Dear ecological community, We reach out to you today in sadness and solidarity. Recent acts of violence against the Black community as seen in the horrific killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, have sparked protests across the United States. They underscore the long history of racism and discrimination in our country. Racism and prejudice continue to harm…
by National Ecological Observatory Network When humans can’t get to the field for ecological research, could the robots take over? When humans can’t get to the field for ecological research, could the robots take over? COVID-19 has limited the ability of ecologists to get to the field to collect samples and check instruments in many parts of the world. While…
by Jorge V. Crisci (Universidad Nacional de la La Plata, Argentina) and Tod F. Stuessy (Ohio State University, USA) The great German physicist Werner Heisenberg remarked that nature does not reveal itself directly but only through questions we ask about it. This is true for questions we have with the tragic pandemic of COVID-19. In the last 17 years, coronaviruses,…
By Martha Downs, Frank Davis, Jenn Caselle, Julien Brun, and Kristen Weiss Like marine fog that blankets one community while leaving a nearby neighborhood in sunshine, COVID 19 crept up on us at an uneven pace. In California, awareness and action to halt its spread came quickly, with in-person instruction at UC Santa Barbara, where the LTER Network Office is…
By Bruce A. Byers Just north of what is now Frankfort, Kentucky, the capital of the state, the Kentucky River, flowing north at that point, makes a right-angle bend to the west. Sandbars developed at that turn, creating a shallow ford where bison crossed the river on annual migrations from east to west and back. Daniel Boone passed here, following…
Blog post by ESA Executive Director Catherine O’Riordan This week I traveled to Northern Ireland for the first time to represent ESA at the British Ecological Society meeting in Belfast. Traveling to Belfast directly from the U.S. is difficult, as most flights go through London, so I flew to Dublin and took a two-hour bus ride across the border. Fortunately…
The call for internship applications is open! Apply here What does it mean to become a Future Park Leaders intern? To get a better idea of the internships, we reached out to some past alumni to share their personal experiences, memories, and lasting benefits of the program. The Future Park Leaders of Emerging Change internship program pays upper level undergraduate…
By ESA President Osvaldo Sala, The landscape of science is changing, and the Society strives to be flexible and evolve to serve its members. Over the past year, I was charged as President-Elect to lead the Governing Board members and staff to thoughtfully craft the ESA’s Strategic Plan for 2019-2021 to meet the needs of ecologists. In-person and Zoom meetings…
Representatives from seven data-intensive organizations shared their expertise and insights with more than 200 booth visitors at ESA2019.
** ESA is collecting updates and publishing them on this blogpost about how the federal government shutdown is affecting the ecological and biological sciences. We request that you send us short posts and we will also request a photo if one is available. ESA can publish your contribution anonymously or give you attribution. Please consider whether using your personal or…
Former ESA President David M. Lodge published an opinion piece in the Washington Post, arguing that climate change and resulting natural disasters like Hurricanes Florence and Michael, will exacerbate economic inequality. For some, a hurricane could mean homelessness and unemployment — tough obstacles to overcome without an adequate safety net and flood insurance coverage. Lodge urges Congress to reform…
By Eliza Oldach — Science Outreach Intern, Spring 2018 The 19th century was a time of accelerated ecological discovery. The New World, already plundered for trade and colonization, was opening to Europeans for scientific discovery. Now-famous figures—Humboldt, Darwin, Wallace, Schimper—struck out across oceans, armed with microscopes and collecting bags. They returned home with trunks crammed full of samples and specimens,…