The western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara), 7 July 2014 in a roadside ditch near Tolstoi, Manitoba. This site is the only location in Canada where this orchid grows. Photo © T. McGonigle.

The Environmental Science Laboratory (ESL) is a research facility based at Brandon University. The ESL is the result of a funding partnership between the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Manitoba Research and Innovation Fund of the province of Manitoba. Since opening in 2008, the ESL has provided access and training on analytical instruments and microscopes for research projects of faculty and graduate students. The ESL has two primary focuses: supporting the study of contemporary environmental issues and facilitating paleoenvironmental reconstruction.
The ESL has supported a wide range of research projects conducted by faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students in the MSc Environmental & Life Sciences, undergraduate students, and research assistants across several departments in the Faculty of Science. Projects have included mycorrhizal ecology, soil-plant relations, soil carbon sequestration, nutrient management, water quality and water chemistry, soil erosion and resulting sedimentation, palaeo-palynology, and palaeobotanical proxies of climate.

Please note: We do not provide testing services.

Visit the links to find a list of available soil and plant and water testing labs.

Information is provided on these web pages for information only; for research collaborators, stakeholders, and for recruiting graduate students.