Woods Hole Research Center

CONTACT:

149 Woods Hole Road
Falmouth, MA 02540-1644
508-540-9900
www.whrc.org

Martha Tarafa, Director of Development

DESCRIPTION:

The Woods Hole Research Center was founded in 1985 by George M. Woodwell, eminent pioneering ecologist whose basic research and advocacy had played a leading role in discrediting and ultimately banning DDT in the U.S. Former Chairman of the World Wildlife Fund, former President of the Ecological Society of America, co-inventor of a system for measuring the metabolism and health of ecosystems, Dr. Woodwell created the Center to carry out research on global ecology, to apply that science to public policy, and to translate it into broad public education on global warming especially.

Since being in the 1997 Catalogue, the Center has grown and evolved, with an increased donor base as well as national and international recognition. Its work has continued to provide valuable information for collaborating scientific organizations as well as the general public. Its budget has grown from $3.1 million in 1997 to $7.4 for fiscal year 2007, and its staff has increased from 30 to 40. Perhaps most significantly, the Center moved into new headquarters in March 2003; the Gilman Ordway Campus, situated on eight acres, is a model of energy efficiency and environmentally sensitive design. Take a look at their website to see a display of the energy flows through the building, with a full overview of the its performance and eco-innovations. This near-real time display collects and synthesizes data from over 70 different sensors, measuring flows of electricity, heat, air and water into and out of the building as well as the site’s local environmental conditions. These pages provide information and data to the public as well as other organizations and institutions considering innovations for their own facilities. Finally, the Center successfully completed a $10 million capital campaign to raise funds for the purchase and construction of the new campus as well as an endowed chair.

(1997: NATURE: Environment: Land, Air, Water, Climate)