How does science relate to the mission of the National Park Service and Boston Harbor Islands?
Our mission is to protect resources for future generations. The premise of science in park management is that in order to make wise decisions you have to have information. Science is one way of gathering useful information to make management decisions. Science relates to the National Park Service and Boston Harbor Islands in that it provides information for sound decision making. How has the presence of island research projects encouraged a sense of community in the park? It has happened in several ways. One is that there is a community of scientists now interested in the park, and that was clearly evident at the 2008 Symposium. The event, and all the research, has created this community of researchers. Then, because of our intent of making science also available to citizens and managers, the science has increased the community of managers and staff; the island staff rangers have become involved in the science and feel more involved in park management. Then there are the stewardship an
