Guided Tours

Goals
The goal of guided tours at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory is to give to the tour participants:

A succinct and clear synopsis of the study questions asked and the conclusions learned from the studies that are viewed

Access to the scientists and staff that conduct the study and/or the publications and other materials that they generated so that tour participants can informally interact and learn while in the field

An appreciation for the effort needed to design and implement studies in the complex terrain and diverse terrestrial and aquatic biota of the southern Appalachians

An appreciation for the investment, value, and knowledge gained by conducting long-term ecological research

Summary of Visitors
Click the title above for a summary of the visitors that have attended guided tours by the scientists and staff at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, a majority of whom are USDA Forest Service employees. More than 1200 visitors per year learn from direct contact via these guided tours. In addition, approximately 300 drop-in visitors per year obtain information in the Coweeta Conference Center during office hours or from the Coweeta Information Booth.

Examples of Tour Topics

Water, nitrogen, and carbon ecosystem cycling

Soil CO2 efflux system on watershed 18

Showing the contribution of soil CO2 to carbon cycling

Stream biology
Litter exclusion project demonstrating the importance of forest litter to stream ecosystem productivity.

Watershed water quality and yield
Watershed comparisons at Coweeta measure the change in export of water and dissolved nutrients
resulting from various natural and management disturbances on forested watersheds.

Importance of diversity on ecosystem structure and function
The rich forest herb community in southern Appalachian cove forests is being studied to determine its functional role in ecosystem processes.

Road construction and maintenance
The importance of road design, construction, and maintenance in steep mountain terrain is crucial to minimizing sediment export to stream ecosystems. Marc Crawford is shown on a steep section of Ball Creek Road.