Long-term ecological research has been supported by the National Science Foundation through two funding programs: the LTER program and the LTREB program (Long-term Research in Environmental Biology). While LTER is site-based research that conforms to a general set of core areas, LTREB projects need not be site based, but must build upon at least six years of data and must present a coherent decadal plan that shows the need for long-term data to answer ecological questions. No formal mechanism for interaction between awardees for these two programs exisits, yet there is great potential for synergy and collaboration.
I propose this workshop as a means to invite participation by LTREB awardees at the LTER ASM, which will encourage greater interaction. In addition, the workshop itself will be structured so that each participant can present a "lightning" overview of his/her research program, hear about the other projects that are currently funded by the program, and discuss commonalities and opportunities for collaboration and interaction.
The second portion of the workshop has specifc, product-oriented aims:
1) to develop a paper that highlights the LTREB research, and develops a case for long-term research from that perspective;
2) to develop a white paper that evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the LTREB program and its current criteria as a mechanism for funding long-term ecological research
3) to explore the potential for additional LTREB-LTER interactions, potentially including i) a workshop, organized oral session, or symposium at the 2016 ESA meeting, ii) integrating LTREB into the long-range planning for future LTER ASMs, and iii) mechanisms for data sharing and establishment of a LTREB data respository.