Forest fires have a tendency to evoke images of Smoky the Bear warnings or Bambi and company fleeing for their lives. However, often underreported are the benefits prescribed forest fires can have on ecosystems and human communities. This summer, the Ecological Society of America (ESA) published its first online-only special issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, which examined…
Do you have ideas for next year’s 2014 Ecological Society of America Opening Plenary? If you’ve been to an ESA meeting, you probably know that it officially kicks off with the Opening Plenary on Sunday evening. We’ve had some great Opening Plenary speakers over the years including Jane Lubchenco, David Suzuki, Don Kennedy, Sandra Postel, Cristian Samper and many others…
Here are some highlights from the latest ESA Policy News by Policy Analyst Terence Houston. Read the full Policy News here. 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…
Special Issue of ESA Frontiers assesses the impacts of climate change on people and ecosystems, focusing on on biodiversity, ecosystem function, ecosystem services, the combined effects of climate and other pressures, and preparation for change.
As researchers learn more about Pseudogymnoascus (Geomyces) destructans, the fungus that causes White Nose syndrome in bats, more becomes known about what makes this disease so resilient and seemingly invincible. Various estimates put the bat death toll in the United States in the vicinity of about six million bats since it was first discovered seven years ago. The fungus infects…
Otter-cam peers into protected Elkhorn Slough.
Government shutdown ends, water bill action, FWS proposes cuckoo E.S.A. listing, rejects petrel.
Research on hold in government shutdown, farm bill (in)action, EPA cleared in email scandal, climate skeptics denied
Two years ago, Lee Frelich was sitting in a committee meeting when the idea came to him: the Ecological Society should plant a forest. ESA sets aside $5 for every person attending the Annual Meeting to offset the environmental costs of travel to the meeting location. This year, on Frelich’s advice, the Society wrote a check to a Minnesota non-profit devoted to restoration of local lands and waters.
What level of education do US S&E workers have? How well do 8th graders score in math and science? How often do parents help their kids with homework?
All this and more in a new data collection from the National Science Board.
WILDLIFE: letter of support for conservation programs
UNITED NATIONS: IPCC report released
HOUSE: testimony on climate action plan
EPA: new carbon standards for powerplants
SCIENCE: Golden Goose awards
If you are interested in applying your scientific experience to policy-making in the United States, says ESA Policy Analyst Terence Houston, whether as a grad student or established scientist, you should spend some time volunteering locally to gain some experience and resume cred.
Butyou need not work full-time for free. There are internships that will pay you.