[cseblist] Support for University/College Biological Field Stations??

From: Wendy Thomson <wendy@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: CSEB LISTS LISTS <cseblist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:15:53 -0400

To all CSEB Ontario members  -

CSEB is seeking more information regarding the funding situation for Canada's 
many biological field stations, especially those associated with our 
universities and colleges, in order that we can raise the issue with the 
appropriate agencies/authorities.

As you can see from the email below from Dr.Gordon Goldsborough, Director of 
the Delta Marsh Field Station in Manitoba, there appears to be a funding 
situation impacting some field stations, and we wish to investigate this in 
more detail.

If you are involved with a field station,  please let us know - one way or the 
other. And please respond or forward this email to anyone in the province that 
may have insight.


Thanks
Wendy

Wendy Thomson
Ontario Chapter Director
CSEB

Quoting Gordon Goldsborough <ggoldsb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

 Hello Brian,

 The Delta Marsh Field Station received support from the NSERC Major  
Facilities Access Grant (aka Major Resources Support Grant) until the spring of 
2007. The case that we made in our unsuccessful renewal application in Fall 
2006 (and again in Fall 2007) was the same that we had made in applications 
since our original one in 1986 -- that we  needed funds for support of staff 
salaries, specifically to cover  maintenance of our physical plant, because the 
University of Manitoba did not give us enough to cover them.

 There seems to have been no change in our activities that warranted being cut 
off, so I am drawn to the conclusion that the priorities of NSERC are being 
focused on large, national facilities to the exclusion of smaller, regional 
facilities such as ours. The definition of "major" clearly needs better 
definition -- for those whose research depends on use our facility, I suspect 
they do not perceive us as "minor".
 It seems to me that NSERC is being drawn towards the NSF model in the USA: 
give money to a few number of very large, highly funded sites rather than a 
larger number of smaller ones. Regrettably, I believe the   loss of NSERC 
funding played a role in the closure of the Delta Marsh Field Station.

Gordon
 http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/science/893.htm

[cseblist] Support for University/College Biological Field Stations??

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