About the Louis Calder Center

The Louis Calder Center is the Biological Field Station of Fordham University.

• It is a protected, forested preserve that is located only 25 miles north of New York City.
• It supports research by members of the Biological Sciences Department at Fordham University, as well as from other institutions in the region and the nation.
• It is unique among other well-equipped research stations by offering opportunities to study relatively undisturbed communities near New York City.
• It provides many urban students their first opportunity to examine the natural world first-hand.

The field station comprises 113 forested acres with a variety of ecosystems and communities available for study, including:

• Mixed deciduous forest. The forested vegetation is typical of mid-successional forests in the Mid-Atlantic region. Northern Red and Black oaks dominate the canopy. The understory is composed of late-successional species including Sugar Maple, Red Maple, and American Beech. Stands of Eastern Hemlock occur in shady areas.
• Mesotrophic lake. The 10-acre seepage- and spring-fed Calder Lake supports diverse plant communities.
• Wetlands. Small ponds, streams and wetlands with skunk cabbage, cattail, arrowhead, and wild rice are habitats for many animals.
• Old fields. The station maintains small (1-2 acre) patches of old field that are typical of the ecosystem mosaics in southern New York.

The laboratories at the Calder Center are well equipped for ecological studies and support research as well as graduate and undergraduate educational programs on a wide variety of topics.