COMMUNITY BASED RESEARCH AS A CORNER STONE OF A HYDROLOGIC OBSERVATORY

Incorporating community based research into the design of a hydrologic observatory for the Great Salt Lake Basin will strengthen both the design process and research outcomes. Not only will community based input help inform the research but increased understanding of the scientific results will add beneficial meaning and value to the community knowledge base.

All too often hydrologic data are collected and archived in ways that are difficult to access by those in the community interested in making intelligent contributions to public comment processes. Active research partnerships developed early in the research program create a feedback mechanism that leads to a community that not only understands the process but can also help apply and disseminate the results.

Community based groups such as the FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake have played an important role in generating public interest in the hydrologic context of the Great Salt Lake and have developed strategies for forming a communication bridge that will foster two way transfer of information between the general public and an observatory research team.

Examples of successful partnerships initiated in other hydrologic environments will be outlined to provide a foundation for identifying how similar strategies might be applied in the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem.