Health and safety

SAFE-U is the University’s emergency mass notification system. All station visitors can opt into the system to receive severe weather and other emergency alerts from the system. For more information, see the University's Emergency Notification website.

UMN

All UMN students, faculty, and staff can opt into Itasca Station SAFE-U Alerts. Update your preferences by taking the following steps in MyU: 

1. Select My info.

2. Select Manage SAFE-U Alerts.

3. Select My Information. 

4. Select the checkbox for Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories.

5. Save changes.

6. You can opt out of the alerts at the end of your time at Itasca Station by following the same process and deselecting the checkbox for Itasca.

Non-UMN

Parties from outside of the UMN system may access SAFE-U Alerts by downloading the Everbridge app from their device’s app store (iOS or Android.) Use the keyword "UMN_ITASCA" (case sensitive) to add alerts for Itasca Station.

The station and the state park do not have an extreme weather warning system. 

Station users are responsible for staying alert to changing weather conditions and deciding when to head to a storm shelter. Monitor conditions using a personal NOAA weather radio, sign up for Itasca SAFE-U alerts (see instructions above), and/or sign up for Clearwater County severe weather alerts. For the latest weather forecast, check the National Weather Service Forecast at weather.gov for the Lake Itasca area (zip code 56470). 

Storm shelter locations

Check the station map for your nearest storm shelter. They can be found in the basements of:

• Assembly Hall (Building 53)
• Building 48
• Building 44
• Cabins 2, 13, 70

If you hear thunder or see lightning: 

• Stay off or get off the lake
• Get indoors to a safe place
• Check the internet or radio for the potential of severe weather

Building Issues

Electrical outages, heat source trouble, potential gas leaks, sewer and water issues are considered emergencies. For emergency cabin repairs, check the information in your cabin for contacting our on-site Facilities Lead.

For non-serious building issues, report the incident by writing on the repair clipboard in the Assembly Hall (building 53) or Biome Center (building 75).

Power Outages

During a power outage, please refrain from using water in cabins, classrooms, and bunkhouses. The power to the water supply for much of the station will shut down — sinks and toilets will not work. The only toilets and sinks that should be used are those in the two main bathhouses (Buildings 50 and 64 the station map). Internet/wifi and station phones will not be operable during a power outage.

During summer months, wildfire smoke can significantly affect air quality at our field station. Smoke contains harmful pollutants like fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can pose health risks even in outdoor, natural settings. The following guidelines are provided to help you stay informed and protected.

Air Quality Monitoring and Protective Measures

• Monitor current conditions at AirNow.gov or Fire and Smoke Map

• Daily AQI updates are posted on the Assembly Hall white board.

• Instructors and researchers should adjust field schedules when smoke levels are high. Suspension of outdoor activities may be required.

• Indoor air filtration systems are maintained and operational in Assembly Hall and Biome Center.

• Let your instructor, program coordinator, and/or on-site lead know if you have health conditions that increase your vulnerability to smoke exposure.

AQI Risk Levels and Recommendations

Who Is at Higher Risk?

• Individuals with asthma or respiratory conditions

• People with heart disease

• Children and older adults

• Anyone engaging in heavy physical exertion

All waterfront activities are undertaken at your own risk. 

There is never a life guard on duty at the station or in the state park.

Do not attempt to swim across the lake. Do not swim at night. 

If you see someone in distress or drowning, immediately shout for help. Use the practice of “Reach, Throw, Row, Go.” You can reach out to them from land, throw a flotation device or life-saving ring, or row a canoe out to get closer access. Do not swim out to a drowning person, unless you are trained as a lifeguard and wearing a flotation device. A drowning victim can easily drown another person who is not trained. AEDs are located in the Assembly Hall and in the Biome Center foyer.

Pontoons, motorboats, and John/V-hull boats are not for general use. 

These boats are reserved for field courses or research purposes only, and their use must be pre-arranged with IBSL staff (see our Motorboat Protocol for more information).

One U.S. Coast Guard approved, properly sized, and easily accessible life jacket per person

Minnesota law requires one U.S. Coast Guard approved, properly sized, and easily accessible life jacket per person on all boats, including the station's recreational watercraft (canoes, kayaks and paddleboards). Anyone planning to use the station's recreational watercraft should review paddling safety tips before heading out on the water. All children under ten are required to wear an approved life jacket when boats are underway. While not required by law, we recommend that everyone wear a life jacket when using boats. All participants in station-sponsored boating activities will be required to wear a life jacket. 

Station boats are not fitted with nighttime running lights and are not allowed to be used after dark. 

Provide at least a 15-minute grace period, especially before sunset, to ensure you are not on the lake after dark. DNR fines may result at the expense of the operator from boating after dark without the proper lighting. 

IBSL is committed to fostering research, education, and community engagement in a welcoming and inclusive environment. The IBSL Code of Conduct outlines expected behaviors for all station users and describes unacceptable behaviors, consequences for unacceptable behaviors, and reporting mechanisms. 

