Members
Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research
Chongxi Wetland Research Centre
Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Reserach Center
Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands
Max-Planck Institute für Limnologie
Pantanal Ecology Research Group
Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park
Ohio State University, USADescription:
The Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park is an experimental and demonstration wetland research facility located on a 12-ha site on the campus of the largest university campus in the USA. Site features include two 1-ha experimental wetland basins and their river water delivery system; boardwalks for researchers; over 80 experimental mini-wetlands in a mesocosm compound; a plant-material greenhouse, a 2.8-ha created oxbow wetland, a 5-ha restored bottomland hardwood forest, instrumentation for continuous monitoring of river and wetland water quality and hydrology; the Sandefur Wetland Pavilion for public observation of the wetlands; interpretation signs for the public; a city bikepath with wetland bikepath shelter; and a US$3 million 1,000 m 2 Heffner Wetland Research and Education Building with labs, offices, data control center, GIS lab, and conference room. The building houses approximately 15 researchers (including graduate students and lab assistants) from The Ohio State University and frequent national and international visitors.The ORWRP also houses a multi-institutional wetland research center—The Ohio Center for Wetland and River Restoration—whose affiliates includes over 60 researchers from Ohio State University, Wright State University, Shawnee State University, Central State University, Kenyon College, and Ashland University.
Funding:
Funding for the ORWRP has mostly been through extramural support. The direct economic impact of the ORWRP to The Ohio State University in income from grants, contracts, development, and short course fees has been over $10 million since 1992.Research:
Research at the ORWRP has focused on succession of created and restored wetlands and hydrologic pulsing effects on function and water quality improvement in wetlands. Research has also focused on wetland ecology and restoration in the Mississippi River Basin, Louisiana Delta, Florida Everglades, Costa Rican tropical wetlands, and Mesopotamian Marshlands in Iraq. Thirty university courses from 8 OSU Colleges and other institutions use the ORWRP annually and over 50 students have completed parts or all their theses or dissertations at the ORWRP, including 7 students from Europe and Asia.
Website: http://swamp.osu.edu/
Contacts:
Director: William J. Mitsch mitsch.1@osu.edu
Assistant Director: Li Zhang zhang.326@osu.eduWilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park
Heffner Wetland Research and Education Building
352 W. Dodridge Street
The Ohio State University
Columbus , OH 43202 USA
Phone: +1 614-292-9774
FAX: +1 614-292-9773