Dear NADP Participants:

As this year's chair of the NADP Executive Committee, I'd like to provide you with an update on transitions currently occurring within the NADP Program Office (PO) and the Central Analytical Lab (CAL). Over the next few months, the NADP program, including the lab and all site support functions, will be moving from its 40 year home at the University of Illinois, to a new home at the University of Wisconsin's State Laboratory of Hygiene, in Madison, WI.

As you may be aware, this past summer the University of Illinois/ Prairie Research Institute (PRI) notified the NADP that PRI was no longer interested in hosting the NADP program.

The Executive Committee of NADP immediately formed two ad-hoc subcommittees (PO relocation; and Lab relocation) to explore new potential hosting options for the NADP, and to develop plans and processes needed to relocate the program and the CAL. Members of the subcommittees included representatives of EPA, USGS, NPS, USFS, States, and non-governmental organizations. A "Request for Interest and Qualifications" (RFIQ) was developed to determine which Institutions might be interested in the type of collaborative partnerships and science support at which NADP excels.

Ten institutions responded to the RFIQ, all who were all excellent potential candidates for a NADP host institution. Eight ad-hoc panel members, then independently rated the host candidates, based on pre-established criteria, and reached a consensus, just over a week ago, that the University of Wisconsin- State Lab of Hygiene (WSLH) (http://www.slh.wisc.edu/) would be the best host for the PO and CAL moving forward. Dr. Jamie Schauer will be the Principal Investigator, and Dr. Patrick Gorski will be involved in transitioning the lab and program office to its new location. The WSLH is a lab with an outstanding reputation for excellence. We are pleased that the PO and CAL will be able to remain together in a single institution and are excited about the potential to build new connections within the University of Wisconsin.

NADP is now forming transition teams with the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin which are working hard to make sure that the move goes as smoothly as possible and that samples and data will continue to be processed without interruption. The future of NADP remains bright; we project that funding for FY18 will continue at or near past levels; and there is much more great scientific inquiry to be conducted with these very high quality precipitation samples.

If you are a site operator, supervisor, or a site funding partner, no action on your part is needed at this time. You will be contacted by the program office sometime in the coming weeks about any changes in site operations, or funding paperwork that may be needed. We are still working out many of the details, but will keep you informed as we move forward.

Regards,

Tamara Blett
Chair, NADP Executive Committee