Facilities
School of Natural Resources and the Environment facilities provide unique settings for conducting research and education to help solve a host of critical issues. Our centers and laboratories offer cutting-edge technology and hands-on research to address everything from climate change challenges to rangeland management to developing disease-fighting drugs from plant microorganisms.
Advanced Resource Technology Lab
The Advanced Resource Technology Lab uses geographic information system (GIS) mapping to help answer natural resource questions. Besides using traditional remote sensing and techniques, laboratory researchers are developing the next generation of GIS-based modeling and simulation tools.
Arizona Remote Sensing Center (ARSC)
Since its inception in 1972, the Arizona Remote Sensing Center has used advanced airborne and satellite remote sensing data and geospatial information technology to address natural resource management issues at the local, regional, national, and international levels.
Biosphere 2
Biosphere 2, a science research facility north of Tucson, provides a unique opportunity to study ecosystems under controlled conditions. Its mission includes serving as a center for research, outreach, teaching, and life-long learning about Earth and its future.
Natural Products Center
The Natural Products Center engages in research on anti-cancer and other disease-fighting drugs using Sonoran Desert plants and their associated microorganisms, as well as investigating natural product biosynthesis in selected microorganisms, and developing alternate agriculture systems.
USA National Phenology Network
The USA National Phenology Network brings together scientists, government agencies, non-profit groups, educators, and students of all ages to monitor the impacts of climate change on plants and animals in the United States. It provides data and information on the timing of seasonal events in plants and animals to ensure the well-being of humans, ecosystems, and natural resources.
Santa Rita Experimental Range
This rangeland field station, on 52,000 acres, is uniquely positioned to support research, education, and outreach in the Southwest. The Santa Rita is critical open space serving a growing human population and increasingly threatened and endangered species and ecosystems.
V Bar V Ranch
The V Bar V Ranch near Camp Verde, Arizona, is a research and extension center that addresses environmental, wildlife, and domestic livestock issues applicable to ranches in the state and throughout the Southwest. It provides unique research and educational opportunities for sustainable rangeland management.
Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed
The Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, surrounding Tombstone, Arizona, was established in the 1950s to study floods and the impact of soil and water conservation projects on runoff. Researchers continue to study the effects of land use changes on hydrological processes.