National Ecological Observatory Network

Hello NEON Community, 

Happy fall to all! We invite you to expand your leaf peeping opportunities virtually using the Phenocams at NEON sites to see the changes happening across the U.S. (Treehaven, WI, is a current highlight). The Phenocam dataset is just one of the many NEON data products that can be combined with other data or samples to investigate broader questions in ecology, brought to you in partnership with the PhenoCam Network. All data products and samples NEON provides, as well as the infrastructure and other resources, are reliant on the people, places, and partnerships surrounding each site and NEON as a whole. 

In celebration of places, read the featured expert blog to hear from Field Operations Manager, Ashley Spink, about what the relationships on the ground look like in Domain 05: The Great Lakes.  

In celebration of people, we are excited to introduce the 2026-2028 cohort of NEON Ambassadors – this impressive group of nine early-career scientists are taking on a unique role in the NEON community. Read more about the incoming cohort in the blog, and, if you did not get a chance to connect with the previous cohort, each are featured in the Observatory blog as well.  

In celebration of partnership, collaboration with the TRY Plant Trait Database has enabled NEON foliar trait data (DP1.10026.001) to be newly available as part of the version 7 of the TRY database released earlier this month. The TRY Database integrates plant trait data from hundreds of trait datasets in one consistent format, and, in the latest release, taxonomy is harmonized with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). NEON data are identified as Dataset 981 and can be downloaded alongside other records from TRY using the TRY data request page. Whether downloaded from a partner site, the NEON web portals, or NEON API, please remember to cite your use of NEON data and samples. The citations and acknowledgements are necessary to demonstrate the value of NEON data, samples, and infrastructure in scientific and technological innovation. 

Throughout this newsletter are additional celebrations of people, place, and partnership. We look forward to continuing to build and foster collaboration and connection throughout this fall and beyond.  

All the best, 

Kate Thibault, Acting Chief Scientist and Observatory Director