Building on the Legacy of Richard Archbold

Building on the Legacy of Richard Archbold. . , Frances Archbold Hufty , Frances Archbold Hufty (1912 to 2010) became Chairman of the Board of Archbold Expeditions in 1976 after her brother, Richard Archbold, bequeathed his assets to the organization shortly before his death. During the 35 years of her leadership, Archbold Expeditions grew in stature as a world-renowned research center. , Collections , Station biologists added new specimens every year to the Archbold biological collections. By 2010, the collections contained over 230,000 specimens of plants and animals, forming an irreplaceable data of Florida scrub organisms. , A High Standard for Research , While Frances Archbold Hufty served as Chairman from 1976 to 2010, Archbold Biological Station expanded to become the world's foremost source of information on Florida scrub and surrounding Florida ecosystems. During this time Archbold scientists published nearly 1,500 papers and books (about one publication per week). , The goal of ecology is to understand how nature works, and longer studies, over many decades, yield more conclusive results. Archbold has always been renowned for its support of long-term ecological research; studies at the Station have revealed the complexity of Florida's scrub ecosystem and how it responds to changes in fire management, climate, and human development. These discoveries have guided protection and management of this rare North American ecosystem. , Educating the Next Generation , Will future generations care about the Florida scrub and the research needed to understand it? Frances Archbold Hufty cared deeply about the answer to this question. , In the 20 years following the start of the Station's K-12 educational program in 1989, more than 40,000 children have learned about the Florida scrub and Archbold's scientific discoveries either on school field trips or at Scrub Day Camp. , The Station frequently hosts visiting college classes. In addition, from 1976 to 2010, more than 300 students completed Archbold internships; each conducting an independent research project. During this time, 135 graduate students were awarded master's or doctoral degrees based on their research at the Station. Many of these students have gone on to make important contributions to ecology. , Notable Long-term Studies at Archbold, FIRE: SMOKEY BEAR IS WRONG , This influential article was authored by Warren Abrahamson in 1984. , The Essential Role of Fire: Smokey Bear persuaded people that fire was bad for forests and for decades fire suppression was practiced at Archbold and throughout the United States. In 1977, Archbold scientists began long-term studies of plant response to fire. This research revealed that fire was essential to life in the scrub and led to Archbold's fire management program. Since 1979, prescribed burns have been used at the Station to mimic fire's natural cycle and to provide research opportunities. , Florida Scrub-Jays: In 1969, Glen Woolfenden (1928 to 2007) started his study of the Florida Scrub-Jay at Archbold. The research continues to this day and is the longest-running bird population study in North America. Each month Archbold bird ecologists conduct a census of jays on the Station and have maintained this record, unbroken, since 1971. Their work has revealed intriguing details of jay family lives, behaviors, and responses to fire, and has spearheaded conservation planning to save this threatened species, which is unique to Florida. , Rare Scrub Plants: Archbold plant ecologists have focused on the population biology of over 20 rare plant species found in Florida scrub This research has created one of the world's most detailed, longest-running datasets of individual plants and plant populations, especially in relation to fire.