The principal challenges of the proposed NEON will be to define the past, present, and future states of these elements and resources within the United States and assess the potential impact of biogeochemical changes to the vitality of the American public. Existing biogeochemical networks in the United States are insufficient to provide the synthetic perspective required for addressing these critical national needs. Many of the networks are operated with regional interests in mind, and often databases for the networks are not easily combined across regions or disciplines. A clear need exists for integrating ecological data at the national level. Recognizing these important priorities, we set out to accomplish two goals during a workshop to develop biogeochemistry initiatives for NEON. First, we defined the most relevant scientific questions in biogeochemical cycling as related to NEON. Second, we used those questions to develop a specific implementation plan for developing and deploying NEON infrastructure in the area of biogeochemistry. As background for our discussions, we relied heavily on past workshops and efforts, including the NRC NEON Report (September 2003) and the NSF-sponsored workshop on NEON infrastructure (NEON Planning Workshop IV) held in Boulder, Colorado, in June 2002.