Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Gulf Coast CESU

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Park Break is a cooperative project to promote park stewardship among graduate students while providing technical assistance and research review back to the parks themselves. The project focuses on the professional development of the next generation of park managers and professionals using global scientific themes that have immediate research and management implications for parks and protected areas. Park Break is designed as a series of executive field-based seminars that take place around the time that most US Universities are on break and because Park Break targets graduate students, they will be required to produce a professional paper. These papers will be produced as part of a technical review of the issue as it pertains to the individual parks and the global theme as identified by Park Break. The themes chosen by Park Break are designed to have applicability for other parks throughout the system. Themes include global clThose papers will be submitted to peer reviewed journals and to park management. By bringing management issues into the context of the academic and professional careers of PhD students, Park Break not only provides technical assistance to parks, it also helps create the next generation of park researchers and professionals. Objectives: Park Break is a cooperative venture between two agencies and two nonprofits working to increase the number of minority graduate students and others. Park Break brings graduate students to a park to provide technical assistance to that park and in turn learn about park issues and concerns. There are three main objectives for Park Break1. Provide a research framework for parks based on global scientific themes that are of top importance for managing parks into the next century. These themes include global climate change, affects of urbanization, engaging the public in park issues, and conservation policy.2. Provide research expertise to individual park based on a theme where graduate students are expected to provide high quality and scientific review of the literature as it pertains to the park, dialogue with park staff to understand the application of the science on the ground in the park, and provide the park management with a detailed summary including references and recommendations. These summaries will be submitted to peer reviewed journals to ensure the best scientific integrity.3. Create a framework for graduate students who will soon be entering the professional work force, to put their academic training in perspective with professional issues for protected area management. 4. Encourage minority graduate students to participate in Park Break and expose them to potential careers in USGS or NPS as scientists

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