This project will provide partial funding for improvement of the laboratory capabilities of the Lake George biological field station of the Fresh Water Institute (FWI) of the Rensselaer Polytechnical Institution. NSF funds will provide approximately 15% of the total estimated cost of construction of the laboratory facilities. With its present facilities, FWI has developed a core of research programs focusing on water resources and aimed at understanding ecosystems undergoing change through anthropogenic perturbations. The northeastern US contains many different stressed aquatic ecosystems, including those suffering from acid precipitation, toxic contamination, nutrient enrichment, and the introduction of exotic vegetation. The Lake George field station is a major regional environmental research facility serving the limnological needs of researchers lacking such facilities at their home institutions. The current use of the field station by FWI staff and investigators affiliated with numerous academic institutions and government agencies within the eastern New York and western New England region has placed a heavy demand on the field station's physical resources, requiring the use of a variety of temporary laboratories. Consolidating these into one properly equipped facility will provide improved year-round lakeside use, allowing enhanced laboratory experimentation and fully-seasonal sampling capabilities.
