CNH Lakes is a research project that asks, "How do people affect the lakes they love - and how do those lakes inspire people to act?"
Who We Are
We are a team of scientists working together across disciplines to understand the relationships between human behavior and lake water quality.
Our Goals
1. Advance scientific understanding of complex coupled human-natural systems, and
2. Provide citizens with the information and tools needed to protect their treasured lakes.
What CNH Means
"CNH" stands for a Coupled Natural and Human system. We tend to think of lakes as natural systems, because they often seem like they depend more on wind, water, and wildlife than they depend on people. On the other hand, we tend to think of cities, farms, and developed land as human systems, because people control what happens to them. What makes this project special is that it's part of a growing trend in science, in which we think of lakes as being part of a larger system that includes both natural AND human parts. This allows us to look at the big picture, studying how people affect lakes, and vice versa. It gives us a deeper understanding of lakes, and the best ways to protect them.