Pleasant View Farm

         A principal objective in the establishment of the HBRF is to assure that the research at HBES will continue and be available for future generations of scientists and students, and that the world-renowned data collection will be maintained and continued and remain available for both scientific research and natural resource policy.

         To insure that the monitoring and data collection program is continued uninterrupted and that the quality of the data is maintained beyond the tenure of any particular individual, the Foundation is working on a strategy to establish and secure the funds for an endowment or "trust" fund. Like any collection of great works of art, historic collections or national wilderness, the HBES long-term data records need to be preserved and secured with stable funding. The fund will insure the continuing historical record needed for the basis of sound policy decisions and the protection of vital natural resources.

         There continues to be increasing public concern over such globally significant problems as loss of biodiversity, climate change, destruction of forests, depletion of stratospheric ozone, regional air and water pollution and soil erosion. The research conducted at Hubbard Brook has and continues to examine aspects of these problems and provides technical information which has been invaluable in the formation of public policy. However, communication among scientists, policy makers, managers and the public is far from perfect. The problem is recognized widely and has led to many ideas and calls for integrated ecosystem management of land and water resources. The extraordinary wealth of environmental information accumulated at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest and the preservation of high quality, ongoing, long-term research programs place HBES in an ideal position to take a leading role in the development of sustainable management programs.

         In 1996, HBRF initiated a two-year project to assess whether or not, and how, HBRF could help integrate ecosystem science and natural resource management and policy. The project, known as "The Futures Assessment Project" has several objectives, including: to improve communication and information exchange between Hubbard Brook scientists and policy makers, land managers and the environmental community and to promote public awareness of HBES research and resources, and their societal implications.

Science Links^TM

As the result of the Futures Assessment Project, HBRF created a program called Science Linksä . The purpose of Science Links^TM is to: (1) facilitate a dialogue between policy makers, managers and scientists (2) synthesize and translate research results and (3) disseminate research findings in a manner that is accessible and meaningful to policy makers. In January of this year, we launched our first Science Links^TM project to address the ecological effects of acid rain in the northeastern United States.

An aerial view of a strip  cut on watershed 4

After Congress passed the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the public and policy makers thought the acid rain problem was solved. Compelling new research from Hubbard Brook suggests acid rain has not dried up. Stream water at Hubbard Brook--which is likely to be indicative of conditions across the Northeast--has shown little improvement in acid levels since pollution controls were enacted. Further, Hubbard Brook research demonstrates that the environmental effects of acid rain may be more subtle and insidious than first expected. A recent Hubbard Brook paper in Science reported that acid rain has leached away essential nutrients such as calcium from the soil – making stream water more vulnerable to acid rain and possibly diminishing forest productivity. The policy implications of these data may likely be that current emission limits and trading schemes have not achieved the level of ecosystem recovery envisioned by the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.

HBRF has convened a 10-member scientific working group in response to the ground swell of activity and the need for credible scientific information on the status of acid rain. This Science Links^TM project will advance scientific understanding of the problem and provide the scientific foundation for improved policy. Specific outputs of the project include:

• a peer-reviewed scientific paper,
• a general audience report that translates the findings for policy makers,
• a one to two-page statement of findings (if the results are amenable to this approach) to be endorsed by a larger group of scientists,
• a media/public communications training workshop for scientists in preparation for meetings and briefings with policy makers, media and the public, and
• a series of public briefings that will be held to disseminate the findings directly to policy makers, including presentations to the Northeastern U.S. governors, Congressional delegation and leaders in conservation and industry.

The participants in this Science Links^TM project have been selected based on their area of scientific expertise, publishing record, geographic distribution, knowledge of and access to large regional datasets and expressed interest in communicating with the public and policy makers. Four policy advisors were also selected to review the critical questions, articulate specific policy interests, evaluate draft findings, and advise on outreach and dissemination.

February- April, 1999 – held meetings of scientists and advisors to plan Science Links project and publications.

May- July, 1999 – drafted outline of scientific paper

August-October, 1999 – finalized public outreach plan, circulated draft paper for revisions by Scientific Working Group

November, 1999 – Contracted with Sharon Pickett & Associates www.igc.org/pickett/ to provide communications and public relations support to the Science Links project.

Dec. 2, 1999– Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill -- HBRF scientists presented acid rain issues to 30 staff members representing the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and Congressional representatives from northeast states. The briefing was organized by HBRF and the Ecological Society of America.

Dec. 7, 1999 – HBRF scientist Charles Driscoll presented a talk on acid rain at a New York State-sponsored environmental conference in Albany and conducted radio interviews on WROW-AM and WAMC-FM (Northeast Public Radio).

January 2000 – HBRF Executive Director Kathy Fallon Lambert mailed letter and information packet to NGO colleagues, soliciting participation and feedback on HBRF events and publications.

January 2000 – circulated draft of Science Links paper to Scientific Working Committee for final review

January 2000 – Hubbard Brook and Kathy Fallon Lambert featured in AMC Outdoors Magazine special report on environmental issues in the 21^st Century.

January 2000 – Public service announcement on acid rain aired on WMUR-TV in New Hampshire. The spot was produced by Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests and featured the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study calcium experiment.

Feb. 6-8, 2000 – Kathy Fallon Lambert presents HBRF research at the Clean Air Network annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

March, 2000 – Submit Science Links paper to BioScience journal for publication.

Spring/Summer, 2000 – HBRF speakers conduct media interviews to educate the public on acid rain issues.

Spring 2000 – HBRF scientists conduct briefings in Washington, D.C., with representatives of federal agencies. Targeted groups include members of the National Acidic Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) and the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR).

June 27, 2000 – Conference on “Understanding the Effects of Acid Deposition on Northeastern Forests” in Concord, New Hampshire. The event is co-sponsored by Hubbard Brook Research Foundation and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and is free and open to the public.

July 2000 – HBRF Board meeting in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Summer/Fall 2000 – publication of HBRF “Science Links” research project in Bioscience, release of public report on Science Links research, and press conference in Washington, DC. HBRF speakers conduct media interviews to publicize data from the Science Links research.

         For more information about the Foundation and its programs, contact Executive Director, Kathy Fallon Lambert (e-mail address: klambert@hbresearchfoundation.org).