Planning: Planning the future of Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center

这笔规划赠款将支持为科里·马什生态研究中心(CMERC)制定10年战略计划，CMERC是密歇根州立大学(MSU)于2018年建立的生态野外站。这块占地350英亩的土地以前是密歇根州立大学沼泽土壤研究农场，在2012年关闭之前，它是70多年来农业研究的重要地点。2012年后，这处房产很快被重新开垦为湿地，尽管由于水文变化和非本土植物的入侵，湿地已经退化。当CMERC成立时，它的宏伟愿景是建立一个关于内陆湿地生态系统的长期多学科研究计划，集本科教育和培训以及社区参与于一体。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场所，特别是在面对人类土地利用活动和全球气候变化的情况下。它靠近密歇根州立大学主校区，是开展教学活动和培训本科生实地研究的便利空间。通过一个充满活力的社区参与计划，学生们可以获得交流科学和与不同兴趣团体合作的形成经验。此外，CMERC一直积极与土著社区接触，听取和了解土地的历史，以及如何更好地纳入传统生态知识方法，以了解多样化的生态系统。规划拨款将支持一项战略计划，该计划总体上优先安排中心的活动，以及中心三个重点领域：研究、学习和社区参与。具体目标是(1)正式确定CMERC的任务和愿景，(2)制定战略，确保其财务可持续性，(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，以及(4)制定在所有活动中包容、公平和公正的核心原则。战略规划进程将包括：(1)确定和征聘来自不同背景和视角的参与者；(2)从其他生物实地站收集信息，包括与主任举行虚拟会议和实地访问；(3)协助与规划参与者举行务虚会；(4)建立工作组；(5)起草、审查和最后确定战略计划。预期结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、教学和学习活动，以及社区参与，使用离散的指标来跟踪我们的成功。该计划将作为一份活文件，并将在CMERC网站上公开提供。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已通过使用基金会的智力优势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.