FSML Planning Grant: Stono Preserve Field Station

College Of Charleston, Charleston SC

Investigators

Abstract

Stono Preserve at the College of Charleston is a 985-acre natural site in coastal South Carolina. Its location and existing infrastructure could support many areas of biological research. However, the Preserve currently lacks a defined strategic plan, mission and vision which has hampered coordination of uses among various stakeholders. This project seeks input from both internal stakeholders and external field station directors to develop a mission and vision and to build a strategic plan to achieve goals that fulfill that vision. The project will include on-site meetings with stakeholders and field station directors to draft a mission and strategic plan. A critical part of that planning process will be the identification of needed infrastructure that will advance research while contributing to education and public outreach. A strategic plan for Stono Preserve will facilitate progress toward multiple research goals addressing important biological questions that reflect the attributes of its location, ecosystems, history and expertise of affiliated faculty. Research topics that would be enhanced by development of a plan include: investigation of the effects of increased saltwater inundation into the maritime forest and associated changes in soil salinity, evaluating the consequences and ecology of the recent invasion by Asian Longhorned Beetle, assessing the parasites in the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems at the site, evaluating the effects of tropical weather events on the forest dynamics, and assessing the ecological effects of various burning regimes in longleaf pine restoration plots. The development of a coordinated plan will facilitate education of K-12, undergraduate and graduate students by improving access to the field station and by improving coordination with other research and management activities occurring at the site. The joint action of research, volunteer activities, and management will refine the pursuit of conservation goals while providing ecological data that could be utilized to better understand or mitigate the effects of changing climate and increased urban development. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.