Investigating ecosystem dynamics at a watershed level
Excerpt
In the winter of 1995-1996, the Soil and Water Conservation Society established an Issue Survey Task Force to identify natural resource issues that should be addressed and activities that would be appropriate to achieve the Society's mission. One issue identified was that “Improvements are needed in capabilities to identify and to address natural resource management issues in a holistic manner (ecosystem/watershed/whole farm/new partnerships) with an objective of sustainable resource use.” The task force recommended that an interdisciplinary cadre of scientists and practitioners be assembled to (i) review what is known about ecosystem dynamics as it relates to the sustainability of soil and water resources, (ii) determine what needs to be understood so that soil and water resources can be effectively managed to sustain ecological integrity while maintaining economic livelihoods, and (iii) develop a white paper for distribution to policy makers and research and education institutions. The staff of the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Watkinsville, GA, proposed to the board of directors to organize and host a conference “Interactions: Investigating Ecosystem Dynamics at a Watershed Level” in collaboration with the Society. The conference goals were to:
1) Provide a forum …
Footnotes
Jean L. Steiner, USDA-ARS, Watkinsville, GA; Alan J. Franzluebbers, USDA-ARS, Watkinsville, GA; L. Mark Risse, Agricultural Pollution Prevention Extension Specialist, Univ. of GA; Philip A. Moore, Jr. USDA-ARS, Fayetteville, AK; Charles A. Francis, Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE; Joyce Scheyer, USDA-NRCS, Lincoln, NE; Cornelia B. Flora, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA; Rhonda R. Janke, Department of Agronomy, Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS; William G. Deutsch, International Center for Aquaculture and Aquatic Environments, Auburn, AL; Stephen Gasteyer, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA; Judy A. Tolk, USDA-ARS, Bushland, TX; William Upshaw, USDA-NRCS, Athens, GA.
- Copyright 1998 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.