While 2025 marks a time to look back on the past 100 years of Stone Laboratory on Gibraltar Island, it’s also a time to honor the friends who made the lab’s achievements possible.

Since 1981, Stone Lab has been bolstered by its volunteer group, The Friends of Stone Laboratory (FOSL). The group supports the lab’s many programs, student scholarships, the purchase of new equipment, and more.

“It’s really a group of past students, faculty members, Lake Erie lovers, people that love science, and they work to support the laboratory in every way that they can,” Dr. Jeffrey Reutter, former director of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab said of FOSL. “It’s financial donations, donations of time and effort, and just strong support of the laboratory.”

Thanks to FOSL’s contributions, Stone Lab now supports over 60 students with tuition scholarships each year, Reutter said, and the program now has over 35 endowments to fund research, equipment, and scholarships. Many Stone Lab programs — such as its outreach events for decision makers, its Research Experience for Undergraduates, and its annual Open House — were made possible through FOSL.

“They’ve helped us create new and outstanding programs, and they’re a tremendous asset in the kind of things we’re doing today, helping the laboratory with education and outreach,” Reutter said.

FOSL member Mike Heniken worked at Stone Lab for two summers in the ‘70s, receiving his master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 1977. He went on to work as an environmental chemist for the City of Columbus for most of his career.

“Fifty years after I was a student there, I’m still involved in the program because it means a lot to me,” Heniken said.

In 1981, the Friends of Stone Laboratory was established to provide a way for volunteers to support Stone Laboratory and its research and education efforts on Lake Erie. Stone Lab Director Dr. Charles Hedendorf and Dr. Ronald Stuckey brought the idea to the university, and former Stone Lab student Karen Jennings was instrumental in organizing the group.

Soon after, Stone Lab’s first scholarship endowment was established and FOSL held its first meeting. Heniken got involved with the group during this time as well, he said.

“I came up to Stone Lab, and I had never seen anything like it before. And then before I knew it, I was immersed in the ecosystem of the Great Lakes and Lake Erie. I understood the importance of it, and I wanted to make sure others could have that as well.”
Tracy Meilander

“I’ve sometimes talked about why I’ve gotten involved over time, and I do it because I’m selfish,” Heniken said. “It’s because it makes me feel so good. It makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something and helping things. And it also gives me the opportunity to relive things a little bit, to experience all these positive things about Gibraltar Island and the programs.”

Each year, Heniken and other FOSL members volunteer their time to support the lab, participating in fall and spring work weekends to clean and prepare Gibraltar Island for classes.

For FOSL Board Member Tracey Meilander, giving back is a way to repay the scholarship she received to attend her first class at Stone Lab as a student. Through donations and support, FOSL can provide scholarships to students so that they can have similar opportunities.

“This was a transformational opportunity for me. I came up to Stone Lab, and I had never seen anything like it before,” Meilander said. “And then before I knew it, I was immersed in the ecosystem of the Great Lakes and Lake Erie. I understood the importance of it, and I wanted to make sure others could have that as well.”

Looking forward to the next 100 years, Heniken said he expects the role of Stone Lab and its volunteer group of “friends” will remain the same.

“I think in 100 years it’ll look different, we’ll have more technology, but the heart of what we do will stay the same,” he said. “And that’s connecting students to the lake, to the research that happens here, and learning about an important ecosystem that is a critical part of the Great Lakes.”

Ohio Sea Grant is supported by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs nation-wide dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. Stone Laboratory is Ohio State’s island campus on Lake Erie and is the research, education, and outreach facility of Ohio Sea Grant and part of CFAES School of Environment and Natural Resources.