NATURAL RESOURCES CLUSTER at NMSU

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NATURAL RESOURCES CLUSTER at NMSU

• LAND SUBCLUSTER

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NATURAL RESOURCES LAND SUBCLUSTER

• Mission Develop collaborative and
  interdisciplinary research and corresponding
  extramural funding that otherwise would not have
  occurred.
• 60 members, 17 departments and 4 off-campus
  research facilities

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NATURAL RESOURCES LAND SUBCLUSTER

• Our approach
• Create new collaborations
• Create a common vision among collaborators
• Develop group cohesiveness/communication
• Foster creativity through dialogue in workshops
  and seminars
• Identify a significant problem requiring
  collaboration for discovery of solutions
• Seek funding to support solution research

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NATURAL RESOURCES LAND SUBCLUSTER

• State wide land problem identified
• A major problem in New Mexico, Western US and
  Internationally
• Large, complex and multi-faceted problem that
  cannot be successfully addressed without an
  extensive collaborative, interdisciplinary
  effort.
• Land degradation due to invasion by woody plants
• Juniper
• Salt cedar
• Mesquite

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Corresponding Problems Associated with Invasive
Woody Plants

• Loss of biodiversity and wildlife habitat
• Greater potential for catastrophic wildfire
• Reduced water yields
• Increased erosion and poor water quality
• Loss of economic vitality
• Reduced livestock forage
• Stressors at urban/farmland/wildland interfaces

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NATURAL RESOURCES LAND SUBCLUSTER

• Discovery expected from Land Subcluster
• Impacts
• Watershed management
• technology
• Improved wildlife habitat
• and interactions w/ livestock
• Revitalized economic
• development
• Control and manage invasive
• woody species.

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NATURAL RESOURCES LAND SUBCLUSTER

• Next step
• Identification of funding sources (need long term
  sources to solve a problem that has existed for
  at least 100 years)
• Federal initiatives
• State initiatives
• USDA-NRI
• NSF
• Private foundations
• Others?

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NATURAL RESOURCES LAND SUBCLUSTER

• Future Opportunities
• We have an enthusiastic, positive group that has
  developed new interdisciplinary and collaborative
  research.
• Large, long-term funding for this important
  project will be pursued.