about the Station

The Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS) is a year-round biological field station established for the long-term study and conservation of unique ecosystems through management, research, and education. It is managed for the University of Florida by the UF/IFAS Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation. The properties are located in Putnam County, Florida - roughly north latitude 29°41' and west longitude 82°. The entire station is approximately 9,100 acres. The Station is a member of the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS).  
 

HISTORY
The Swisher Family of Jacksonville bought the land in the 1930s and for 50 years used the tract as their private hunting and fishing preserve. In 1979 the Swisher Foundation approached The Nature Conservancy for assistance in establishing a wildlife sanctuary as a monument to the late tobacco industrialist, Carl Swisher. Two tracts of land, totaling 1,400 hectares of wetlands and prairies, were donated to The Nature Conservancy. The acreage was named the Carl Swisher Memorial Sanctuary. In early 1980 the Goodhill Foundation awarded a grant to the University of Florida Foundation, Inc., to purchase 2,500 hectares of upland high pine sandhills from the Swisher Foundation. This acreage was to be preserved in the name of Katharine Ordway, the 3M Corporation heiresses who founded Goodhill. At the same time, The Nature Conservancy agreed to lease the Carl Swisher Memorial Sanctuary to the University of Florida Foundation, Inc., and both organizations signed a joint stewardship agreement for the combined properties. The Goodhill Foundation also established an operational endowment to be administered by the University of Florida Foundation, Inc. for the management and protection of both the Katharine Ordway Preserve and Carl Swisher Memorial Sanctuary. The University of Florida was designated as the managing body for both properties. In order to more clearly identify the properties use and management, the University of Florida Board of Trustees named the collective properties the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station in 2006.

The property is a mosaic of wetlands and uplands that include sandhills, xeric hammock, upland mixed forest, swamps, marshes, clastic upland lakes, sandhill upland lakes, and marsh lakes. There is a variety of fauna which inhabit the Station including a number of state and federally listed species. Archeological sites on the Station show human presence and require more investigation. The most recent uses of the lands comprising the Station were cattle ranching and game hunting. Wildfires and prescribed burning have had a strong influence on the property.

Campus office	Mailing address
University of Florida Dept. of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation 105 Newins-Ziegler Hall Ph. 352.846.0576	Ordway-Swisher Biological Station Dept. of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation University of Florida PO Box 110430 Gainesville, Fl 32611-0430