What are scientists doing to try to reverse the situation with respect to the decline in long-term research at Mount St. Helens?
The community of scientists engaged in research at Mount St. Helens is working hard to develop a funding base to support the continuation of critical long-term research at the volcano. The national and international scientific community view the Monument as a premier laboratory in which to observe ecosystems responses to a large-scale disturbance that has been well documented from the outset. The Monument not only serves as an important long-term research opportunity but also has great importance as a place for the public to visit and learn about a changing landscape and evolving ecosystems. The tremendous investment in roads, facilities and baseline research conducted to date will only be fully realized through the continuation of basic studies over the long term. In the future the now popular volcanic devastation will disappear beneath a mantle of developing vegetation. In the years ahead the millions who visit the Monument will have the opportunity to experience the birth of a compl
