This column originally appeared in the April 22, 2007 issue of the Poughkeepsie Journal.

This month, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was lead-off news in media outlets across the country. The message - human activities are changing the Earth's climate. Almost overnight, society appears to have embraced the notion that climate change is a real problem. Nationwide, states and cities are passing laws and taking actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It seems like a "tipping point" has been passed, where society accepts responsibility for climate change and is ready to do something about it.

I've personally worked on several panel reports, dating to the 1980s. Past reports also indicated human activities were driving climate change, but, until now, this information was largely ignored by the general public. Now, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is front page news. Clearly, something has changed about people's perception of the issue, and as scientists, we are keen to know what that is.

It can be difficult to pinpoint how scientific findings influence the way people act. Take, for instance, the science surrounding smoking. For decades, researchers have shown smoking is dangerous. Millions of dollars have been spent getting this message to the public, but more than 20 percent of adults still smoke. There have been smoking reductions, but experts wonder if they stem from scientific outreach or if they are simply the result of rising cigarette prices and restrictions on where people can smoke.

As a scientist producing data relevant to solving important environmental problems, I am very interested in how findings can be conveyed in a way that leads to informed decision making. Better scientific communication requires an improved understanding of what people value and how they learn about the world around them.

The Institute of Ecosystem Studies has been monitoring the local environment for more than two decades. For our 2,000-acre Millbrook campus, we have data on air quality, water quality, and forest growth, population trends for deer, gypsy moths, small mammals and birds. For the Hudson River, from the Tappan Zee to Troy, we have data on water quality, native and invasive mollusks, and aquatic plants.

Over the next few years, the institute's monitoring program will evolve into the Hudson River Valley Ecological Observatory, a premier source of information on environmental change in our region.

Annual report planned

To forge connections with the community, we plan to release an "ecological trends report" annually on Earth Day. Reports will synthesize our findings so they are accessible to media, environmental managers, community decision makers, the business community and educators.

Our goal is to provide useful information about the local environment, including how it is changing. This information can inform decisions about how we deal with those changes. To bridge the divide between scientific understanding and individual action, scientists need to learn a lot more about what people know, how they've come to know it, and how their values influence their actions.

On April 29, the institute will host a program about how we monitor the local environment. It will include a tour of our monitoring station and a hike to some outdoor field sites. At the event, we will encourage participants to tell us how they learn about scientific and environmental issues For more information, visit www.ecostudies.org. Come join us and learn about what we do. But more importantly, come tell us about what you know and care about.

Dr. Peter Groffman is a microbial ecologist at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.

If you go:

What: An interpretive afternoon walk with Microbial Ecologist Peter Groffman and Environmental Monitoring Program Manager Vicky Kelly, who will discuss how the Institute of Ecosystem Studies' data can help understand and protect the Hudson Valley.
When: 2-3 p.m. Sunday, April 29.
Where: Fern Glen at the Institute of Ecosystem Studies on Route 44A in Millbrook.
Contact: Kim Notin at notink@ecostudies.org or 845-677-7600 ext. 303.