Plum Island Ecosystems LTER

The Plum Island Ecosystems LTER (PIE LTER) located in northeastern Massachusetts is an integrated research, education and outreach program with the goal of developing a predictive understanding of the long-term response of watershed and estuarine ecosystems to changes in climate, land use and sea level and to apply this knowledge to the wise management and development of policy to protect the natural resources of the coastal zone.

PIE LTER research is focused in the estuary and watersheds of Plum Island Sound in northeastern Massachusetts. The estuary is fed by the Ipswich, Rowley and Parker Rivers with a combined drainage basin of 609km2. The Plum Island Sound estuary is a coastal plain, bar-built estuary with extensive areas of productive tidal marshes: the largest expanse of intertidal marsh in the Northeast.

PIE LTER is administered by The Ecosystems CenterMarine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA. PIE is a member of the US Long Term Ecological Research Network(link is external) funded by the National Science Foundation's Long Term Ecological Research Program(link is external).

Partner Category

We often partner with non-governmental conservation organizations on conservation projects, whether it's to conserve identified species such as the monarch butterfly or to advise on land acquisition for conservation so that it has the greatest benefit for species.

Here we partner with a wider variety of other organizations on projects to meet shared conservation goals.

Other Partners

Here are just a few of our National Partners. You can view the full list of FWS partners, along with the regions and areas of focus our work together entails.

Partnership Services

Through our partnerships we are able to expand our capabilities through the inclusion of services in areas such as:

  • Grant opportunities
  • Sponsorship of grants
  • Cooperative Agreements

To find out more about how our partner provides services view our partner services below.