Mission and Goals of CERA

Aerial view of green fields at sunset. a group walks down a winding road towards buildings and a wind turbine

Mission:

Our mission is to preserve and, through restoration, recreate a part of Iowa's vanishing natural heritage, providing a resource for the entire college, local schools, environmental groups, clubs, and the general public.

Goals: 

CERA will continue to provide high-caliber educational, research, practical, and aesthetic experiences for Grinnell College students and the broader public, while expanding key conservation and research programs and advancing management and educational outreach. With the goal of making CERA regionally respected as a learning laboratory, some specific objectives include: 

  • Amplify the use of CERA by students through integration of field work and interdisciplinary projects. 
  • Increase opportunities for Grinnell students and community members to work together on restoration and conservation activities. 
  • Improve the management and sharing of CERA'€™s long-term data sets, in this way facilitating education, research, adaptive management, and cooperation with other field stations; 
  • Initiate restoration activities on CERA'€™s aquatic habitats, as well as continuing work on terrestrial ones; 
  • Enhance CERA'€™s value as part of a natural-area network within the larger Iowan landscape. 

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