Emily Guiles, a Central Michigan University student, wakes up to the calming sound of Lake Michigan waves lapping at the shore, the sun peeking through the windows of her barrack-like dormitory. She rolls out of her bunk bed, pulls on her waterproof boots, and heads to grab a quick breakfast.

Friday means no lecture; it’s an excursion day.

Guiles and her fellow students drive to the site, then trek on foot through a gradient of different ecosystems, from a pine forest to dense grassland. Crossing a small moat at the edge of the grassland, their feet land on an expansive floor of sphagnum moss. They’ve reached the bog.

“Imagine walking on a sponge, that’s what it is,” Guiles said. “The experience of seeing and being there physically really stuck out because it’s unlike a lot of ecosystems that I’ve seen. We looked at a lot of life that’s only really on a bog, like pitcher plants and sundews– they’re insectivorous. I was surprised you could find them in Michigan.”

Guiles, a biology major, is one of many students who seized the opportunity to study at Central Michigan University’s Biological Station on Beaver Island. The station serves as a large-scale environmental research and education facility that offers field-based experience to CMU students and the public.

The CMUBS website reads that in 1942, the university first purchased 45.2 acres of land from the Michigan Conservation Land Division for $1. In the time since, funding from private donors and the National Science Foundation has enabled the expansion of its facilities to include new libraries, labs, housing and deep-water research vessels.

Kevin Pangle, director of CMUBS, said that the facility stands out from other biological stations across the state because of its unique location in northern Lake Michigan. The diverse ecosystems found on the archipelago are relatively undisturbed, making it a prime location for environmental research.

Pangle said the station is a research epicenter. It conducts ecological studies on invasive species, wetland health, nesting grounds and other aspects of the island’s environment.

Several CMU academic departments collaborate to provide interdisciplinary nature-oriented programming at the station. The summer 2025 class schedule includes service-based projects, photography, game design and music courses.

Pangle said that courses run anywhere from one week to the entire summer, costing the same amount as the average class on campus. Students are able to apply for scholarships and other aid to alleviate these costs.

“What I find just amazing is how you can have these students with different interests and career aspirations come up there and immerse themselves,” he said.

Guiles said that the highly tactile learning environment and expert faculty leaves a lasting impact on those who have studied at the station.

“It’s an invaluable experience,” she said. “I’d recommend it to anyone, especially biology students. Anyone who is inclined towards nature in any way, I think they should go, 100%.”