In This Issue: ESA Selects 2020 Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award Recipients Twelve ecology graduate students will receive policy and communications training and discuss the importance of federal funding for science with lawmakers. State Department Seeks Comments about whether Digital Sequence Information Should be Included in the Nagoya Protocol Public meeting will be held March 12, with a…

Dear ESA Members, Today, I am writing to you regarding the Ecosystem Recovery Fund that the Ecological Society of Australia is launching to help with ecological recovery efforts from the unprecedented fires that have devastated an enormous extent of Australia’s ecosystems. I am sure you have seen the news and are aware of the substantial impact that this tragedy had…

On February 3rd, the 2020 ESA Communicating Science Workshop was hosted in Knoxville, TN Last month, participants from across the southeastern US practiced their messaging and engagement skills in a day-long Communicating Science Workshop at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The workshop on February 3rd was co-hosted by ESA’s Public Affairs Office, the ESA Southeastern Member Chapter, and the National…

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is honored to announce this year’s Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award (GSPA) recipients. This award provides graduate students with the opportunity to receive policy and communication training in Washington, D.C. before they meet lawmakers. ESA selected twelve students to receive the award: Tiffany L. Betras (University of Pittsburgh), Callie R. Chappell (Stanford…

In This Issue: Congress Full House of Representatives passes wilderness bills. Executive Branch White House Office of Science and Technology Policy requests information about oceans sciences partnerships, public access to peer-reviewed publications. Courts Groups challenge WOTUS rule, NEPA regulations in the courts. Scientific Community Council of Graduate Schools finds that the number of international graduate students enrolled in institutions in…

New footage of nocturnal pollination of plants by opossums brings light to unpublished research nearly thirty years old In Brazil there is a plant so strange that researchers predicted – and 27 years later, proved – that opossums are key to its pollination. The findings are published in the Ecological Society of America’s journal Ecology. The plant Scybalium fungiforme, a…

In This Issue: White House Seeks Cuts to NSF, Other Science and Environmental Programs NSF receives a seven percent cut. Trump Administration Formally Proposes Weakening the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Proposed rule would prevent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from fining companies that accidentally kill birds. Graphic: Administration Narrows Definition of Protected Waters A graphic from PoliticoPro summarizes what waters…

Dear ESA Members, I am pleased to announce that the ESA Council approved new Bylaws for the Society to replace ESA’s constitution. The Bylaws go into effect March 1, 2020. The Council’s vote supports the decision made last fall by the general membership to accept the new governance documents. Read the blog post from last November for more details on…

In This Issue: White House Finalizes “Waters of The U.S.”  rule, removing protections for wetland and streams Six things to know about the new regulation. Congress House Natural Resources Committee advances Migratory Bird Protection Act. Executive Branch EPA’s Science Advisory Board reviews “Transparency in Science” rule. Courts Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismisses youth climate case. States Florida Governor Ron…

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…

In This Issue: Congress Increases Funding for Ecological Science in FY2020 Appropriations NSF receives a 2.5% increase, USGS funding boosted by nearly 10%. EPA’s Science Advisory Board Criticizes the “Transparency Rule,” Waters of the U.S repeal and more ESA, aquatic science societies resubmit comments ahead of January SAB meetings. NSF Issues Solicitation for NEON Operations and Maintenance BIO will issue…

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has updated its virtual issue on “Wildfire, Forest Management, and Climate.” ESA scientists with expertise on wildfire drivers, ecosystem impacts, and other related issues are available for comment and to respond to questions and inquiries. As the likelihood and intensity of fires is increasing amid drought and climate warming, multiple approaches for understanding and…