Powdermill Nature Reserve

The Powdermill Nature Reserve is an environmental research center that is operated by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.^[2][3]

Powdermill Nature Reserve
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)[1]
Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Location in United States Show map of the United States
Location	Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Nearest city	Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40.15761°N 79.26864°W / 40.15761; -79.26864
Area	928.17 ha (2,293.6 acres)
Established	1956
Operator	Carnegie Museum of Natural History

History and notable features

Established in 1956, Powdermill serves as a field station for long-term studies of natural populations, and now forms the core of the museum's Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystems. The reserve encompasses 928.17 hectares, which includes forests (~891 hectares), fields (~21 hectares), developed land (~17 hectares), and ponds and streams (~0.36 hectares).^[3]

It is located in the Laurel Highlands, 55 miles (89 km) southeast of Pittsburgh near Rector, Pennsylvania.^[2]

Powdermill is well known for its avian research and is one of the longest continually-running bird banding stations in the United States.^[4] Powdermill has also been contributing radio telemetry data for bird tracking to the Motus Wildlife Tracking System since 2016.^[5][6]