Striving to meet Maryland's growing environmental needs and maintain its reputation as a leader in ecology and estuarine science, UMCES completed construction of the Aquaculture and Restoration Ecology Laboratory at Horn Point. The new state-of-the-art building is the nation's only university research facility dedicated to restoration ecology in which aquaculture approaches are integrated with ecosystem science to produce effective and environmentally sustainable strategies to restore coastal environments such as Chesapeake Bay.

Supporting science for the sustainable development of living resources, the sophisticated equipment and instrumentation included in the new building will support cutting-edge research on water quality, biochemistry, geochemistry, marsh and submerged aquatic vegetation, nutrient cycling, and finfish and oyster aquaculture. Unique features of this facility include a flume for marsh and submerged aquatic vegetation research; experimental temperature, light, and carbon dioxide controls for climate change research; and a quarantine laboratory for the safe study of non-indigenous species, such as the Asian oyster.

The new facility will attract increased support of research and foster existing partnerships with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Oyster Recovery Partnership, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others.

In a public ceremony on November 20, 2003, Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., joined former Governors Harry Hughes and Marvin Mandel in dedicating the building. With this facility now open, UMCES and the State of Maryland continue their legacy of pioneering research on environmental challenges affecting Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.

To see photographs from the Dedication Ceremony, click here.