Inventory, Monitoring, Education, and Research Partnership between the Klamath Network and Southern Oregon University
Project ID: P17AC01447
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: Southern Oregon University
Fiscal Year: 2017
Initial Funding: $99,815
Total Funding: $348,116
Project Type: Research
Project Disciplines: Biological
National Park: Klamath Network Inventory & Monitoring
Principal Investigator: Parker, Michael
Principal Investigator: Smith, Vincent
Agreement Technical Representative: Chung-MacCoubrey, Alice
Abstract: NPS and SOU are both participants in the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), part of a nationwide network of similar units organized around biogeographical regions for the purpose of providing high-quality scientific research, technical assistance, and education through the linking of participating agencies and university partners. NPS and SOU desire to continue a partnership involving research, technical assistance, and education associated with the Klamath Network (KLMN). There are seven NPS units in the KLMN: Crater Lake National Park, Lava Beds National Monument, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve, Redwood National and State Parks, Tule Lake Unit of WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument, and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.
SOU has been a long-term NPS partner, assisting the KLMN with its goals to support natural resource management, public education, and outreach at NPS park units in southern Oregon and northern California through inventory, monitoring, and collaborative research. In continuation of this partnership, the KLMN will maintain its office in Ashland, Oregon and engage with SOU students and faculty in collaborative endeavors. For the past 13 years, SOU has provided administrative support for the KLMN, including office space, information technology support, library services, and project staff including principal investigators and students. The ability to have the KLMN office located centrally to the seven KLMN park units promotes efficient service and research in these units. Additionally, the co-location of the KLMN and SOU promotes collaborative opportunities among students and recent graduates to learn about and work with the NPS to gain new technical skills needed to be competitive in the natural resource and educational job markets. Furthermore, the KLMN provides a variety of additional benefits to the public, SOU, and their students by hosting workshops, providing outreach opportunities, teaching seminars, and presenting a variety of guest lectures.
This is a collaborative project between SOU and NPS to implement the objectives described below to provide support for the KLMN program. Taking a phased approach, each year KLMN staff will meet with the SOU Principal Investigator (PI) to review what has been accomplished over the previous year, and examine and set forth plans to collaborate in the upcoming year. Based on acceptable accomplishment and availability of future funding, continuation of this partnership will be conducted on an annual basis