Planning: Planning the future of Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center

这项规划拨款将支持科里沼泽生态研究中心（CMERC）的10年战略计划的发展，该中心是密歇根州立大学（MSU）于2018年建立的生态实地考察站。这片350英亩的土地以前是MSU Muck Soils Research Farm，70多年来一直是农业研究的重要场所，直到2012年关闭。2012年后，该物业迅速被开垦为湿地，尽管由于水文变化和非本地植物入侵而退化。当CMERC成立时，它具有建立内陆湿地生态系统长期多学科研究计划的广阔视野，该计划将本科教育和培训以及社区参与整合在一起。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，特别是在人类土地利用活动和全球气候变化的情况下。它靠近主MSU校园，使其成为教学和学习活动的无障碍空间，并在实地研究中培训本科生。有了一个充满活力的社区参与计划，学生可以获得形成的经验，沟通科学和与不同的利益集团的工作。此外，CMERC一直积极与土著社区接触，倾听和了解土地的历史，以及如何更好地将传统生态知识方法纳入理解多样化的生态系统。规划补助金将支持一项战略计划，该计划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）制定战略以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，这些目标是前瞻性的，并为假设驱动的研究提供机会，以及（4）制定包容，公平和公正的核心原则。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，包括与主任举行虚拟会议和现场访问，（3）与规划参与者举行务虚会，（4）成立工作组，（5）起草、审查和最后确定战略计划。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，教学和学习活动，以及社区参与离散指标，以跟踪我们的成功。该计划将作为一个活的文件，并将在CMERC网站上公开。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

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.