Help shape the ILTER Open Science Conference!
All are welcome to contribute ideas and/or participate in the ILTER Spring 2026 Coordinating Committee teleconference, which will take place on Wednesday, April 29, from 12:00 to 14:00 UTC.
What have sea urchins got to do with climate change?
Students engaged in a productive struggle to come to terms with what data needed to be graphed before they could answer the questions.
Returning Home to California’s Kelp Forests
As a native of Santa Barbara, I grew up exploring the tidepools, splashing in the waves, and kayaking the waters that are now part of the Santa Barbara Coastal-LTER. Now, thanks to the ARETs program, I am better equipped to share my knowledge about this special area with my students.
McMurdo and Konza featured in PBS Series
LIFE UNEARTHED with Ariel Waldman is a visually striking science-driven docu-series that reveals Earth’s ecosystems through radical shifts in scale—from microscopic wildlife to the planet’s most iconic species, and even the potential for life beyond Earth. Hosted by explorer Ariel Waldman, the series spans environments near and far, from the sweeping American Prairies to the alien… Read more »
Natural Areas Conference Call for Proposals
The 2026 Natural Areas Conference: Where Science Meets Stewardship is scheduled for October 5 – 8, 2026, in Asheville, NC. NAC26 is a great opportunity for LTER Network research scientists to share their work with practitioners—and to discuss use-inspired collaborations. NAA’s conference is by practitioners for practitioners, offering access to quality science, new knowledge, and experience-based practices that bridge… Read more »
Request for Synthesis Proposals 2026
The data produced at LTER sites inform many important challenges. Among-site comparisons help to understand how general ecological mechanisms change with local context. Modeling and forecasting efforts employ long term observations and experiments to generate testable predictions. Scaling exercises get at continental or even global interactions with human and economic consequences. LTER synthesis working groups… Read more »
Hunting for Biocrusts: The living skin of the earth
Although biocrusts are small and thin, there is so much to learn about these powerful microbial communities and the roles they play in desert ecosystems.
Our second summer, we were not evacuated!
—by Rebecca Hawk If you step inside a classroom, there’s a good chance you will meet a group of funny and interesting kids and an adult who loves spending their days with them. This adult probably joined the education field with a heart full of hope or a fond memory of their schooling days. Sometimes… Read more »
2026 Synthesis Skills Course Opens
In 2026, LTER launches a rescoped version of the synthesis skills course (SSECR) that we debuted in 2024 that is 100% online and open for all to apply. Deadline: March 31.
Site Exchanges 2026
To facilitate site comparison and support the development of cross-site projects, the LNO is making up to eight travel fellowships available in 2026. Application deadline: March 16
Top Stories
Help shape the ILTER Open Science Conference!
What have sea urchins got to do with climate change?
Returning Home to California’s Kelp Forests
McMurdo and Konza featured in PBS Series
Natural Areas Conference Call for Proposals
Request for Synthesis Proposals 2026
Hunting for Biocrusts: The living skin of the earth
Our second summer, we were not evacuated!
2026 Synthesis Skills Course Opens
Site Exchanges 2026