Building a Lake Erie Area Research Network (LEARN)

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Fresh water is a finite resource. Communities, environmentalists, governments, academics, and corporations are increasingly recognizing that its availability as a clean and abundant resource could introduce conflicts over its use and misuse. Because of this, the connection between water, people, energy, agriculture, and climate is an important one. Unfortunately, because stressors such as climate change, land use, and population shifts operate on a large scale, the solution sets must also be grand. Therefore, the long-term goal is to better manage and sustain Lake Erie in light of human-driven stressors by creating a consortium of field stations and their associated researchers; the consortium would be entitled, "Lake Erie Area Research Network" or "LEARN." This award will support planning activities for this network including a two-day workshop, a series of webinars, and survey work in order to establish the foundation for the LEARN consortium - a consortium of field stations, scientific equipment, and diverse researchers to address the grand challenges facing Lake Erie. For LEARN to be successful it will require (1) the involvement of diverse skill sets, (2) financial assets, (3) collaboration, and (4) communication. Because of its mission (under NOAA and the National Sea Grant College Program) to sustain and enhance the health and wise use of Lake Erie's resources while serving as an unbiased, impartial program, the Ohio Sea Grant College Program is ideally suited to be the leader of the consortium. Ohio Sea Grant is based out of The Ohio State University, which allows the program to tap into the vast resources associated with the university. Furthermore, Ohio Sea Grant, throughout its existence, has utilized and strengthened partnerships with government, academic resources, and the private sector to address environmental, economic, and education issues using a combination of research, education, and outreach projects. Since Ohio Sea Grant is implemented at Ohio State and works closely with its scientists and administration, the university's in-house experts, laboratories, and test assets will be leveraged. When layered with the research and technical assets of other key research universities in the region (e.g., the other members of the consortium), as well as the technical acumen and innovative ideas of businesses, the LEARN consortium will provide the integrated effort needed to solve/address the grand issues facing Lake Erie, the Great Lakes, and all freshwater resources.