Project Overview

Since 1998, the Appalachian Laboratory (AL) has led a project entitled Research Opportunities and Collaboration in the Appalachians (ROCA) in partnership with the Appalachian College Association (ACA). This project has been supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The goals of the project are to:

  1. Provide opportunities for ACA faculty and students to learn new research skills and become involved in collaborative research with AL.
  2. Enhance the research and educational programs of AL by providing new research opportunities for AL faculty and students in collaboration with ACA faculty.

Collaborative Ecosystem Research Project

The main component of ROCA (Research Opportunities and Collaboration in the Appalachians) is a collaborative research project involving a comparison of two small, disturbed watersheds near Frostburg, Maryland. One watershed (TNEF) was selectively logged about 20 years ago and is in the process of regenerating. The other nearby watershed (TMAT) was strip-mined and reclaimed about 20 years ago. Both watersheds are outfitted with stream weirs to monitor stream flow continuously. Three soil-sampling plots have also been established in each watershed. A weather station at the TMAT site monitors temperature and precipitation.

Cooperators have been studying the effects of these 2 very different disturbances on stream discharge and chemistry, the nitrogen cycle, phosphorus availability, plant communities, litter decomposition, soil/atmosphere gas exchange, and fungal diversity. The project involves 5 ecologists from three Appalachian College Association (ACA) institutions (West Virginia Wesleyan, Ferrum and Sewanee) plus researchers from the University of Maryland's Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg, MD.

Opportunities for Involvement

These sites raise many questions and our team cannot address them all. We would welcome additional investigators from ACA schools on this project to collaborate at the college sites. It is likely there will be funds available to cover travel expenses, some supplies and perhaps other expenses. Some additional research opportunities may be available at the Frostburg sites depending on the specialty of the individuals. Addition of these individuals would be a decision of Appalachian Lab. Trips for classes to both the Frostburg site and the college sites are encouraged and some funding is available for this. We anticipate that additional ACA college sites will be added in subsequent years and encourage others to get involved.

For more information please contact Dr. Louis Pitelka, director of the Appalachian Lab, at pitelka@al.umces.edu or (301) 689-7100.

Click here for more information on participating institutions.

 

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Questions or comments about this website may be emailed to G. Frech (gfrech@al.umces.edu)
Page last updated: Wednesday, 2-apr-03 15:11