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Media Advisory 06-005

Human Impacts on Natural Systems Is Topic of National Science Foundation Forum

Fifth Annual Mini-Symposium on Long-Term Ecological Research Addresses Emerging Science Themes

Creosote invasion into grassland at NSF's Sevilleta, N.M., Long-Term Ecological Research Site.

Creosote invasion into grassland at NSF's Sevilleta, N.M., Long-Term Ecological Research Site.


March 2, 2006

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

On Thursday, March 9, 2006, the National Science Foundation will hold its fifth annual mini-symposium on Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER). This year's forum focuses on understanding how humans have shaped urban, rural and natural ecosystems at every level from local to global.

The symposium will feature overviews of such topics as: land use history and patterns of biodiversity in southern Appalachian forests; climate warming and threshold changes in Arctic and boreal ecosystems; human impacts on land cover change in arid lands; ecosystem responses to hydrologic change in the Everglades; and combining archaeology and ecology in desert grasslands.

The LTER network comprises 26 field sites located primarily in the United States, but with a geographic span from the Arctic and Antarctic to the tropics. The sites represent Earth's major ecosystems, and include deserts, grasslands, forests, tundra, urban areas, agricultural systems, freshwater lakes, coastal estuaries and salt marshes, coral reefs and coastal ocean zones.

Who:      James Collins, NSF Assistant Director for Biological Sciences
              Henry Gholz, NSF Program Director for Long-Term Ecological Research
              LTER Scientists (Please see list on link to detailed agenda)

What:    Mini-symposium on results of Long-Term Ecological Research

When:   Thursday, March 9, 2006, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Where:  National Science Foundation
              4201 Wilson Blvd.
              Room 110
              Arlington, VA 22230

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Cheryl Dybas, NSF, (703) 292-7734, email: cdybas@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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