Planning proposal: Strenghtening Research and Academic Opportunities at the Robert J. Bernard Field Station

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The Claremont Colleges is awarded a planning grant to develop an integrated and collaborative research network focusing on the biomonitoring and conservation of Southern California ecosystems. The centerpiece of this effort will be the Robert J. Bernard Field Station (BFS; http://bfs.claremont.edu/). The grant will support two workshops to bring together Southern California researchers and land managers to achieve the following goals: (1) develop a network of collaborators focusing on the ecology, biodiversity and conservation of Southern California ecosystems; (2) design a biological and climate monitoring program at BFS that provides a foundation for future research and educational activities; and (3) improve the ability to collect, access, archive and disseminate ecological and climatic data sets. A product of this effort will be a 10-year strategic plan that will outline the implementation of bio- and climate monitoring programs and a data management program at the BFS and describe how these programs can be incorporated into curricula at the Claremont Colleges and collaborating institutions. These planning efforts will have a regional research focus to provide diverse research opportunities for students at the Claremont Colleges and exploit the unique location of the Claremont Colleges to play a leadership role in regional ecology and biodiversity research.This planning effort will facilitate communication among researchers interested in Southern California ecosystems and enable new science and knowledge creation through universal access to data about the biota in Southern California and the environment that sustains it. The Claremont Colleges expect that collaboration among researchers and land managers will also result in the development of new regional multi-disciplinary projects. As such, this planning effort will indirectly enhance opportunities for underrepresented groups by encouraging the collaboration among regional colleges and universities, many of which are less than 100 miles from each other and have their own local field stations or preserves.