Establishing Alpine Research Priorities in Northeastern North America

Research in alpine areas of northeastern North America has been poorly coordinated, with minimal communication among researchers, and it has rarely been multi- disciplinary. A workshop was organized to review the state of alpine research in northeast- ern North America, to facilitate cooperation, and to encourage discussion about research priorities for the region's alpine habitat, which occurs in four US states and the southern part of Quebec, Canada. More than 40 researchers with diverse expertise participated in the discussions, including lichenologists, botanists, herpetologists, ornithologists, ecosystem scientists, climatologists, conservation biologists, land managers, and others. Research pri- orities were developed through post-workshop discussions and an online survey, and they are presented here, along with a summary of the process used to organize the workshop. In addition to specific research questions, strong support was expressed for creation of a network of long-term alpine monitoring sites where a standardized protocol would be used to collect data on biotic and abiotic parameters. Researchers also strongly endorsed the creation of an organization to continue the exchange of information.