LTER Network History

The National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsors three workshops to initiate and maintain close consultation with the ecological sciences community. At these workshops the philosophy of collaborative research is developed and a centralized working hypothesis approach to collaboration proposed. Five core areas of research are defined to orient long-term ecological research projects toward question/hypothesis formulation and resolution over long time and broad spatial scales.

• Workshop #1 1977
• Workshop #2 1978
• Workshop #3 1979

• NSF announces a call for proposals for pilot projects in long-term ecological research with goals of 1) initiating the collection of comparative data at a network of sites representing major biotic regions of North America, and 2) evaluating the scientific, technical and managerial problems associated with such long-term comparative research.

•     An initial set of six sites is selected and funded at $300,000 per year:

          * North Temperate Lakes
          * H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest
          * Coweeta Hydrological Laboratory
          * Konza Prairie
          * North Inlet Marsh
          * Niwot Ridge

• LTER lead scientists meet in Washington, D.C. and constitute a steering committee to begin the tasks of LTER communication and coordination and accommodation of mutual goals.
• NSF announces second call for long-term ecological research proposals.

• Dick Marzolf (Konza Prairie) serves as first LTER Steering Committee Chair. NSF awards a coordination grant to Kansas State University (with Marzolf as PI).
• An NSF proposal competition results in five new sites added:

        * Central Plains Experimental Range (now called Shortgrass Steppe)
        * Okefenokee
        * Illinois Rivers
        * Cedar Creek Natural History Area
        * Jornada Basin

• Representatives from five new sites form Steering Committee.
• First Data Management Workshop held, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.
• First LTER Meteorological Committee (now Climate Committee) meeting, Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory.
• Steering Committee creates a policy for workshops supported under the coordination grant.

• NSF conducts a national review of the LTER Program.
• Jerry Franklin replaces Marzolf as LTER Steering Committee (now Coordinating Committee) chair.
• Coordination grant awarded to Oregon State University (Jerry Franklin, PI). LTER Network Office established.

• First LTER All Scientists Meeting held at Lake Itasca, MN.

• LTER Intersite Climate Committee (formerly Meteorological Committee) develops standards for meteorological measurements at LTER sites (Greenland 1986; Swift and Ragsdale 1985).
• NSF announces third call for long-term ecological research proposals.

• An NSF proposal competition results in five new sites added:

        * Arctic Tundra
        * Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest
        * Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest
        * Kellogg Biological Station
        * Virginia Coast Reserve

• First issue of the newsletter "LTER Network News" published.
• LTER Intersite Climate Committee summarizes climates at first 11 LTER sites (Greenland 1987).
• NSF creates LTER Technology development position at Division of Environmental Biology (Robert Robbins hired).

• NSF proposal competition results in addition of three new sites:

        * Luquillo Experimental Forest
        * Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge
        * Harvard Forest

• Two sites are withdrawn (Illinois Rivers and Okefenokee).
• NSF Advisory Committee on Scientific & Technological Planning for LTER identifies scientific issues addressed by the sites and recommends Network-wide capabilities to address them. Report is referred to as "Shugart Report" after chair H.H. Shugart.
• LTER Climate Committee reviews research and understanding of climate variability and ecosystem responses of the LTER sites (Greenland and Swift 1990).
• Minimum Standard Installation (MSI) for LTER site data management developed.
• NSF creates LTER Research Coordinator position at Division of Environmental Biology to encourage LTER cross-site research efforts (Caroline Bledsoe hired).
• First comprehensive directory of LTER personnel is compiled by Bob Robbins and Caroline Bledsoe at NSF.

• NSF conducts national LTER Program review

• Coordination grant is awarded to University of Washington-Seattle (Jerry Franklin, PI). LTER Network Office enlarged and established on the University of Washington campus, in the College of Forest Resources.

• LTER Technology Committee identifies and recommends technology requirements and criteria to meet primary LTER Network research goals (global change assessment and comparative studies of ecological phenomena and theories). Report is referred to as "Gosz Technology Report" after chair Jim Gosz.

• LTER working group develops "Global Change Research Action Plan."

• LTER Network electronic bulletin board established at Central Plains Experimental Range site.

• First issue of "Databits," LTER data managers' electronic newsletter, published.

• LTER-Chinese Ecological Research Network (CERN) exchange/collaboration develops.

