The University of Colorado at Boulder and at Denver,

							      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
  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.
                                                            2
          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
                                                                              3
     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

                                                              4
         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



                                                                5
       Strategic Directions and Themes
          for the RM-CESU (cont’d.)

• 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

                                                       6
 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.
                                                                                   7
       How UC-Boulder and UC-Denver can
     support these strategic directions (cont’d.)


• 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.



                                                           8
NITROGEN SATURATION IN
 THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS




                         9
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
                              10
 GOOD NEIGHBORS:
TETON 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
                              11
 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

                                                                              12
          Facilities and equipment (cont’d.)

• 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

                                                                 13
                 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
                                                 14
            Questions?




2/11/2009                15