Arthur Hasler discusses the Institute of Ecology, including its origins, its approaches to research, its relationship with colleges and universities, its structural and funding challenges, and its demise. Dr. Hasler was born January 5, 1908 in Lehi, Utah. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in 1932. He earned his Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, under Chancey Juday, in 1937. Hasler served as President of the Ecological Society of America (1961), the American Society for Limnology and Oceanography (1951), and the American Society of Zoologists (1971). He was known as one of the leading figures in 20th century freshwater ecology, whose research answered an intriguing mystery of nature – how migrating salmon precisely identify their 'home' waters. Hasler's research also helped to define the importance of land-water interactions as a primary variable in the water quality and ecological health of lakes.