EMBARGOED until: 12:01 am EDT on Thursday, May 1, 2014 Contact: Liza Lester (202) 83308773 x211; llester@esa.org The butterfly (Dryas iulia) and the bee (Centris sp.) were most likely seeking scarce minerals and an extra boost of protein. On a beautiful December day in 2013, they found the precious nutrients in the tears of a spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus),…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”CLIMATE CHANGE: IPCC REAFFIRMS NEED FOR MITIGATION, ADAPTATION MEASURES”] The Nobel Prize-winning United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released two new reports in late March and early April that reaffirm climate change is currently affecting natural ecosystems and human well-being around the world. The March 31 report from “Working Group II: Impacts,…
Post-wildfire stabilization treatment has not aided habitat restoration for the imperiled Great Plains birds. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, 2 April 2014Contact: Liza Lester (202) 833-8773 x 211; llester@esa.org As fires sweep more frequently across the American Great Basin, the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been tasked with reseeding the burned landscapes to stabilize soils. BLM’s interventions…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”BUDGET: CJS SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING DRAWS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR NSF RESEARCH”] On March 27, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce Justice and Science and Related Agencies (CJS) held a hearing examining the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 budget request. The hearing is among the last duties of Cora Marrett attending in her…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”BUDGET: SCIENCE INVESTMENT MIXED BAG IN PRESIDENT’S FY 2015 PROPOSAL”] On March 4, the president released his annual proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2015. The budget proposal functions as a wish list of what the administration will seek to prioritize in federal policy in the coming year. However, Congress, holding the “power of the…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [/toggle] [toggle title=”WHITE HOUSE: OBAMA PROPOSES CLIMATE FUND AMONG ACTIONS TO ADDRESS DROUGHT”] On Feb. 14, President Obama spoke in Fresno, CA regarding his plans to assist California amid its drought crisis. The president took the opportunity to relate climate change to the incident and discuss his latest proposal to address the issue. “Scientists will debate…
[toggles title=”In this Issue”] [toggle title=’DEBT CEILING: CONGRESS PASSES BILL EXTENDING DEBT LIMIT TO 2015′] This week, the House and Senate passed a bill to extend the debt ceiling through March 2015. The bill was passed shortly after the US Department of Treasury announced it had to resort to extraordinary measures to keep the nation from defaulting on its federal…
[toggles title=”In this Issue”] [toggle title=’STATE OF THE UNION: OBAMA HAILS 2014 AS ‘YEAR OF ACTION’’] After a year of very few real legislative achievements in Congress outside of averting a politically self-inflicted federal government shutdown, President Obama cautioned that continued gridlock and inaction from the legislative branch during the second session of the current 113th Congress will spur unilateral…
WASHINGTON, DC – The Ecological Society of America has selected the 2014 recipients of its annual Graduate Student Policy Award: Sarah Anderson (Washington State University), Andrew Bingham (Colorado State University), Amber Childress (Colorado State University), Brittany West Marsden (University of Maryland) and Johanna Varner (University of Utah). The five students will travel to Washington, DC in April to participate in policy…
[toggles title=”In this Issue”] [toggle title=’APPROPRIATIONS: CONGRESS PASSES FY 2014 SPENDING BILL’] This week, Congress passed a $1.012 trillion omnibus spending measure to fund the government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2014, which ends Sept. 30. Overall, the bill alleviates the effects of sequestration for some federal programs while placing limits on certain regulatory efforts through federal riders. The…
[toggles title=”In this Issue”] [toggle title=’BUDGET: CONGRESS APPROVES BILL ON SPENDING LEVELS FOR FY 2014, 2015′] In its last major legislative achievement before the holiday recess, Congress passed a bipartisan budget bill (H.J.Res. 59) that sets overall federal spending levels for Fiscal Year 2014 and 2015. The deal passed the House by a vote of 332-94 and the Senate 64-36….
[toggles title=”In this Issue”] [toggle title=’WHITE HOUSE: ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL CHAIR TO STEP DOWN’] On Dec. 3, White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chairwoman Nancy Sutley announced she will resign from her post in February. Sutley has held the position since Jan. 22, 2009, when the Senate confirmed her by unanimous consent. As CEQ chair, Sutley played a pivotal role…
[toggles title=”In this Issue”] [toggle title=’SCIENCE: SUBCOMMITTEE REVIEWS LEGISLATION TO REAUTHORIZE NSF’] On Nov. 13, the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Research considered the Frontiers in Innovation Research, Science and Technology (FIRST) Act, draft legislation to reauthorize programs in the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the White House Office of…
[toggles title=”In this Issue”] [toggle title=’WHITE HOUSE: NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER BUILDS ON CLIMATE ACTION PLAN’] On Nov. 1, President Obama issued a new broad Executive Order, instructing federal agencies to help states strengthen their ability to cope with increasingly intense storms, severe droughts, wildfires and other various effects of climate change. The Executive Order establishes a Task Force on Climate…
The November 2013 issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment is devoted to an assessment of climate change effects on ecosystems, and the consequences for people. Impacts on natural systems have direct consequences for food production, water, storm damage, and fire intensity. Working with, rather than against, ecosystems may help society to adapt to changes that threaten lives and property. Adaptation efforts may need to think beyond the preservation of historic natural communities.
[toggles title=”In this Issue”] [toggle title=’BUDGET: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENDS, DEAL PUNTS FISCAL BATTLES UNTIL EARLY 2014′] In the closing hours of Oct. 16, Congress passed a deal to reopen the federal government through Jan. 15 and allow the president to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling until Feb. 7. Under the agreement, which was signed by the president, Congress can only…
“Climate change affecting North American forests, researchers find.” Washington Post 14 Oct 2013
[toggles title=”In this Issue”] [toggle title=’GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: GRIDLOCK CONTINUES IN CONGRESS, NO END IN SIGHT’] This week, Congressional leaders continued debating bills to temporarily fund the government, as well as yet-to-be-introduced legislation to prevent the nation from defaulting on its debt. The government shut down its “nonessential” functions on Oct. 1, the start of current Fiscal Year (FY) 2014, after…
Climate change and disruptions to global fire activity Max A. Moritz, Marc-André Parisien, Enric Batllori, Meg A. Krawchuk, Jeff Van Dorn, David J. Ganz, and Katharine Hayhoe. Ecosphere 2012 3:6, art49
“Research: Female tiger sharks migrate to Hawaii in late summer, fall.” KITV News 5 Sep 2013.