Abstract
A broad spectrum of arts and humanities activities has emerged organically within the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program including disciplines such as philosophy and ethics, creative writing, and the visual, multimedia, musical, and performing arts. The majority of LTER sites now hosts activities that integrate the environmental sciences with the arts and humanities (eSAH). These programs serve important functions central to the LTER mission, including, but not limited to, public engagement, outreach, and education. Some LTER eSAH programs additionally consider these activities as steps toward the aspirational goal of helping society address grand social-ecological challenges of the twenty-first century, challenges that science alone cannot overcome. The arts and humanities can offer critical dimensions to this mission and to outreach, education, and general edification, such as awakening and engaging ethics, values, empathy, and wonder in individuals and societies. In this chapter, we reflect upon eSAH efforts across the LTER network, including their history, value to LTER’s mission, challenges, and aspirations and share case studies of eSAH activities from several LTER programs, including their objectives, organizational models, audiences, and outcomes.
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Notes
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Some of these activities can be viewed through the associated social media hashtag, #ArtSciConverge
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(1) Markets the science, (2) Stimulates collaboration, (3) Develops observational skills, (4) Contributes to environmental problem-solving, (5) Fosters outreach, (6) Provides opportunities for education, (7) Plays a role on grants, (8) Is good in and of itself, (9) Enables interdisciplinary scholarship, (10) Broadens our understanding of the natural world, (11) Stimulates empathy, (12) Enhances the science, (13) Inspires creative thinking.
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(1) Understanding, (2) Synthesis, (3) Information, (4) Legacies, (5) Education, (6) Outreach, (7) Conservation, (8) Communication, (9) Environmental Impact, (10) Relationship building, (11) Long-term Ecological Research, (12) Human dimensions.
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(1) Funding, (2) Time, available labor, (3) Available expertise, (4) Clear vision or goals, (5) Lack of alignment with research, (6) Scheduling, (7) Limited relationships, (8) Limited space, (9) Challenging to find collaborators, (10) Little on-site interest, (11) Not in LTER purview.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Clarisse Hart (HFR), Cora Johnston (VCR), and Elizabeth Dodd (KNZ) for their assistance in preparing the highlights from their programs and our editors Sharon Kingsland and Robert Waide for valuable feedback throughout the writing process. The Andrews Forest Reflections program gratefully acknowledges support of the Shotpouch Foundation, Pacific Northwest Research Station of the USDA Forest Service, and NSF LTER (grant 14-40409). The In a Time of Change program (BNZ) thanks NSF LTER (grant DEB-1636476), the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station (RJVA-PNW-01-JV-11261952-231), and NSF DEB-1257424Â for support of its activities.
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Leigh, M.B., Nelson, M.P., Goralnik, L., Swanson, F.J. (2021). Integration of the Arts and Humanities with Environmental Science in the LTER Network. In: Waide, R.B., Kingsland, S.E. (eds) The Challenges of Long Term Ecological Research: A Historical Analysis. Archimedes, vol 59. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66933-1_11
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