Research and Strategic Planning for the Mount Mansfield Science and Stewardship Center

东北地区的山林和高寒地带是敏感的生态系统，为娱乐、工业和自然资源管理提供了宝贵的机会。由于其独特的生物和文化属性，它们是研究生态系统功能、自然和人为变化影响以及社会生态系统动态的重要课题。然而，偏远山区研究的费用和后勤挑战阻碍了知识的增长和学术和专业学科之间的整合。这一问题在该地区的山地森林中尤为明显，它们缺乏一个永久性的平台来研究气候变化、酸化、汞沉积和其他不成比例地影响高海拔地区的人为压力因素。该项目的目标是为曼斯菲尔德山科学与管理中心制定一个五年战略计划，该中心是佛蒙特大学和合作机构目前正在考虑的一个实地站。曼斯菲尔德中心坐落在佛蒙特州中北部海拔1775米的森林山脊上。近16000公顷的野生和管理土地是几十年来科学研究的主题，自1991年以来，对山地空气、水、土壤、植物和动物进行了持续和协调的调查。作为北美东部唯一的山地森林野外研究站，曼斯菲尔德中心将促进整个北部阿巴拉契亚和阿迪朗达克生态区林地和高山生态系统的跨学科研究。规划过程包括让科学家、环境决策者、生物野外站组织（OBFS）发展委员会和佛蒙特大学领导层参与制定一项全面的战略计划，以促进科学与政策之间的交流，同时扩大对区域和国际数据合作社的参与。实施该战略将在全球山地观测站网络中建立一个新的节点，该网络正在兴起，用于调查气候变化和其他全球问题。东北山区科学会议将扩大学术和研究机构之间的伙伴关系，并提出指导未来工作的具体建议。这些伙伴关系将扩展到公共和商业利益相关者，为整个地区的政策和土地管理提供信息。一旦建立，曼斯菲尔德中心将为UVM和访问本科生提供一个巨大的生活实验室，提供各种各样的问题和基于地点的学习机会。在环境科学领域代表性不足的群体，包括城市学生，将被招募参与教育计划。该中心将通过在曼斯菲尔德中心和附近的走私者缺口游客中心提供学习地点、示范场地和展览空间来支持研究生和专业人员的培训。这些备受瞩目的场馆每年将吸引数千名游客，并阐明人与山区环境之间的相互依存关系。

Mountain forests and alpine zones of the Northeast are sensitive ecosystems that provide valuable opportunities for recreation, industry, and natural resource management. Because of their distinct biological and cultural attributes, they are important subjects for the study of ecosystem function, effects of natural and anthropogenic change, and the dynamics of social-ecological systems. However, the expense and logistical challenges of remote mountain research have hampered gains in knowledge and integration among academic and professional disciplines. The problem is especially pronounced in the region's montane forests, which lack a permanent platform to investigate climate change, acidification, mercury deposition and other anthropogenic stressors that disproportionately affect high elevations. The objective of this project is to produce a five-year strategic plan for the Mount Mansfield Science and Stewardship Center, a field station currently under consideration by the University of Vermont and collaborating institutions. The Mansfield Center is situated on a forested ridge at an elevation of 1,775 m in north-central Vermont. The surrounding 16,000 ha of wild and managed land have been the subject of scientific study for many decades, with continuous and coordinated investigations of mountain air, water, soil, flora, and fauna dating back to 1991. As eastern North America's only montane forest field station, the Mansfield Center will catalyze interdisciplinary studies of woodland and alpine ecosystems across the northern Appalachian and Adirondack ecoregions. The planning process involves engaging scientists, environmental decision-makers, the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS) Development Committee, and University of Vermont leadership to develop a comprehensive strategic plan to promote exchange between science and policy, while expanding participation in regional and international data cooperatives. Implementing the strategy will establish a new node in a worldwide network of mountain observatories that is emerging to investigate climate change and other global issues. The Northeast Mountain Science Conference will expand partnerships between academic and research institutions and produce concrete proposals to guide future work. These partnerships will extend to public and commercial stakeholders, informing policy and land management across the region. Once established, the Mansfield Center will offer UVM and visiting undergraduates access to a vast living laboratory, with varied opportunities for problem- and place-based learning. Groups that are underrepresented in environmental science, including urban students, will be recruited for participation in the education program. The center will support the training of graduate students and professionals through provision of study sites, demonstration plots, and exhibit space at the Mansfield Center and in the nearby Smuggler's Notch Visitor Center. These high-profile venues will reach thousands of visitors every year and illuminate the interdependence between people and mountain environments.