Humans make decisions daily that impact biodiversity, and it is essential that citizens understand the implications of these decisions. Yet, ecological systems are extremely complex, with many details still being discovered. Our challenge is to identify the underlying principles and concepts governing the distribution of organisms, and then communicate these details to students in a way that influences their citizenship decisions as participants in local and global communities. 

 SBC’s Schoolyard LTER (SLTER) program is organized around a theme of watershed ecology. This approach allows for an integrated program that includes K-12 students, K-12 teachers, undergraduate and graduate students.  In 2009 we focused on developing long-term connections with local, regional and state middle and junior high schools through a partnership with American Association of University Women (AAUW) - Tech Trek Program.

A Research Experience for High School Students program (REHS), modeled after the Research Experience for Undergraduates, was initiated at the Virginia Coast Reserve LTER in 2007 with supplemental funding to our SLTER Program.

The Chicago Region ULTRA-Ex will address a question fundamental to understanding the dynamic interactions between biodiversity conservation, ecosystem processes, and human well being in urban landscapes: In a complex urban/metropolitan system, what are the synergies and tradeoffs between conserving biodiversity and providing ecosystem services to people? The project focuses on the Green Infrastructure Vision of the Chicago Wilderness alliance, a conservation consortium of over 240 organizations.

LTER-Europe is a network of national networks established in 2007 through a merger of existing smaller regional and new national LTER networks in Europe. It represents the European contribution to the global International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER); 16 of the 44 ILTER members belong to LTER-Europe.

The International Long-Term Ecosystem Research network (ILTER) includes national networks of scientists and their stakeholders engaged in long-term, site-based ecological, social and economic research. The LTER-Italy network, established in 2006, joined ILTER in 2007. The “Apennines (high elevation)” site joined LTER-Italy in 2007. It consists of “orographic islands” of alpine tundra along the Apennines chain, where many endemic and rare taxa occur that are critically endangered by climate warming.

The Italian Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER-Italy) was officially admitted to the International LTER Network (ILTER), during the general meeting held in Namibia in 2006. At present, LTER-Italy consists of an integrated group of 20 sites developing long term ecological research, a Secretary's Office, a group of sites managers and a Coordinating Committee. 9 research stations are CON.ECO.FOR. permanent plots under National Forest Service coordination, with many other sites and research stations in terrestrial, transitional, marine and freshwater ecosystems. CON.ECO.FOR.

Designing infrastructure to support the management of diverse data presents unique challenges for each site. Described here is the current information system architecture, as well as targeted architectural features, implemented by the Ocean Informatics team to provide a working solution for accommodating heterogeneous data types. The system architecture is a major component of a site information environment, providing an orientation for technical development, organizational communication, and collaborative science.

Designing infrastructure to support the management of diverse data presents unique challenges for each site. Described here is the current information system architecture, as well as targeted architectural features, implemented by the Ocean Informatics team to provide a working solution for accommodating heterogeneous data types. The system architecture is a major component of a site information environment, providing an orientation for technical development, organizational communication, and collaborative science.

The temperate forests of eastern North America support high biodiversity and critical ecosystem functions while providing natural resources and cultural benefits to an expanding human population. The region is shaped by a legacy of landscape change: major shifts in climate, vegetation and disturbance at millennial time scales; extensive deforestation for agriculture in the 17th – 19th centuries; and abandonment of farmlands, natural reforestation and increasing urbanization through the mid-21st century.