Albion Field Station: The Coastal PUC Experience

Quietly nestled in the valley of an old lumber camp near the Pacific Ocean and amid forested hills, Albion Field Station lies in the heart of the Mendocino coast. Since Pacific Union College acquired the station in 1947, it has offered extraordinary opportunities for students, families, and groups to explore the beauty of the natural world and to learn more about its history, wildlife, and biology. Many proud PUC faculty, staff, and alumni have worked hard to maintain the station over the years so that people of all ages and career backgrounds can visit and enjoy what Albion has to offer, all while experiencing God's creation firsthand. Bill Hammerland, former professor of chemistry at PUC from 1979 to 2010, expressed, “Going to Albion was always a great experience, for me and my family, and everyone. People always had a great time, and we knew it was a special place.”

Harold Clark, the PUC biology department chair at the time, had been running a summer field school studying the fauna and flora of California and their ecological relationships. The tour would last several weeks, from leaving campus, traveling to the coast, exploring the Sierras, and then returning. In the spring of 1946, Clark struck a deal after checking out all potential properties between Albion and Fort Bragg: to rent the ten acres of land for the summer of 1947 for exactly $1, where Mendocino Biological Field Station was born. In 1952, the PUC administration voted to purchase the 10 acres for $5,000.

From 1947 to 1989, the biology department held regular classes at Albion. For most of that period, it was hard to offer enough classes to meet the demand. In the early 80s, it became harder to get biology students to take a summer class at Albion, and the department subsequently changed its requirements so that the summer class was no longer necessary. Gibby Muth, former PUC biology department chair chair said, “Students wanted to come every year, it was that much fun, because we were all together doing the same thing and enjoying it.”

Sometime in the 90s, the station's name was shortened to Albion Field Station, which is how it is known today. When 2000 rolled around, the Friends of Albion members came together for a weekend in January and raised $120,000 for private baths and sleeping cabins, a project that sat on hold until they obtained more funds and recruited more volunteers. The property just upriver of Albion, containing a lagoon, was purchased in 2004 for $200,000. This purchase solved several logistical problems and was a beautiful addition to the 17.5-acre station.

Recently, there has been significant interest and movement from outside organizations interested in what Albion has to offer. In November of 2021, Moss Landing Marine Labs began research on Kelp restoration and Purple Sea Urchin Mitigation, based out of Albion Field Station. And in 2023, Sonoma State decided to research estuaries, using Albion Field Station as a base of operations, which has helped both SSU and members of Albion in their respective research projects. And beyond that, yet another addition has been made to the premises in the form of a 5-acre gift made this past summer, which will buffer PUC from any future neighbors that would build on and occupy that property, which also includes the north half of a breathtakingly beautiful lagoon.

Albion is a special place to those who have visited, holding fond memories that will last a lifetime. Beyond the faith and mushroom retreats, birdwatching, photography, and biology classes and expeditions, the station has been a place where some have met their spouses, proposed on a canoe ride up the river, experienced a deeper spiritual connection with the Lord, and been baptized. These retreats have helped people reconnect with nature and experience the wonders of God's creation firsthand, for both children and adults. The story of the Albion Field Station continues, serving as a peaceful and educational sanctuary for everyone to enjoy and experience one of PUC's most remarkable gems.