The Northwest Center for Sustainable Resources (NCSR) project is a collaborative effort of Northwest high schools, community colleges, higher education institutions, private industry, government agencies, and Native American tribes and of applied international research groups to create a comprehensive center of innovative educational programs to support the efforts of agencies, industry, and business for ecosystem restoration and natural resource management. Program completers will enter employment as advanced technicians in a variety of science-based occupations targeting sustaining and restoring our natural resources or who can continue for advanced degrees. Associate degree programs in diverse natural resource and environmental fields will be created or undergo major curricular revisions to incorporate a central focus on aquatic/terrestrial ecosystems. Secondary schools and colleges and universities will complete the conduit that will provide a seamless delivery of basic scientific content, principles and process culminating with hands-on applications, accomplishing major systemic change. Internships in industries and agencies will provide the fertile ground to produce a workforce capable of contributing to a unified approach to restoration, environmental clean-up, watershed enhancement, sustainable forestry and fisheries, and habitat restoration. The Center programs will provide innovative, transportable models for developing problem solving, communication, and collaborative skills that match the requirements of an advanced scientific, technologic workforce necessary to transform the workplace to high performance. The NCSR will provide a model for collaborative efforts to address urgent regional, national, and global needs while acting as a national center of excellence for advanced technological education through its comprehensive dissemination activities. An electronic national clearinghouse, published instructional materials, and two national teleconferelces assure wide national impact.
