Field Lab

The Flatrock watershed is a 6,800-acre sandstone pavement barren located 8 miles from Miner Institute. The watershed consists of a series of reservoirs and small streams that was once the site of a hydroelectric project by William H. Miner at the turn of the century. Presently, it is primarily used for hydrology and ecology education and research with all major reservoir inlets and outlets continuously monitored. Spread throughout the watershed are wells that are measured for water depth to aid in defining the hydrologic cycle. A solar powered classroom located behind the main dam facilitates education and research activities in the area.

In 2004, Miner Institute, in conjunction with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, became host to a seismic node for earthquake monitoring. Two seismic recorders placed at Flatrock and two others located in Vermont send radio signals to a receiver at the Institute, which digitizes and sends the signal out to a website in real-time. These four units are helping to further the study of earthquakes, both before and after any seismic event.