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The Science in the Crown Blog includes:
December 2008
October 2008
September 2008

New Web Presence for the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center
January 16, 2009

Current Weather Conditions at Glacier National Park Headquarters
Temp: 37°F
Sky: Mostly Cloudy
Wind: Light

Just a quick update and announcement as I head out the door for a two week for business (the NASA Earth to Sky Workshop) and pleasure (I'll be attending the Presidential Inauguration in DC). The first announcement is the unveiling of the brand new CCRLC website! Ok, so it's nothing fancy, but at least now we have an online presence that isn't from 2004. You can find a link to our new site from Glacier National Park's homepage (in the quicklinks section), or you can simply click on the URL listed below:

http://www.nps.gov/glac/naturescience/ccrlc.htm

These pages will continue to be updated regularly as new information becomes available. I'll also be adding additional pages, including one listing summaries of all the research projects conducted in Glacier National Park in 2008 as well as a list of research needs the park has identified.

Finally, the new issue of the CCRLC newsletter, Science in the Crown, is finished. It is not currently linked to the website, but will be as soon as I get back from the East Coast in February.

Until then, I wish everyone a happy Martin Luther King, Jr., Day and an enjoyable end to your January!

NASA Earth to Sky
January 02, 2009

Current Weather Conditions at Glacier National Park Headquarters
Temp: 14°F
Sky: Heavy Snow
Wind: NW 6mph

As I turned on my computer for the first time in 2009 this morning, the first email to pop up on the screen was an announcement informing me that I was selected to attend NASA's Earth to Sky III Workshop in Harpers Ferry, WV, at the end of the month.

Earth to Sky is a partnership between NASA's Space and Earth Science disciplines and the National Park Service. Their mission is to:

Actively foster collaborative work between the science and interpretation/education communities of NPS and NASA, with the ultimate goal of enriching the experiences of millions of park visitors.

The primary emphasis of the program is to promote climate change literacy through the production of interpretive programs and tools relevant to national park visitors around the country.

It's a really exciting opportunity for me. Not only does it fulfill a lifelong dream of mine to work with NASA, but I'll also be able to learn from some of the leading climate scientists in the world and collaborate with interpreters from around the agency. I hope to use my experience at this workshop to develop products that Glacier National Park's front-line interpreters can use to make climate change science more accessible to everyone who visits this incredible park.

After all, we are ground zero for climate change impacts in the United States. As such, it is our responsibility to foster an intelligent and informed dialogue with all park visitors, not only about the effects of climate change on the park's resources (the pika may soon become the second animal listed under the Endangered Species Act due to climate change) but also what each of us can do to reduce our impact and live more sustainably.