In This Issue: NSF BIO Advisory Committee Considers NEON User Engagement, No-deadline Policy A subcommittee tasked with understanding the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) user engagement recommended the formation of a separate entity for community user engagement. Member Opportunities Apply to join the Rapid Response Team. Congress House Science Committee holds hearings on IPBES Global Assessment, harassment in the sciences….

Blogpost from ESA President Laura Huenneke June 4, 2019 ESA strives to provide excellent programs that benefit its members. A great deal of thought and planning goes into the ESA budget to ensure that programs are successful and are meeting our members’ expectations. An important role of the ESA Governing Board is to oversee finances.  ESA’s members pay annual dues,…

A subcommittee tasked with understanding National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) user engagement recommended the formation of a separate entity for community user engagement. This entity would interact directly with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to accomplish NEON’s mission and would be independent of the NEON contractor Battelle Memorial Institute. The NSF-funded half-billion-dollar ecological observatory’s construction is now completed and it…

After an extensive, competitive search, the Ecological Society of America is pleased to announce the appointment of Kathryn Cottingham as the Editor in Chief of its journal Ecology.

In This Issue: House Appropriations Bills Propose Funding Increases for Ecological Science NSF receives a seven percent increase. Senate appropriations process remains stalled. Member Opportunities Apply to join the Rapid Response Team. Attend ESA communications training in Flagstaff, AZ. Call for emerging policy issues. Congress House Natural Resources Committee holds hearing on IPBES Global Assessment Report. Executive Branch White House…

Awards recognize students for exceptional research and outstanding presentations given at the 2018 Annual Meeting   The Ecological Society of America recognizes Sara P. Bombaci, Jacqueline J. Peña, and Joshua Scholl for awards for outstanding student research. The Murray F. Buell and E. Lucy Braun awards are given for exceptional oral and poster presentations at the 103rd Annual Meeting of…

Unlike many migratory species, Galapagos giant tortoises do not use current environmental conditions to time their seasonal migration Galapagos giant tortoises, sometimes called Gardeners of the Galapagos, are creatures of habit. In the cool dry season, the highlands of the volcano slopes are engulfed in cloud which allows the vegetation to grow despite the lack of rain. On the lower…

In This Issue: Coalition for National Science Funding Exhibit Highlights the Importance of NSF, Funding for Basic Research ESA exhibit highlights the Hubbard Brook Long Term Ecological Research site. White House Releases New Information Quality Act Guidance, Echoes “Secret Science” Policies Memo requires agencies to publicly post code used to build models cited in decision-making. Member Opportunities Apply to join…

Blogpost from ESA President Laura Huenneke May 2, 2019 Previously in this space I wrote about Plan S, a commitment by some European research funders to require researchers to publish only in “Gold” open access journals. I relayed the concerns of some about how this could weaken the ability of ESA or other societies to publish journals under a conventional…

From ESA Executive Director Catherine O’Riordan, ESA has joined the Societies Consortium on Sexual Harassment as one of the 100 inaugural members. The formation of this consortium was a process that began last fall, with an all-day workshop on the issue of sexual harassment in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Convened by AGU and AAAS, ESA joined with representatives…

In This Issue: Member Opportunities Call for new ESA Rapid Response Team members. ESA Communications Training in Flagstaff, June 7: travel awards available. Action Alert. Congress Senate confirms David Bernhardt as Interior Secretary. Executive Branch EPA releases a list of candidates for the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee. States 15 Attorneys General oppose proposed Waters of U.S. rule. ESA and…

We are expanding the Society’s Rapid Response Team (RRT), a diverse group of about 50 ecologists who are subject matter experts and help ESA address policy and media opportunities in a timely and effective manner. ESA invites any member to apply to be a member of the RRT. One of ESA’s central missions is to share ecological information with policymakers…