In recent years, ground-based gamma-ray observatories have made a number of important astrophysical discoveries which have attracted the attention of the wider scientific community. The continuation of these achievements into the next decade will require a new generation of observatories. In view of the long lead time for developing and installing new instruments, the Division of Astrophysics of the American Physical Society has requested the preparation of a White Paper (WP) on the status and future of ground-based gamma-ray astronomy to define the science goals of the future observatory, to determine the performance specifications, and to identify the areas of necessary technology development. The prime focus of the WP will be on the astrophysical problems which can be addressed at energies above 10 GeV. The WP will also enumerate the available space and ground-based observational techniques. In this submission we will outline the history and the purposes of the WP and explain how both US and international scientists from the entire spectrum of astrophysics can contribute to the concepts and ideas presented in it.

Proceedings of the 30th International Cosmic Ray Conference; Rogelio Caballero, Juan Carlos D'Olivo, Gustavo Medina-Tanco, Lukas Nellen, Federico A. Sánchez, José F. Valdés-Galicia (eds.); Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico, 2008; Vol. 3 (OG part 2), pages 1449-1452