Sexual harassment or assault

The University of Minnesota is committed to taking prompt and effective steps intended to end sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking, relationship violence, and related retaliation, prevent their recurrence and, as appropriate, remedy their effects. Please refer to the UMN policy on sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking and relationship violence. 

Discrimination

All University members are prohibited from engaging in, or assisting or abetting another’s engagement in, discrimination and related retaliation. The University of Minnesota will take prompt and effective steps intended to end prohibited conduct; prevent its recurrence; and, as appropriate, remedy its effects. Please refer to the UMN policy on discrimination. 

In the event of an active threat/shooter situation, visitors at IBSL should follow the active shooter protocol outlined by the UMN Department of Public safety. The key points to remember are:

• Run:
  • Have a planned escape route
  • Leave your belongings behind
  • Keeps your hands visible
  • Run to a place of refuge beyond the norm
• Hide:
  • If running is not possible, hide
  • Lock and barricade doors; shut off lights
  • Remain silent and vigilant
  • Avoid huddling together
• Fight:
  • A last resort – fight only when in imminent danger
  • Use improvised weapons
  • Attempt to incapacitate the active threat
  • Work together if possible

Call 911 only if it is safe for you to do so, and provide details about your location, the threat’s location and physical description, weapons, and victims.

Once you reach a safe place, do not leave. Emergency responders need to account for everyone and will provide instructions to you.

• Itasca State Park Security 218-255-2248
• Clearwater County Sheriff’s Department 218-694-6226 (Itasca Station is inside Clearwater County)
• Hubbard County Sheriff’s Department 218-732-3331 (Itasca State Park includes Hubbard County, to the south)

Itasca station does not have medical facilities or staff. If you need to seek urgent medical treatment, notify a Station staff member and proceed to one of the following hospitals with an ER:

• Park Rapids CHI St. Joseph’s Health
  • Address: 600 Pleasant Avenue South, Park Rapids, MN, 56470
  • Phone: 218-732-3311
• Sanford Bemidji Medical Center
  • Address: 1300 Anne Street NW, Bemidji, MN, 56601
  • Phone: 218-751-5430

For less urgent issues, the closest clinic is in Park Rapids. Please be sure to sign out of any meals in the dining hall you may miss while you are away from the station. 

• Park Rapids Essentia Clinic
  • Address: 1103 First Street East, Park Rapids, MN, 56470
  • Phone: 218-732-2800

The station does not have any medical professionals on staff. Over-the-counter medications for minor ailments, basic first aid supplies, and poison ivy exposure wash/ointments are available in the Biome Center Office (Building 75).  AEDs are available in the Assembly Hall, the Biome Center foyer, and the lower foyer of Building 48.

The station does not have prescription allergy medications. If you have known allergies or medical issues, please be sure to bring your own medication.

For work in remote areas where professional medical help is not in near proximity, it is strongly recommended that at least one member of your group has current training in first aid/CPR and/or wilderness first aid. Adequate first aid supplies should be readily available.

Users should be aware of current conditions at Itasca State Park. View the State Park Alerts Page for updates on park alerts and seasonal notices. You can also check the current fire danger and burning restrictions for Itasca.

Those planning to conduct field or laboratory work while visiting the station can view detailed information on our Field and Laboratory Safety Planning page, which includes steps to create a field safety plan, the IBSL Lab Safety plan, and station equipment safety protocols.

Fieldwork plans should be modified to avoid adverse weather, including heavy rain, thunderstorms, strong winds, and snow or ice storms. Be aware of weather alerts, and consider opting in to receive severe weather alerts for Clearwater County on your cell phone.

Refer to pages 10-16 of the UMN Field Research Safety Program for the appropriate actions to take if you are caught outside in various types of inclement weather.

Fire Risk

Always be aware of the fire hazard level in the area prior to initiating fieldwork. Daily fire danger information can be viewed on the MN DNR Fire Danger and Burning Restrictions webpage. It is not uncommon for Itasca State Park to experience red flag warnings, indicating extreme fire risk. This means fires can spread quickly and grow out of control under the predicted weather conditions, including strong winds and low humidity levels. When fire danger is high, take extra safety precautions, including keeping vehicles on roads or other non-vegetated areas to prevent ignition of wildfires by catalytic converters. Consider postponing activities when appropriate.

Burn restrictions

The DNR may put burn restrictions into place when fire danger levels are high. Restrictions vary, but can include no open fire (i.e., no campfires) and restrictions on using charcoal grills. These restrictions will be communicated to station users on the Assembly Hall information white board and through emails to on-site leads. When burn restrictions are not in place, campfires are permitted in designated locations at the station. 

Wildfire emergency

In the event that a wildfire requires evacuation, the station will receive notice from state park patrol and will direct all users to leave the station. Park patrol staff will be posted along the Main Park Drive to assist in directing everyone out of the park using the proper evacuation route.

