Northern Arizona University is awarded a grant to conduct a planning process to integrate field stations and related resources in Northern Arizona. The planning process will be centered on the development of a research vision for the region. Internationally recognized experts and a strong group of local and regional scientists will be enlisted to participate in developing a suite of research questions that address growing concerns and issues regarding the science and policy implications of climate change. The ensuing research vision will guide the subsequent planning workshop, through which steps for efficiently administering and managing our integrated resources will be constructed. These resources include: the Merriam-Powell Research Station (Northern Arizona University), The Arboretum at Flagstaff (independent, non-profit), the Southwest Experimental Garden Array (SEGA: common garden field facility under development through a NSF MRI award to NAU), and the Walnut Creek Center for Education and Research (a partnership of Prescott College and NAU on the Prescott National Forest). Participants will include federal and private land managers across Northern Arizona. As a culmination to these planning workshops, the awardee will construct a five-year strategic plan that will be developed with continued consultation from the outside experts who were involved in the workshops.
The focused planning process will enable key institutions to better match expenditures to future needs, enhancing their sustainability and their ability to foster research for the common good. Inclusion of managers and Native Americans in the planning process will help tie research more closely to benefits to the general public and to disadvantaged populations facing significant additional threats from climate change. During the planning process, explicit ties between research and outreach, K-12 education, undergraduate and graduate education, and communication with managers will be cultured.
Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE Northern Arizona Distributed Field Station Strategic Plan: Preparing for a New Generation of Climate Change Research As the effects of climate change alter our communities, economies, and natural systems, the need to advance new solutions to climate change impacts has never been more urgent. In the western United States, for example, drought and higher temperatures have doubled the rate of tree mortality since 1995, with mortality rates accelerating over time. Field stations are a critical component of the infrastructure needed to develop climate change solutions. A strategic planning process was undertaken to ensure that northern Arizona institutions are well positioned to meet the needs of scientists, students, land managers, and the public as a new generation of climate change research gets underway in the region. The process brought together four entities: Merriam-Powell Research Station (MPRS; Northern Arizona University (NAU)); The Arboretum at Flagstaff (independent, non-profit), which hosts MPRS; Walnut Creek Center for Education and Research (WCCER; a partnership of Prescott College and NAU); and Southwest Experimental Garden Array (SEGA; common garden field facility supported by the National Science Foundation). During three workshops that brought together scientists, land managers, educations, and facilities managers, the participants developed a strategic plan that included the following vision and mission statements. Vision: Promote excellence in integrated field research, education, and outreach to provide a better understanding of climate change impacts on the environment and potential strategies to minimize impacts to organisms and ecosystems that people depend upon in northern Arizona. Mission: The mission of the joint efforts of The Arboretum, Merriam-Powell Research Station, Walnut Creek Center for Education and Research, and Southwest Experimental Garden Array is to: (1) Provide infrastructure and data management to support the next generation of research on the impacts of climate change on the environment by including an explicit emphasis on genetic variation and evolution; (2) Develop a community of interacting researchers, land-owners, managers, and policy makers to support dialog and spur progress in innovative research and management; and (3) Integrate both formal and informal education into research activities through programming involving K-12 institutions, colleges, universities, volunteers, and citizen scientists. Intellectual Merit: The Southwest Experimental Garden Array, or SEGA, is a new genetics-based climate change research platform that allows scientists to quantify the ecological and evolutionary responses of species to changing climate conditions using emerging technologies. SEGA will create a system of 10 gardens along the elevation gradient in northern Arizona. Because temperature and moisture change predictably with elevation, these gardens reflect climatic differences from desert to alpine forests that mimic the effects of climate change. By planting the same genotypes of plants in multiple gardens, SEGA enables a new generation of genetics-based climate change research that allows researchers from diverse disciplines to quantify the ecological and evolutionary impacts of climate change on (1) foundation plant species; (2) their associated communities; (3) native-exotic species interactions; and (4) the ecosystem processes that emerge from these interactions. SEGA promotes integration of the disciplines from genes to ecosystems and biology to engineering. Broader Impacts: Together, these entities have the ability to integrate data gathered from an array of distributed sensors and long-term studies with rapidly changing technological innovations and data analysis techniques to develop innovative insights and solutions. In short, these four entities will be able to accomplish much more together then separately by placing them in a better position to build programming with the cooperation of additional partners. To accomplish this synergism, partnership agreements containing detailed outlines on specific relationships, duties, and responsibilities will be needed for coordination of efforts. A detailed management and budget planning process is a critical need for successfully carrying out the coordination effort. In addition to producing better scientific understanding, this partnership creates an open dialog among researchers, landowners, and managers that will build and strengthen relationships while keeping all parties informed of SEGA progress. Participation in national discussions of management and research also will give the associated entities a broader audience and serve as a means of advertisement. Importantly, integrating the research, policy development, education, and marketing activities with college and university programs for credit will expand the diversity of educational opportunities. Additionally, developing public and K-12 education programming focused on place-based climate change science will improve understanding of the value of science in mitigating climate change. Finally, developing strong citizen science and volunteer opportunities that makes use of in-person interaction and technology-enabled activities will keep the face of SEGA fresh and up to date.