• NSF announces Antarctic LTER site competition, supported by funds from Polar Programs and Environmental Biology divisions.

• LTER Coordinating Committee develops site data management policy guidelines.

• LTER Core Data Set Catalog developed and published.

• Second LTER All Scientists Meeting held, Estes Park, CO.

•     NSF Antarctic research proposal competition results in addition of new site:

          * Palmer Station, Antarctica LTER

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) working group analyzes the status of LTER Network technical supplements and assesses future technical needs (recommends enhanced Internet connectivity, individual site remote sensing capability, annual acquisition of remote sensing data, site archival storage capability, additional GPS units, enhanced site database software capabilities, automated field data collection).

• Global Positioning Systems (GPS) units acquired for shared LTER site use and GPS training provided for representatives from all sites.

• NSF announces new Antarctic LTER site competition with funds from Polar Programs and Environmental Biology divisions.
• LTER Coordinating Committee, at the request of NSF, develops an eight-year vision--LTER 2000--for the creation of a global environmental research network based upon approaches established in the LTER Program.

• NSF Antarctic research proposal competition results in addition of new site:

          * McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.

• NSF commissions 10-Year Review of the LTER Program.

• Third LTER All Scientists Meeting held, Estes Park, CO.

• International LTER Summit held (Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, France, Hungary, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Russia, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States represented).

• International LTER (ILTER) Network established, Jerry F. Franklin (U.S. LTER Chair) is elected ILTER Steering Committee Chair.

• LTER Network Internet (gopher) server established at Network Office.

• LTER All-Site Bibliography developed and put online in searchable form.

• LTER Core Data Set Catalog put online in searchable form.

• LTER Personnel Database put online in searchable form.

• North Inlet LTER site withdrawn; 18 LTER sites remain in Network.

•     NSF announces a special competition for cross-site comparisons and synthesis at LTER and non-LTER sites and international research awards in response to the 10-year review of the LTER Program. Nine grants ranging from $109,353 to $200,000 are awarded to LTER and non-LTER U.S. sites, and sites in Ireland, Scotland, Costa Rica, Argentina and Russia.

• NSF announces a special competition for augmentation of LTER projects for regionalization, comprehensive site histories, and increased disciplinary breadth. North Temperate Lakes and Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory receive awards of $499,959 and $498,906, respectively.

• LTER Network assesses leadership and governance in response to 10-year review and in preparation for the election of a new Coordinating Committee chair.

• LTER Publications and Synthesis committees established.

• LTER Network World Wide Web site established at Network Office.

• First International LTER (ILTER) Steering Committee meeting held, Rothamsted, U.K.

• NSF and U.S. Forest Service sign a Memorandum of Agreement to cooperate/collaborate in LTER Program research.

• NSF and the National Biological Service sign Memorandum of Agreement to cooperate/collaborate in LTER Program research.

• Coordinating Committee Chair Jerry F. Franklin announces his retirement as Chair after more than 12 years of service.

• James R. Gosz is elected LTER Coordinating Committee Chair.

• Need for LTER Advisory Board established.

• International LTER (ILTER) Network expands membership; James R. Gosz elected ILTER Network Committee (formerly Steering Committee) Chair.

• LTER Executive Committee revises LTER workshop policy .

• LTER Publications Committee develops plan for publication of Network research syntheses volumes.

• NSF announces open competition for LTER Network Office cooperative agreement.

• NSF announces the 1995 special competition for cross-site comparisons and synthesis at LTER and non-LTER sites. Thirteen awards ranging from $150,000 to $200,000 are given.

• 1995 NSF/DOE/NASA/USDA Joint Program Awards, Terrestrial Ecology and Global Change (TECO), are announced. There are seven LTER recipients, including researchers at Bonanza Creek, Cedar Creek, Central Plains, Harvard Forest, H.J. Andrews and Jornada.

• LTER Network Publications Committee enters contractual agreement with Oxford University Press to publish the "LTER Network Synthesis Series."
• Palmer LTER site volume published: Foundations for Ecological Research West of the Antarctic Peninsula (AGU).

• NSF announces special proposal competition for urban LTER sites.