EPA Insect Repellant Finder Tool

Prevent tick-borne diseases

• Use an EPA-registered repellent (e.g., DEET 20-30% and permethrin 0.5%) when in or near wooded, brushy, or grassy habitat.  Find the right repellent for you using the tool linked above.
• Wear long sleeves and long pants tucked into your socks to prevent exposure.
• Treat field clothing with permethrin to repel ticks.
• Check for ticks at least once a day and remove them as soon as possible (see tick removal tips below). Private tick check stations with full length mirrors are located in the Biome Center, Building 43, in the bathhouses and most faculty cabins.
• Tumble dry clothing and gear in a dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes (or at least 60 minutes if wet) to kill any blacklegged ticks remaining on your clothing.
• Watch yourself for symptoms of tickborne disease (e.g., rash, fever, fatigue, muscle or joint aches), especially within 30 days of being in tick habitat, and tell your doctor about your possible exposure to blacklegged ticks if you become sick.
   

Tick removal 101

• DO remove as quickly as possible.
• DO use tweezers or fingers to grab the head as close to the skin as possible.
• DO pull up gently and slowly.
• DO clean the bite area.

• DO NOT burn with a match.
• DO NOT cover with petroleum jelly.
• DO NOT pour kerosene on the tick.

Tick-borne disease transmission

Blacklegged ticks (aka deer ticks) in the Itasca State Park are vectors for several disease, including Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, and Tickborne-relapsing fever.

Blacklegged ticks are readily found in wooded and brushy habitat. The risk of getting bitten from a blacklegged tick is highest from May through July, when the small and hard-to-see, immature life stage (nymph) is most actively seeking hosts. Not all ticks are infected with a disease agent but a relatively high proportion of them are. While infection prevalence can vary from location to location and year to year, on average in our region approximately 1 in 3 adult blacklegged ticks and 1 in 4 nymphs are infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Other disease agents are found at a lower infection prevalence, although roughly 1 in 10 ticks are coinfected with more than one disease agent so it is important to consider other tickborne diseases in addition to Lyme disease. 

American dog (wood) ticks commonly bite people and are found throughout Minnesota in grassy, more open habitat and woods. Two particular diseases, including tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, can be spread by this tick species so it is important for people to be aware of all tickborne diseases that are endemic here in Minnesota and prevent tick bites.

Visit the Minnesota Department of Health website to learn more about preventing tick-born diseases and view their informational videos.

The above information was made available through the Minnesota Department of Health annual blacklegged tick surveillance report conducted in Itasca State Park and the surrounding region.

The Itasca Station is located in the heart of black bear habitat, and bear encounters are not uncommon. Black bears are rarely aggressive and actual attacks are rare. Knowing how to behave when encountering bears and how rare bear attacks actually are can keep you safe and provide peace-of-mind.

• Prevention: Bears are attracted to food sources. Proper trash disposal is key to preventing the occurrence of problem bears. It is everyone at the station's responsibility that we not habituate bears or other wildlife to eating trash. Bears that are habituated may need to be euthanized. Don't leave trash out overnight. Trash should only be placed in outside receptacles according to the timeline detailed in our Station Policies in order to coordinate with our maintenance staff rounds.
• Responding: If you encounter a black bear, do not approach it. Do not panic. Stop what you are doing and evaluate the situation. Make your presence known by speaking firmly but in a calm tone. Don’t startle the bear. Alter your route or back away slowly, preferably in the direction you came. Walk, do not run, and keep your eye on the bear so you can see how it reacts. Running may startle the bear and trigger a chase response. In most cases, the bear will flee. If a bear follows you, act boldly: yell, raise your arms and throw things directly at it. If a black bear attacks or tries to make contact, fight for your life. Do not play dead. Kick, punch or hit the bear with whatever weapon is available. Concentrate on the face, eyes and nose.

Poison Ivy can cause severe rashes. Ask someone familiar with the area to point out this plant to you if you are in doubt (remember: “leaves of three, let it be”). Poison Ivy most commonly occurs in semi-disturbed areas such as trail and roadside edges. Exposure ointments and washes are available in the Biome Center Office and the Supply Room in lower 48.

Cell phone service in the state park is not reliable. Do not rely on your phone for communication or navigation when you are away from station buildings with wireless access. Use the “buddy system” whenever doing fieldwork or recreating in remote areas of the park. Before leaving the station, always let someone in your group know your plans: where you are going and when you expect to return. If you become lost, do not panic – S.T.O.P. (Stop, Think, Observe, Prepare). Stay in one place, especially at night. Itasca staff and/or the Itasca State Park Patrol will find you.

Those conducting winter fieldwork have different safety considerations than during milder seasons. See the IBSL Winter Packing List for suggestions on what gear to bring with you. Additionally, our Winter Fieldwork Safety Guidelines provide information on how to best prepare for outdoor work in cold weather. Some of the key considerations are outlined below:

• Dress appropriately for your specific task: dress in layers to account for moisture wicking, retaining warmth, and protection from wind.
• Fuel your body properly: bring water to prevent dehydration, and bring snacks and/or warm beverages to keep your energy levels up.
• Avoid cold stress: taking warming breaks will help prevent your body temperature from becoming too low and putting you at risk for hypothermia.
• Always bring extra emergency supplies, and never go alone.
• Follow ice safety guidelines: remember that ice is never 100% safe.