laboratory in the northeast area of Gainesville serving the University’s missions in education, Extension, and research. Beginning in 1936, the originally-named School of Forestry needed a forest to put into practice the theories and principles of its academic subjects such as protection, silviculture, mensuration, management, economics, and others, thus the Austin Cary Forest was created. The 2,600-acre property is used by a wide variety of individuals and groups, and accommodates research, teaching, and outreach projects from throughout the University and beyond. Learn more >
The Forest is managed to meet three objectives: 1) support the teaching, research, and outreach needs of the School; 2) maintain and improve the overall health of the Forest, and; 3) generate revenue to support operations. The Forest is unique among public lands in Florida in that it is managed to include the greatest diversity of conditions possible. Portions of the Forest are intensively managed to maximize economic benefits through
fertilization and high-density planting, mimicking the private timber industry. Other portions of the Forest are managed to create and maintain pre-Columbian conditions of frequent fire, low densities of overstory, and native species composition, as with many other public lands. Within these two extremes, specific areas are managed to
demonstrate a variety of variable conditions.Ongoing fundraising efforts seek to expand our education exhibits, which currently include a re-construction of an original turpentine still, nature walks, and interpretive signs. In the near term, we plan to create an exhibit with an existing 1940s-era sawmill within the Forest to tell the story of the sustainability of Florida’s forests and how advances in technology have impacted both forests and the lives of all our citizens.
- ROLAND T. STERN LEARNING CENTER
Within the Austin Cary Forest we operate a suite of conference/classroom facilities collectively designated as the Forest Campus. The centerpiece of these is the Roland T. Stern Learning Center, our beautiful 7,800 sqft conference, teaching, and rental facility, built on standards of sustainability. We strive to create a modern atmosphere conducive to learning, growth, and collaboration and at the same time to provide visitors with a serene experience in the forest, emphasizing the importance of natural resources to our lives. The Learning Center was funded almost entirely through donations from our alumni and supporters, with great support from IFAS administration and our own Development Committee. In 2017, the Roland T. Stern family generously contributed and the Learning Center was named for him. Visit the Forest Campus and Stern Learning Center >
- TROPICAL AQUACULTURE LABORATORY
Our Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory (TAL) in Ruskin, Florida strives to enhance the understanding of tropical, ornamental aquaculture through research and education. The Laboratory performs applied research, fish disease diagnostic services, and Extension education programs and promotes professionalism in Florida’s tropical aquaculture industry (map).
The TAL consists of a 5,000 square foot office and disease lab where over 20 faculty, staff, and students work, as well as a six and a half acre fish farm with 48 ponds, five greenhouses, a fish quarantine space, and a building that houses tanks and lab space for a wide range of projects. Aerated well water, seawater, and reverse osmosis water is
plumbed throughout the facility to allow for research in fresh, brackish, or seawater with an unlimited variation available to serve each project’s needs.As part of the Land Grant mission, the programs at TAL have always focused on research and Extension to solve problems or create opportunities and have provided millions of dollars each year in savings or new profits to farms. Working closely with industry and other partners, the faculty, staff, and facilities development have all been strategically planned and implemented. USDA continues to maintain their Wildlife Services regional programs office at TAL. Additionally, USDA has added veterinarians from USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, including the Aquaculture Program Leader and the Aquaculture Import/Export Coordinator.
Industry-driven applied research, Extension outreach programs, and teaching of future aquaculture leaders are key avenues to achieve our mission of supporting the tropical ornamental aquaculture industry in Florida.
- RESEARCH & EDUCATION CENTERS
We are proud to maintain a presence at several of the UF Research and Education Centers throughout Florida. Our faculty, staff, and students work with local communities in extension and research as well as providing on-location and/or remote teaching programs.
- Fort Lauderdale REC (Fort Lauderdale)
- Indian River REC (Fort Pierce)
- Mid-Florida REC (Apopka)
- North Florida REC (Quincy)
- Southwest Florida REC (Immokalee)
- West Florida REC (Milton)
- Gulf Coast REC (Plant City)
View map of FFGS.
- CENTER FOR CONSERVATION
The Center for Conservation at Apollo Beach is a partnership between the Florida Aquarium (FLAQ) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission who operate research and rehabilitation aquaria and a fish hatchery at the site. We collaborate closely on these initiatives, with the Center of Conservation housing faculty and graduate students specializing in restoration aquaculture at the facility. This partnership greatly enhances our ability to conduct experimental restoration aquaculture and enhances the access of our collaborators to cutting-edge science.
- FISH & WILDLIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (FWRI)
We collaborate closely with the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s research arm. The FWRI Freshwater Fisheries Research Section is co-located with the program at our Millhopper campus, and faculty and graduate students are also embedded in the FWRI Marine Fisheries Research Section in St. Petersburg. Co-location and close collaboration with FRWI brings multiple advantages- it enhances access to research expertise, training, and advanced degrees for FWRI staff and allows our faculty and students access to extensive, statewide monitoring data sets and research facilities.