The University of Colorado at Boulder and at Denver, a Proposal to participate with the RMCESU as a

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The University of Colorado at Boulder
and at Denver, a Proposal to participate with
the RM-CESU as a Partner Institution

• June 10, 2002
• Salish Kootenai College
• Pablo, Montana
• Jerry Peterson, Interim Vice Chancellor
• The Graduate School, University of Colorado at
  Boulder
• Professor of Physics
• Mark Williams, Research Fellow, INSTAAR
• Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, an
  interdisciplinary institute
• Editor, Artic, Antarctic and Alpine Research
  Journal
• Associate Professor, Geography

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Support of RM-CESU Mission and Themes

• Consistent with the RM-CESU mission and themes,
  the University of Colorado at Boulder and at
  Denver are prepared to offer qualified faculty
  researchers, specific relevant expertise,
  numerous facility resources, and an eagerness to
  collaborate with other RM-CESU Partner
  Institutions and federal agencies, in support of
  the RM-CESU mission and themes, as follows
• Mission The mission of the RM-CESU is to
  improve the scientific base for managing
  ecosystems in the rapidly changing social,
  cultural, and environmental landscape of the
  Rocky Mountain Region, and to extend its
  expertise to national issues where appropriate.

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Stated UC-Boulder themes (space, environment and
sustainability, the American West) relate to
RM-CESU themes

• science in management and policy Center for
  Science and Technology Policy Research, CIRES
• alpine ecological issues Mountain Research
  Station, INSTAAR
• bioregional research initiatives earth, air,
  fire and water
• land and water use issues in wilderness,
  multi-use, suburban and even urban settings
  Center for Environmental Sciences, UC-Denver
• social, cultural and environmental influences
  Center of the American West
• demographics as they related to land management
  Natural Hazards Research and Applications
  Information Center, IBS
• Policy and legal issues of public land use
  Natural Resources Law Center

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Interdisciplinary collaborations through
UC-Boulder and UC-Denver

• History of interdisciplinary collaboration at the
  University of Colorado A University Without
  Walls
• Seekers of broad and diverse input as
  contributions to system change
• Institutes and Centers as lenses
• Interdisciplinary certificates and degrees as
  evidence of student accomplishments
• Inter-campus projects (UC-Boulder and UC-Denver)
• Educating the next generation of scientific and
  public leaders

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Strategic Directions and Themes for the RM-CESU

• Understanding and addressing ecosystem change
  including
• changing resource demands, ecosystems and
  landscapes resulting from human impacts in a
  social, economic / ecological context
• changing cultural milieu and changing economic
  systems
• concern about impacts on the national legacy of
  the wild Rockies

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Strategic Directions and Themes for the RM-CESU
(contd.)

• University and Agency Interaction and
  Collaboration
• responsible and effective use of public funds
• identifying and anticipating emerging needs for
  research, development and education
• facilitating effective dialogue and common
  understanding among researchers, managers and the
  public

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How the University of Colorado at Boulder and at
Denver can support these strategic directions

• Ecosystem change
• Institute, program, and inter-campus
  collaborative resources are available. Prominent
  examples include PAOS, CIRES, INSTAAR and the
  Program in Environmental Sciences new Ph.D.
  program (UC-Boulder) Center for Environmental
  Sciences (Sievering, Clark UC-Denver)
• University/Agency Interaction and Collaboration
  (details are included in the proposal under
  faculty mini-bios)
• extensive university/agency experience and
  infrastructure (OCG) related to legal, policy,
  environmental and cultural issues, includes
  support and collaboration with the National
  Forest Service, NOAA, the NSF, the USGS, the
  Department of the Interior Global Change Program,
  National Park Service, the Colorado Department of
  Natural Resources, the EPA, the National Weather
  Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish
  and Wildlife, NIST, UCAR/NCAR/CCAR, NASA, and
  U.S. AID to name a few.

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How UC-Boulder and UC-Denver can support these
strategic directions (contd.)

• Enhancing dialogue
• the complexity of the issues requires an
  integrated response, driven by strategic planning
  at several levels
• CU needs to share in this planning at the
  regional level, and to develop new partnerships
  to accomplish regional goals. CESU meets these
  needs for us.

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NITROGEN SATURATION IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
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CU BOULDER-NPS PARTNERSHIP

• Complements historical and ongoing research by J
  Baron
• Collaborative research with USGS-WEBB at Loch
  Vale, ROMO
• Collaborative research with CU-Denver, e.g. Herm
  Sievering

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GOOD NEIGHBORSTETON NPS EXAMPLE

• 1996 We conducted synoptic lake sampling for
  water quality in Teton NP
• Data given in 2002 to Scott Woods from University
  of Montana to evaluate how lakes have changed
  over time

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Facilities and equipment that can support the
RM-CESU (highlights of extensive facilities
mentioned in the proposal)

• Two stations for snow hydrology (Niwot Ridge) and
  water quality laboratories (Mountain Research
  Station and Scott Summers)
• Development of remote sensing detectors,
  information systems and applications, e.g., at
  LASP, we design and construct satellites for
  Earth remote sensing
• Modern Mass spectrometers dedicated to ecosystem
  research. New lab for atmospheric chemistry
  value of 0.6M (CIRES)
• Dendrochronology labs
• Facility for Advanced Spatial Technology (FAST)
  offers a unique resource lab for
  multidisciplinary studies in Geographic
  Information Sciences (UC-Denver)
• Center for Environmental Sciences (UC-Denver) and
  the Program in Environmental Studies (UC-Boulder)
  offer a variety of courses and degrees, with 600
  undergraduate majors in Boulder

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Facilities and equipment (contd.)

• Expanding facilities to include capacities,
  The Center for the American West has the
  capacity to mobilize research teams to look at
  agencies relationships with communities
  bordering public lands to attitudes toward water
  development and recreation. Integrates science,
  engineering, behavioral science and humanities
  disciplines to address broad regional problems
• Center for Environmental Studies (UC-Denver) and
  the Program in Environmental Studies (UC-Boulder)
  offer a variety of analytical instrumental
  (mineral and air content and quality), and
  historic/current climatic change monitoring
  include the monitoring of greenhouse gases

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Conclusion

• The University of Colorado at Boulder and at
  Denver have the infrastructures, faculty,
  students, expertise, programs, institutes,
  facilities and informed science management to
  contribute significantly
• Gain insights, partners and resources with the
  Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystems Study Unit
  as a Partner Institution

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Questions?