Property of Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida.

Property of Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida.
January 24, 1939
A-OFli'ICIATJ NAME OJ! STATION:
·Ba.ss Biological Laboratory.
C-GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: Near Englewood, rlorida. 36 miles
South of Sarasota by automobile. Latitude 26 90' , Longitude
82 20', subtropic1l zone, on Gulf of Mexico.
D- ECOLOGICAL LOC ATION: A great variety 01 terrestiral hqbitats
occur within a few !iles of the lqboratory , among which are:
low sandy keys; high s'lndy scrub oal~ hammocks; t 11 bushy
gr'1.ss around muck :onds; southern pine thickets; palmettos;
meadows and ,1Iar-sh lands; cactus and dry lands. The marine
and fresh water habitats are lil<:ewise V1 ied: a number of
fresh water streams qnd ronds occur near the labor'ltory; the
laboratory is located on Lemon. Bay, s xteen r'liles long, varying
from one-quatter to two miles in width. This bay opens into
the gulf' of Mexico through t~70 passes, anc1 into Ch'1rlotte
harbor at the south pnd . It o1fers many dif'f'erpnt tYfes of
bottom habitats: mud f l ats, oyster bars, S8lli!, eel ~rass,
projections of limestone torma~ions, shallow bays and coves
and deep ch8.nnels. Commercial an,~ s:"'ort fisjlin~ is vel'y
nctive, in this vicinity.
A list of
E-HIS10RY:
loc~l
s ,ecies is enclosed.
This s' tion was founded in 1932 .
F- PURPOSE: The labor1.tory was 10unded to Llrnish research facilities to invest.i~!)tor.s in biologjcal fields where the fauna ,
tlora 'lnd clim1.te pay an impol' cant role in the problem under
observition.
11'
G-S~NSORSHIP AND INCOHE:
The labor'1tory is independent • . Its
income is derived from stoc.::s, bonds, and real est:c,te, which
flu~late in value.
H- STAFF: Join F . Bass J r., Director-Life histories; Stewart
Springer, !lasmobranchii; J. :i.Je'lI' Grirn.:ier, .t er .... etology ; -!o ris
Fraf;er, Invertebrate .tiemacytology; Don1.1d B. Powell, f'hyslolof7,Y .
Ferd Dalton, Collector. There are six laborers. The entire
staff is on duty the year around.
I'-EQUIPMENT: Laboratory grounds, ten acres. Three one-~_tory
101Y laboratori es jtwo large f .i.'.~me storage houses; ttl'lteel~~g
houses for staff and vi si ting investi l.~a t.ors; onR frame house
serving as dining halJ"and cormi~ory for visit i nfY, inv e st,t~ptors;
administr .ive living quarters; tool s nap; salt water laboratory;
other SID:1ll buildings.
BOATS: A 54 foot ·luxiliary sc looner; a 20' launCh; '1 lP ' launhh.
The library is small, but there are 3. number of reprint.s [.m d
public~tions of v~rl ' ils scienti.ftc societies.
There is a scienti1ic sales de p trtm0nt orcrated in conjunction .
Two
Property of Mote MarinePage
Laboratory,
Sarasota, Florida.
J-LIVING CONDITIONS: The laboratory provides food anel lod~ing
for investigators. Thepe is a nomin~l fee of one dollar per
day f'or room, board, and laboratory facilities .
12 is the maximum number ot investigators accomodated .
K- INSTRUCTION: The laborfltory offers no instruction . Only
exceptionally are advanced students accer-ted as fello',Ys of
this laboratory .
L- RESEARCH : Prim';trily , the Llbor8, tory f'acil i ties are grant ed
to the faculty r.lembers of colleges,~niversities, and other
esta~lished institutions , however , ~iceptions can be mad e
to this lolicy. The organization is run in such a way tha t
applications for vlrying periods of residence can be receiv ed
throughout the year . No surervision oc instruction is affo rded
by the laboratory . In making apl ,lic'l tion, a fairly d ef ; ni te
outline of' the problem must be submitted. Alist of t1:;.e e,"!uipment needed should be enclosed. Reprints or a bib~iograr-hy of
papers published should accomapny the aprlicatlon. Fellows
will be expected to identify specimens used by them for the
key - card index file of local f3.una and f l ora . A synopsis of
tc.eir findings is requ i red as an addition to t he Ii hr',1 ry file s
in order to aid futUre investigation in the ~1.me field .
The st1.tion is prepared
pec i3lly to offer research fqcilities
in the following br~ncheJ f biology: Marine biology ; ecology ;
invertebr:lte and vertebrate zoology; entomology; parasitology .
,.. '1The of'" to investig,'ltors consist in the one dollar a day
charge for board and rOOID. The station is open all year.
No financial aid, other than the low fee charged, Is available .
M- PUBLI CAI I ONS : No regular journ~l is published by the l~tor~tory .
Articles by the staff members appesr from time to t~me in
the publications of the National Museum, the Flo rida Academy
of Sci e nce, and the American Mialand Nqturalist .
A pamphlet describing the laboratory is enclosed . i'!e
are also .enclosing, as mentioned in " D-2 " above, a copy of
our local species list, which 3lthOtgh incom~lete, gives some
idea 01" the v1rioty of animal li16 found near the l'1bor~tory .
Yours truly,
John } . Bas s Jr.
Director.