National ecology lab lands in Boulder

September 3, 2009 · Posted in Environment · Comments Off 

Boulder has gotten another federally-funded science organization.

The National Ecological Observatory Network, or NEON, has chosen Boulder as home, making it neighbors with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology — and then there are all those reserachers at the University of Colorado who get reseach funding from the feds.

From today’s Daily Camera:

Now, the National Ecological Observatory Network, or NEON, is a relatively modest operation headquartered on Airport Road and employing about 60 scientists, engineers and project managers.

But if the network’s request for nearly a half-billion dollars in funding from the National Science Foundation comes through this winter, the organization will be able to quadruple its size and start deploying a continent-wide web of observatory towers that can collect data about climate and atmosphere, soils and streams, and a variety of plants and animals.

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, visited the NEON offices Wednesday morning and took a tour of the network’s first test tower, located at Table Mountain just north of town.

“This is going to be exciting,” Polis said as he looked up at the test tower, laden with machines that can record wind speed, temperature and dust levels, among other things. “Let us know how we can help. We’re here to be a resource.”

Read the full story at DailyCamera.com.

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