Field Stations

The Huron-to-Erie Alliance for Research and Training (HEART) is a multi-institutional alliance dedicated to Great Lakes research. The alliance supports three urban field stations (see map below) located at Lake St. Clair Metropark in Macomb County, Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) Water Works Park (WWP), and Detroit's Palmer PArk. The field stations are an important element of water resources research that allows direct access to observe and understand water interactions with local ecosytems and provides opportunities for hands-on training that directly benefits public health, aquatic ecosystem sustainability, and education. Development and expansion to the HEART Field Station Facilities continues to be possible by a generous grant from the Erb Family Foundation as part of UWERG's Healthy Urban Waters initiative.

 Our vision is to empower and engage the public in creating a sustainable urban environment based on sound science with a mission to lead the study of the interaction between urban and natural systems, advancing education, policy and health toward environmental sustainability.

Lake St. Clair Metropark Field Station in Macomb County is a field study site for aquatic ecology and ecosystem restoration, water monitoring technology development, analysis of coastal bacterial communities, and research on the effects of environmental stressors on water quality.

Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) Water Works Park (WWP) Field Station provides opportunities for studying sustainable practices and new technologies for water treatment that protect human and environmental health.

The Palmer Park WSU Woods and Wetlands Field Laboratory  supports studies of woodland habitat, vernal pools and other wetland features of the park, including research on aquatic, terrestrial and aerial organisms.