n its preceding chapters, this book has tried to tell the still-unfolding story of the Stroud Water Research Center. Born from an inspiration of Ruth Patrick, nurtured by the Stroud family and an ever-widening circle of friends, led by the strong wills of its two directors, the Stroud Water Research Center has remained first and foremost the creation of its staff. They have carried their dream to learn all they can about streams and rivers through three decades of change; and they have held steadfast to their belief that their work can make a difference in a world where fresh water is increasingly imperiled. Now, after 33 years as a department of the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Stroud Water Research Center has set a new course into uncharted waters. The ship is in good shape. Its crew is well-tested. Its mission, recently written in new words, remains what it has always been: "to advance knowledge of stream and river ecosystems through interdisciplinary research; to develop and communicate new ecological ideas; to provide solutions for water resource problems worldwide; and to promote public understanding of freshwater ecology through education programs, conservation leadership and professional service." Stroud scientists seek, like the poet William Blake, "to see a World in a grain of sand" — to study something as small as the bacteria under Tom Bott's microscope in the hope of unlocking the secrets of the river itself. We all know far more about stream and river ecosystems than we did in 1966. But as each discovery opens up new questions and new avenues for research, Stroud scientists are discovering how much more there is to learn than anyone could have guessed 33 years ago, how many more ways there are to learn it and how many more reasons there are to want — and to need — to learn it. With almost one billion people now living without it, clean water is perhaps the most endangered commodity on Earth. The specific programs and research projects the staff will undertake in the years ahead are impossible to forecast. It is safe to say, however, that they will cover a broad spectrum, ranging from the investigation of such minute phenomena as the molecular structure of dissolved organic matter or the genetic composition of a single bacterium to broad comparative studies of the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of streams, rivers and watersheds in different parts of the world and at different points in time. The kinds of questions the scientists ask and the methods they employ have been shaped over the course of the Stroud Water Research Center's life; and regardless of the specific paths they may take, the projects will always seek to advance the basic understanding of the world's freshwater environment. Because of its continuity in staffing and the cooperation among disciplines as disparate as chemistry, entomology and microbial wecology, because of its uninterrupted access to experimental watersheds and the consequent evolution of extraordinary sets of long-term data, future Stroud research will bear the fingerprints of its past. It is, indeed, its combination of scientific collaboration, experimental longevity and institutional memory that makes the Center unique.

Our Mission The mission of the Stroud Water Research Center is to advance knowledge of stream and river ecosystems through interdisciplinary research; to develop and communicate new ecological ideas; to provide solutions for water resource problems worldwide; and to promote public understanding of freshwater ecology through education programs, conservation leadership, and professional service To that end the staff and board of the Stroud Water Research Center pledge always: To remember and respect the Center's past, but never to let it dictate its future. To persevere in their determination to be world leaders in science and education. To encourage long-term opportunities for all Stroud associates. To hold firm to the belief that solutions to environmental problems are rooted in basic research. To forge individual creativity and interdisciplinary teamwork into a firm foundation for scientific inquiry. To recognize the importance of research on polluted or disturbed streams, rivers and watersheds. To acknowledge that the value of their findings rests largely with sharing them with colleagues and the public. To be guided by a long-term vision, rather than short-term needs or passing fads. To never lose sight of the sheer joy of discovery.

Over the years Stroud scientists have built a solid foundation on basic research. As a result, they have been able to expand their work from gathering, cataloguing and digesting massive amounts of information to suggesting ways to repair ecosystems that have been disturbed by natural and human forces. That pattern will continue. Through studies trying to predict the consequences of global warming, for example, they hope to understand the actual impact of climatic changes and to discover ways to mitigate them. By investigating the sources and effects of river pollution, they hope to identify both remedial activities and preventive practices. By understanding more and more about the dynamics of stream life, they seek to solve today's problems and to forestall tomorrow's disasters.

Once the information has been compiled, the issues defined and potential remedies suggested, the next challenge is to disseminate that knowledge to others. This has led to the development of an educational process that is critical to the long-term success of the Stroud Water Research Center. The process is not simply a matter of having the scientists publish their research findings in professional journals, although that is part of it. It is, rather, a wide-ranging and ongoing conversation among Stroud scientists, educators and the public. Because the audiences vary — from scientific colleagues across the globe to middle-school students down the road — it is a conversation that must take place in many languages and at vastly different levels of sophistication. In particular, Stroud educators seek to talk with those who educate others, for they believe that the best way to reach the most students is through passionate teachers.

Whatever its language and its level of sophistication, the audience is not made up of passive recipients of information. At Stroud all learning is seen as part of a continuing dialogue in which the Center's intellectual resources grow as a direct result of its interaction with the natural and human world beyond its walls. Professional colleagues provide critical insights into complex problems. Non-scientists ask unexpected questions that compel scientists to look at aquatic and environmental matters in a new light. Individuals and communities seek to cope with water resource issues that demand fresh thinking and creative solutions. Young students and those who teach them reinstill in everyone the excitement of learning.

The fate of our streams and rivers lies in the hands of all of us. The great challenge the Stroud Water Research Center faces in the years ahead is to keep alive its passion to understand freshwater ecosystems, to ensure that people everywhere have safe, clean sources of water and to communicate its insights as clearly, as convincingly and as widely as possible. The Center's new status as an independent organization provides the framework for meeting that challenge. Its dedication to the guiding principles that have sustained from the beginning provides the substance.