Galaxy evolution begins at home: GALFA, EVLA, and GASKAP
  While studies of galaxy evolution generally focus on extensive HI surveys at
large redshifts, we argue in this paper that the understanding of detailed
physical processes that drive HI evolution in galaxies is equally important.
Specifically, we focus on three open questions regarding the very first step in
the star-formation cycle in galaxies: How much do galaxy halos flavor and tax
the accretion flows that are postulated to bring fresh star-formation fuel to
galaxy disks? What are the basic properties of the warm neutral gas, the
progenitor of cold star-forming clouds? And, what are the origin and level of
interstellar inhomogeneities as seeding agents for molecule and star formation?
The very local Universe (The Milky Way and nearby galaxies) offers an
unparalleled high-resolution view for answering these questions and the
upcoming radio telescopes (e.g. EVLA, ASKAP, MeerKAT, ATA-256) promise great
advances.
