Executive Director:
Hilary M. Swain
Photo by: Reed Bowman, 2007

Director's Message

Welcome to Archbold Expeditions and to our three divisions; Archbold Biological Station, the MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center, and the Archbold Reserve. Please join us in our exploration of the almost unfathomable biological riches of Florida.
Richard Archbold, biological explorer, was driven to seek out new species and ecosystems, and to understand how the natural world works. When he founded his not-for-profit corporation Biological Explorations in 1936 (later renamed Archbold Expeditions) it was for the "purpose of exploring scientifically and making biological, ethnological, geological and geographical investigations ... .". Following early expeditions to Madagascar and New Guinea, organized in conjunction with the American Museum of Natural History, Richard Archbold focused his life on the establishment of Archbold Expeditions in Florida. For the remainder of his life he embraced the value of biological exploration at a regional scale, founding the Archbold Biological Station in Lake Placid, Florida.  He understood that a field station dedicated to the exploration of the natural history and ecology of a pristine, rare ecosystem, the Florida scrub and its surrounding environs, could make revealing and important contributions to our understanding of biology. Richard Archbold died in 1976 and, in an extraordinary act of scientific generosity, left the land and buildings of Archbold Biological Station, together with his personal wealth, to supply core support for Archbold Expeditions. To this day, his support of the work of staff and visiting scientists and students from around the world continues. His sister, Frances Hufty, and her family, serve on the Board of Trustees of Archbold Expeditions, nurturing the research, conservation, and education mission. Twelve years after his death, Archbold Expeditions partnered with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to establish a new division at a large commercial cattle ranch nearby, the MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center, which is dedicated to long-term research on the ecology of Florida's working cattle ranches, part of the global effort to sustain working farms and ranches while maintaining their ecological and environmental values. In 2002 Archbold Expeditions added a third division, the Archbold Reserve, located at a former degraded grazing landscape adjacent to Archbold Biological Station, where the focus is on healing the land, and research in restoration ecology.
At Archbold Biological Station, the MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center, and the Archbold Reserve, we realize Richard Archbold’s vision of biological exploration everyday.  There is a thirst, a hunger, and a passion for our pursuits. Our research and exploration will, thankfully, always be incomplete, but our lives are very complete. Each time we step outside we launch a new voyage of discovery. The cumulative decades of biological exploration at Archbold Expeditions continues to guide regional conservation decisions. The Lake Wales Ridge, with its extraordinary threatened and endangered species and natural communities all extensively catalogued by Archbold biologists, remains a top priority for public acquisition and management. Our work has revealed the role of cattle ranches in sustaining the Northern Everglades ecosystem, particularly wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Archbold’s K-12 curriculum materials allow teachers and pupils to join us and explore the excitement of new research discoveries. We provide a perfect setting in which to inspire students of all ages and from all walks of life, in the art of biological discovery.   
Welcome to all – staff, Trustees, visiting researchers, students, schools, universities, volunteers, collaborators, donors, conservationists, public agencies, the visiting public, and everyone who is curious about biological exploration at this wonderful institution.  Archbold Expeditions represents all that can be achieved with great science and great generosity.

- Hilary M. Swain