About L.A.R.C.

Beth and Rob Smith founded the Lackawanna Avian Research Center to bring this work to the public, so that anyone can see these birds up close and learn what they tell us about our changing environment.

Beth Smith

Co-founder | Lackawanna Avian Research Center (L.A.R.C.) An outdoor girl at heart, I have always felt most at home in nature. My love of animals has been a constant throughout my life, taking me from several years working in a veterinarian’s office to my involvement in avian research, education, and conservation. I truly enjoy sharing these experiences with my husband Rob, students and our visitors.

As a recently retired school-based Speech-Language Pathologist, I carry a lifelong love of teaching and learning into this next chapter. I especially enjoy helping students, families, and community members of all ages discover birds, wildlife, and the habitats they depend on through meaningful, hands-on experiences.

One of my greatest joys is watching someone see a Northern Saw-whet Owl up close for the first time. The wonder on a visitor’s face as they discover how small and remarkable these little owls are is unforgettable. So is the excitement of helping release an owl back into the night sky.

Rob and I founded the Lackawanna Avian Research Center (L.A.R.C.) to bring together our shared passion for birds, wildlife, research, and education. We wanted to continue meaningful avian research while giving others the chance to experience the discovery and excitement that have brought us so much joy. Join us at L.A.R.C. to share the wonder of wildlife as we learn & discover together.

Rob Smith

Dr. Robert Smith is a behavioral ecologist who has spent his career studying how small songbirds survive one of nature's most demanding journeys: migration. He is a Professor of Biology at the University of Scranton, where he has taught and done research since 2003. He teaches courses in ecology, animal behavior, conservation biology, and vertebrate biology.

Each spring and fall, Rob and his collaborators run a bird banding station at Lackawanna State Park. Every bird is caught, measured, banded, and released. More than two decades of these records form one of the region's longest-running views of how migrating birds are changing. His work asks practical questions. Are birds arriving earlier as the climate warms? How does weather affect their timing and condition? Do invasive plants and insects change the quality of the places where birds stop to rest and refuel? How healthy are the birds passing through, as measured by blood parasites, immune cells, and feather mites? What role do pollution and microplastics play?

His research also extends to the Northern Saw-whet Owl, a tiny, secretive owl that migrates through northeastern Pennsylvania each fall. Rob and his colleagues have studied the owls' health and have documented them nesting in the region's mixed hardwood forests.

Rob earned his B.S. at Alma College, his M.S. at Central Michigan University, and his Ph.D. at the University of Southern Mississippi. His early research focused on migrating birds along the shores of northern Lake Huron. He has published more than 35 scientific papers and given numerous presentations and co-authored the Gray Catbird species account in Birds of the World (formerly Birds of North America). Many of these projects were carried out with undergraduate students, who get hands-on experience with every bird they help band.