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Goal 4: "To engage in research directed towards innovative problem solving in stewardship of our bioregion and our planet."
"In early days we were close to nature. We judged time, weather conditions, and many things by the elements--the good earth, the blue sky, the flying of geese, and the changing winds. We looked to these for guidance and answers. ....Today we are again evaluating the changing winds. May we be strong in spirit and equal to our Fathers of another day in reading the signs accurately and interpreting them wisely." Unknown Speaker addressing the National Congress of American Indians in the mid 1960's. The Need: Our limited knowledge, in combination with the need for our species and our bioregion to adapt to and mitigate environmental changes that are occurring at a rapid and accelerating pace, demands a research program that develops new innovative approaches to monitoring these changes, and develops and tests new approaches to defining and solving the problems that face us. CHEARS Approach: The study of the origin, evolution, and function of the web of life is still in its infancy. The natural processes than maintain the web of life in our bioregion, and on our planet Earth, are still only vaguely understood. The budget of nitrogen, phosphorus, and other basic and more complex nutrients is poorly documented. The availability and quality of subsurface waters and the impact of air pollution on water quality and on biological species in the watershed is only partially understood. The catalog of plants and animals in our bioregion is large, but not complete. The dependence of our bioregion on other bioregions through airborne biological species and through migration is incompletely understood. CHEARS Current Research Activities: Projects related to this goal will coordinate research on issues that have known gaps in understooding, and with clear and measurable criteria of success. Examples are research to improve the understanding of the sources, transport and deposition of air pollution, to better understand the quality of ground and subsurface waters, to document endangered species in the watershed, and their dependence other elements of their habitats. We will focus on research that supports our action projects under Goal 1. Wherever possible we will partner with other locally-based nonprofit organizations with similar goals, with educational institutions, with socially responsible businesses, and with government agencies that provide environmentally sound research and services. How Can You Get Involved?
Contact: Robert Cahalan
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