Fellowships, possibly for research tied to Big Meadows, are being underwritten by the Shenandoah National Park Trust/Kurt Repanshek

Funding provided by the Shenandoah National Park Trust is enabling park officials to offer a research fellowship program designed to facilitate and encourage scientific research in the park.

Research funded through this program will center on the physical, biological, ecological, social, and cultural sciences. The funding will support projects conducted in the park and help answer questions important to park managers. The grants, up to $15,000 each, are managed by Shenandoah National Park.

The National Park Service faces a number of increasingly complex issues that threaten the integrity of natural ecosystems, cultural resources, and visitor experiences at Shenandoah National Park. To prevent the degradation or impairment of these park values, park managers must be aware of and understand the causes and consequences of these threats. The successful management and protection of Shenandoah National Park, therefore, depend upon scientifically credible and timely answers to important questions. Research is one important tool used by the National Park Service managers to meet their stewardship responsibilities.

Shenandoah National Park offers an ideal natural laboratory in which to study a wide variety of research topics. Important science issues at the park include, but are not limited to, air pollution, water quality, habitat fragmentation, invasive exotic species, rare species conservation, recreation impacts on visitor experiences and natural resources, restoration of disturbed natural and cultural landscapes, protecting our cultural heritage, and a lack of baseline data about the park's natural and cultural resources. Shenandoah National Park offers a diversity of landscapes across nearly 200,000 acres, including hardwood forest, rocky outcrops, mountain streams, and open meadows.

The research grant program is open to applications from undergraduate and graduate students, college and university faculty, state and federal agency scientists, private-sector research professionals, and others with appropriate backgrounds and credentials. To access the grant application and instructions, go to http://www.nps.gov/shen/naturescience/research-grant.htm. Applications will be accepted until November 15, with grant award(s) announced January 15.