AAS 195th Meeting, January 2000 Session 122.
Small telescopes are a valuable if sometimes underappreciated resource for ground based astronomy.
Versatility, low cost, accessibility, and increasingly sophisticated automation combine to make research with small telescopes an important component of contemporary astronomy and planetary science. Lowell Observatory operates six research telescopes smaller than 2 m plus a 0.2 mm fiber optic solar feed. These permit a variety of intensive solar, planetary, stellar, and extragalactic research projects, several of very long duration. Unimpeded regular access to the telescopes is essential to the continuity and success of these programs and to their repeatedly renewed funding. I will describe three closely related long term projects including one that has operated without interruption since 1971.