* The Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network is a collaborative effort involving more than 1800 scientists and students investigating ecological processes over long temporal and broad spatial scales. * The Network promotes synthesis and comparative research across sites and ecosystems and among other related national and international research programs. * The National Science Foundation established the LTER program in 1980 to support research on long-term ecological phenomena in the United States. * The 26 LTER Sites represent diverse ecosystems and research emphases * The LTER Network Office coordinates communication, network publications, and research-planning activities.