• March 15: Network Office officially begins operation from the University of New Mexico

       Bob Waide hired as Executive Director of the LNO

• NSF proposal competition results in addition of two new sites:

          * Phoenix Urban LTER
          * Baltimore Urban LTER

• NSF announces proposal competition for new Land Margin LTER sites.

• NSF proposal competition results in addition of new Land Margin Ecological Research (LMER) site: Plum Island Ecosystem LTER.
• Konza site volume published (OUP).
• McMurdo site volume published (AGU).

• National Advisory Board reviews LTER Network.
    

• Schoolyard LTER Supplements added to LTER grants ($15k/yr to each site).

• Social Science Committee created.

• LTER Network and San Diego Supercomputer Center strengthen bonds by employing joint research staff.

• NSF Announces special LTER Competition for additional land margin sites.

• Tom Callahan, long-time NSF program director and LTER supporter, passes away.

• Standard Soil Methods for Long Term Ecological Research published (Oxford University Press).

• Land-margin competition results in three new coastal LTER Network sites:

        * Georgia Coastal Ecosystem
        * Florida Coastal Everglades
        * Santa Barbara Coastal

• LTER and ILTER hold All Scientists Meeting- Snowbird, Utah (add link to website).    (add link to post-all sci mtng workshops table).
• Scott Collins resigns as LTER Program Officer at NSF. Henry Gholz becomes the Program Officer for LTER.
• NEON planning workshops begin.

• NSF commissions 20-Year-Review of the LTER Network (October, Albuquerque).

• Niwot site volume published: Structure and Function of an Alpine Ecosystem (OUP).

• LTER Network celebrates 20th Anniversary.

• NSF and LTER hold first annual Mini Symposium: LTER Network Major Research Accomplishments.
• The Network Information System Advisory Committee (NISAC) is formed.

• NSF and LTER hold second annual Mini Symposium:  Integration of Geosciences and Social Science within the LTER Program: Progress and Prospects.

• LTER All Scientists' Meeting held in Seattle, Washington.

• BioScience Special Issue on the US Long-Term Ecological Research Network published.

• Climate Variability and Ecosystem Response volume published (OUP).

• The LTER Coordinating Committee approves a formal set of bylaws for the LTER Network.

• The U.S. ILTER Committee is formed with Steve Hamburg and Patrick Bourgeron as Co-chairs.

• NSF and LTER hold third annual NSF-LTER Mini Symposium: LTER Research Informing Land Management.

• Niwot Ridge LTER Children's Book Series volume published: My Water Comes from the Mountain (Roberts Rinehart publishing).

• Two new Sites join LTER Network: California Current (CCE) and Moorea Coral Reef (MCR).

• The LTER Network receives a grant from NSF to conduct network-level strategic planning.

• Harvard Forest site volume published: Forests in Time The Environmental Consequences of 1000 Years of Change in New England (Yale University Press).

• NSF and LTER hold fourth annual Mini Symposium: Coastal Research in LTER.

• Mary Clutter retires as Assistant Director of the Directorate for Biological Sciences at NSF. Jim Collins is named to replace her.

• Jim Gosz resigns after 10 years as Chair of the LTER Coordinating Committee.  John Magnuson is chosen as Interim Chair.

• The first LTER Graduate Student Collaborative Research Symposium held at Andrews Experimental Forest.

• NSF and LTER hold fifth annual Mini Symposium: LTER and Global Change.

• All Scientists' Meeting held in Estes Park, Colorado.

• McMurdo LTER Children's Book Series volume published: The Lost Seal (Moonlight Publishing).

• Bonanza Creek site volume published: Alaska's Changing Boreal (OUP).

• Jornada site volume published: Structure and Function of a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem (OUP).

• North Temperate Lakes LTER site volume published Long-Term Dynamics of Lakes in the Landscape (OUP).

• New LTER governance structure is approved by the LTER Coordinating Committee.

• Peter Arzberger is named Chair of the LTER National Advisory Board.

• NSF and LTER hold sixth annual Mini Symposium: Cycles of Change in Social-Ecological Systems: Perspectives from Long-Term Ecological Research.
• LTER Technology Committee is formally disbanded and duties assigned to the Information Management Committee and the LTER Network Office.
• The Committee on Scientific Initiatives is formally disbanded and duties assigned to the Science Council.
• Phil Robertson is elected as Chair of the LTER Executive Board and Science Council.