Planning: Planning the future of Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center

这项规划拨款将支持科里·马什生态研究中心（CMERC）制定一项10年战略计划，CMERC是密歇根州立大学（MSU）于2018年建立的生态野外研究站。这片350英亩的土地以前是密歇根州立大学的淤泥土壤研究农场，在2012年关闭之前，它是70多年来农业研究的重要场所。2012年之后，该物业迅速被恢复为湿地，尽管是一个退化的湿地，水文发生了变化，外来植物入侵。CMERC成立之初，其远大愿景是建立一个长期的内陆湿地生态系统多学科研究项目，将本科教育和培训与社区参与相结合。鉴于CMERC的历史和现状，它是研究内陆湿地生态系统健康的理想地点，特别是面对人类土地利用活动和全球气候变化。它靠近密歇根州立大学的主校区，为教学活动和培训本科生进行实地研究提供了便利的空间。通过一个充满活力的社区参与项目，学生可以获得交流科学和与不同兴趣群体合作的形成性经验。此外，CMERC一直积极与土著社区合作，倾听和了解土地的历史，以及如何更好地结合传统生态知识方法来了解多样化的生态系统。规划拨款将支持一项战略计划，该计划将优先考虑该中心的整体活动，以及其三个重点领域：研究、学习和社区参与。具体目标是：(1)正式制定CMERC的使命和愿景声明；(2)制定确保其财务可持续性的战略；(3)为湿地生态系统的长期研究制定明确的目标，这些目标具有前瞻性，并为假设驱动的研究提供机会；(4)制定核心原则，确保所有活动都具有包容性、公平性和公正性。战略规划过程将包括(1)确定和招募来自不同背景和观点的参与者，(2)从其他生物实地站收集信息，包括与主任的虚拟会议和现场访问，(3)与规划参与者的便利务虚会，(4)创建工作组，以及(5)起草、审查和最终确定战略计划。预期成果将包括一份书面战略计划，该计划将指导未来5 - 10年的研究、教学和社区参与活动，并使用离散指标来跟踪我们的成功。该计划将作为一份动态文件，并将在CMERC网站上公开发布。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This planning grant will support development of a 10-year strategic plan for Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center (CMERC), an ecological field station established in 2018 by Michigan State University (MSU). This 350-acre property was previously the MSU Muck Soils Research Farm, an important site for agricultural research for over 70 years, before closing in 2012. After 2012, the property was quickly reclaimed as a wetland, albeit a degraded one with altered hydrology and invasion of non-native plants. When CMERC was founded, it was with the broad vision of establishing a long-term multi-disciplinary research program on inland wetland ecosystems that integrates undergraduate education and training and community engagement. Given CMERC’s history and current state, it is an ideal location to study health of inland wetland ecosystems, particularly in the face of human land-use activities and global climate change. Its proximity to the main MSU campus makes it an accessible space for teaching and learning activities and training undergraduate students in field-based research. With a vibrant community engagement program, students can gain formative experiences communicating science and working with diverse interest groups. Further, CMERC has been actively engaged with Indigenous communities to listen and learn about the history of the land and how to better incorporate traditional ecological knowledge approaches to understand a diverse ecosystem. The planning grant will support a strategic plan that prioritizes activities for the center overall, as well as for its three focal areas: research, learning, and community engagement. Specific objectives are to (1) formalize a mission and vision statement for CMERC, (2) build strategies to ensure its financial sustainability, (3) develop clear goals for long-term research on the wetland ecosystems that are forward thinking and provide opportunities for hypothesis-driven research, and (4) develop core principles for being inclusive, equitable, and just in all activities. The strategic planning process will include (1) identification and recruitment of participants from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, (2) information gathering from other biological field stations, including virtual meetings with directors and on-site visits, (3) facilitated retreats with planning participants, (4) creation of working groups, and (5) drafting, reviewing, and finalizing the strategic plan. Anticipated outcomes will include a written strategic plan that will guide the next 5 – 10 years of activities in research, teaching and learning, and community engagement with discrete metrics to track our success. This plan will serve as a living document and will be publicly available on the CMERC website.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.