About the CFL

The study of limnology in North America began in the 1890’s when E.A. Birge first started research on Lake Mendota here at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1908, Chancey Juday joined Birge and, together, these two “forefathers” of limnology enjoyed a decades-long partnership that laid much of the foundation for the freshwater sciences. 

The Center for Limnology (CFL) was established in 1982 to continue this legacy and facilitate research, teaching, and outreach on freshwater ecosystems across Wisconsin and the world. We are committed to growing this knowledge base through long-term research, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative science that helps answer important questions about how to conserve our invaluable freshwater ecosystems. Our work reaches freshwaters across the globe, from the Great Lakes and Wisconsin’s inland lakes and rivers, to rivers in Mongolia and lakes in Antarctica.     

We know that water connects us all and that our work is often of interest to decision-makers, state and federal agencies, and the general public. Outreach, communication, and public education about freshwater resources are increasingly vital components of our work. 

The Center for Limnology also manages the Freshwater Experimental Laboratory and water chemistry laboratories in the Water Science and Engineering Laboratory (WSEL).

The Hasler Laboratory of Limnology (Hasler Lab) serves as the base of operations for the Center for Limnology in Madison. In the late 1950s Dr. Arthur Hasler secured funds from the National Science Foundation to build a research laboratory on the shores of Lake Mendota on the UW–Madison campus, and the building was completed in 1963 and known as the Limnology Lab. The location at the east end of the UW–Madison’s Lakeshore Nature Preserve was strategically chosen to prevent a road from being built in the location that is now UW–Madison’s beloved Lakeshore Path. In 2005 the building was renamed the ‘Hasler Laboratory of Limnology’ in honor of Dr. Arthur Hasler and his contributions to Limnology at UW–Madison. The Hasler Lab offers research laboratories, offices, conference/meeting rooms, a library, and provides field support for limnology research on the Madison lakes and beyond.

Trout Lake Station (TLS) is a year-round field station operated by the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin Madison that has been supporting environmental and limnological research, training, and outreach in the Northwoods of Wisconsin since 1925. The station is located on the south shore of Trout Lake in Vilas County. The main laboratory offers visiting researchers access to labs and office space for their research needs. The station has meeting facilities including a library, a large 60-person conference room and a small meeting room. TLS also has housing for up to 47 people on site.

From the Hasler Laboratory of Limnology in Madison and Trout Lake Station in Boulder Junction, we engage communities near and far in the science of limnology through media interactions, outreach events, agency and lake association collaborations, community science initiatives and more.