Science Links & Public Policy

Science Links

The Science Links program was developed by the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation to help bridge the gap between science and public policy.

HBRF has completed four Science Links reports:

Images for reportsThe task of this Science Links series on atmospheric pollutants is to define the critical public policy questions related to the specific pollutant; collect and analyze existing data regarding the specific sources and impacts of the pollutant; evaluate the relative effectiveness of real policy options under consideration for reducing or mitigating its effects; and work with HBRF staff and a team of communications and graphic design experts to translate and disseminate the findings from each project to high-level policy makers and the national media.

The National Science Foundation has lauded the Science Links program as national model for increasing the impact of long-term research in addressing environmental problems

“The report is written in clear language accessible to lawmakers and non-scientists interested in environmental policy… the report, as part of the SCIENCE LINKS program, is not intended to advocate particular policy outcomes, but rather to provide scientific information on the likely consequences of potential actions and to ensure that this information is timely, clear and widely available.”

Science Links draws on several principles:

  • Environmental policy is more effective and better serves the public when it is grounded in ecosystem science;
  • Ecosystem science can be enriched by an awareness of current public policy questions and the social context in which the research occurs;
  • Science serves the public best when it does not advocate particular policy outcomes, but rather provides scientific information on the likely consequences of potential actions in a timely, clear and widely available manner.

Science Links may be ordered using the order report form; or contact our office: 802-359-1199.

Hubbard Brook Roundtable

The Hubbard Brook Roundtable, initiated in 2006 under the leadership of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study’s co-founders, Dr. Gene Likens and Dr. Herb Bormann, incorporates a broad range of stakeholders and utilizes an “ecosystem approach” to identify and discuss threats to the Northern Forest region. Over the course of two days of facilitated conversations, participants agree on recommendations for specific actions that can be taken to protect these ecosystems. The first Roundtable convened distinguished leaders from ecosystem science, government service, the timber industry, citizen groups and public-interest organizations to share cutting-edge scientific information about forested ecosystems in ways useful to policy makers and land managers. Some top environmental threats discussed included acid rain, mercury pollution, invasive species and diseases, salinization of waterways, fragmentation of the landscape, and climate change. Read more here

Long-term trends from ecosystem research

at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest:

In 2007, HBRF cooperated with the USDA Forest Service to publish and distribute Long-term Trends from Ecosystem Research at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (General Technical Report NRS-17), which discusses the long-term research at Hubbard Brook and includes 18 charts of significant ecological trends. Collaborative, long-term data are the keystone of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study and have provided invaluable insight into how ecosystems respond to disturbances such as air pollution, climate change, forest disturbance, and forest management practices.

 

View and/or download Long-Term Trends from the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest here.

To receive a hard copy of the report, please contact HBRF.