Preparing the LTER Network for Collaborative Science, Education and Synthesis: A Planning Proposal

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As human-induced environmental change continues, society is facing an increasing array of pressing environmental challenges. Answers to these complex challenges must be informed by coordinated, long-term, interdisciplinary research. Following a very successful two decades of science, training and outreach, the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network is poised to address a set of new initiatives to be pursued in response to these environmental "Grand Challenges." It is this background that sets the stage for intensive Network-wide planning activities that started at the last LTER All-Scientists Meeting (September 2003), and that would continue under this proposal for another 24 months. This planning effort has three specific objectives: (1) Develop a plan for LTER network-level science, technology, and training, (2) Explore alternative governance, planning and evaluation structures for managing LTER Network science, and (3) Envision and plan for education, training, outreach, and knowledge exchange activities to link LTER science with application needs.Broader Impacts: This planning activity will create the framework necessary for theLTER Network to (1) increase the scale and scope of activity needed to address a number of ecological Grand Research Challenges, (2) achieve a higher level of coordination and complementarity among the research sites, (3) incorporate new, enabling technologies into LTER research, (4) broadly train the next generation of ecologists, and (5) improve and increase the exchange of knowledge between science, managers and policy makers. In doing so, the LTER Network will actively pursue a new level of collaboration, synthesis and integration to address challenging ecological questions now and in the future.