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New footage of nocturnal pollination of plants by opossums brings light to unpublished research nearly thirty years old In Brazil there is a plant so strange that researchers predicted – and 27 years later, proved – that opossums are key to its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…

An update from Executive Director Catherine O’Riordan Happy New Year!  As ESA members and staff begin a new year in 2020, I would like to take a few minutes to reflect on a few of our accomplishments in 2019.  The ESA Governing Board led an effort to draft a new strategic plan that will guide our efforts through 2022.  In addition, they have begun…

This lizard is beauty, this lizard is grace—even if this lizard has a bit of pollen on its face.

A rare, iconic Hawai’ian plant faces hardships as climate change affects trade winds Silversword plants of Hawai’i are unique to the Maui’s Haleakalā volcano summit area and to the Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa volcanoes on the Big Island. Each volcanic mountain has its own unique type of silversword. The Haleakalā species – known by its Hawai’ian name ‘āhinahina which…

  Blogpost by Osvaldo Sala, ESA President On December 18, ESA joined 125 other societies in sending a letter to address a potential Trump administration executive order that would require all papers produced by federally funded research be made freely available immediately upon publication. While ESA supports open data and facilitates the accessibility of its science content to the broadest…