Teaching Facilities
All institutions of higher education are welcome to use Koffler Scientific Reserve at Jokers Hill for diverse, off-campus instructional activities.
Course field trips can take advantage of our lecture rooms and teaching lab space. Sleeping and dining facilities can serve residential field courses for up to 20 students.
Contact the KSR Director for information on availability, logistics and fees.

Teaching at KSR

Dr. Marc Johnson, The University of Toronto Mississauga Department of BiologyFrom observational studies to large-scale multi-year experiments, KSR has played a pivotal role in my research program for over 20 years. KSR has allowed me to train the next generation of scientists in natural history and field research, including undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. I love the family friendly atmosphere of KSR. My entire family has stayed at KSR for up to a month at a time, which has made for a fun work-life balance.

Young people arrive at KSR for the Experimental Ecology course as science students. They leave as scientists.
Dr. Arthur Weis, University of Toronto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Dr. Megan Bontrager, The University of Toronto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTeaching an undergraduate field biology course at KSR is wonderful. It’s a supportive setting for students to have their first experience with field research. At the same time, the station is home to really cool biodiversity, which is so inspiring for students in the course and allows them to develop fantastic independent research projects.
Graduate/Undergraduate Research at KSR

Jérôme Burkiewicz, PhD Candidate at the Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de MontréalKSR represents a rare pristine site dedicated to science. I came to KSR in 2021 and 2022 to picture Impatiens capensis flowers and collect leaves and seeds in order to assess the effect of urbanization on flower shape and size. I had a wonderful experience when sampling there: the application process was quick and easy, communication with the KSR manager or director was great and my sampling ran smoothly both years I was there.

Dr. Sophie Breitbart, PhD from the University of Toronto, Mississauga CampusI spent four wonderful summers at KSR conducting an experiment with ~1000 milkweed plants. Throughout my time there, the KSR staff went above and beyond to ensure the success of my research. Also, the local wildlife is consistently marvelous. There’s nothing better than counting flowers while a bobolink sings nearby!

Julia Boyle, PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto, St. George CampusGetting to do fieldwork at KSR has truly been a highlight of my PhD! Living at the field station immersed me in the ecological and evolutionary questions I was asking, and I was provided the resources and support to conduct both short- and long-term experiments on plants and their microbiomes that I couldn’t have completed in a greenhouse.
Learn in the field
KSR hosts undergraduate and graduate field courses for budding researchers to gain invaluable skills outside of the classroom.
(EEB405 – University of Toronto)
Physical Geography
(GGR390 – University of Toronto)
Sustainable Forestry
(FOR300- University of Toronto)
(GESC451 – Wilfrid Laurier University)
(EEB380 – University of Toronto)
(FOR301 – University of Toronto)
(AER406 – University of Toronto)
(GGR205 – University of Toronto)
(FOR1412– University of Toronto)
(FOR3002– University of Toronto)