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ESA Governing Board
August 5, 2010
Pittsburgh, PA
Members Present:
Mary Power Past-President
Terry Chapin President
Steward Pickett President-Elect
Bill Parton VP for Finance
Meg Lowman VP for Education and Human Resources
Charles Canham Secretary
Andrea Lloyd Member-at-Large
Guest:
Andrea Kuchy Vice-Chair, Student Section
Staff Present:
Katherine McCarter Executive Director
Cliff Duke Director, Science Office
Sue Silver Editor-in-Chief, Frontiers
Nadine Lymn Director, Public Affairs Office
David Baldwin Managing Editor
Teresa Mourad Director, Education and Diversity Programs Office
Meeting called to order at 9:00 am by President Terry Chapin
I. Information
A. 2010-2011 Governing Board Meeting Dates
Nov 4-5, 2010 new member orientation Friday afternoon
May 16-17, Washington DC
II. Planetary Stewardship Initiative
Terry Chapin reviewed discussions during the meeting on the Planetary Stewardship Initiative. Those talks have focused on maintaining continuity during the 3 years of the terms of Mary Power, Terry Chapin, and Steward Pickett as President. Another emphasis has been on engaging ESA Sections, and encouraging them to incorporate the Initiative in their own activities, with their particular expertise – specifically in their planning for symposia at the 2011 meetings. There is a strong interest in engaging social scientists in the coming year, and then following with attention to the fields of design and other disciplines in the humanities.
Terry proposed a series of organized oral sessions or symposia at the 2011 meeting bringing in environmental psychology and other social sciences to think about practicalities. He also proposed encouraging similar symposia at other societies. There was a suggestion to consider webcasts as a way to reach a wider/larger audience.
It was noted that the policy directions approved at the last board meeting for the Public Affairs programs dovetail nicely with the goals of Planetary Stewardship Initiative.
There was also discussion of how to link the goals of the Initiative with the ESA Centennial meeting in 2015.
Andrea Lloyd volunteered to serve as a Governing Board liason to the Centennial Committee to represent the Stewardship Initiative.
A number of potential products were considered:
- A high profile paper (or series of papers) ala sustainable biosphere initiative paper of 1991.
- A list of groups/initiatives/efforts related to planetary stewardship – suggestion that this might be done by the student section, with help from the staff (and their many contacts at other organizations).
- Mary Power is considering volunteering as Editor for a Planetary Stewardship Forum in the Bulletin (planning for forum pieces in 2 of the 4 issues a year). She described a series of types of contributions she would like to see, including a photo novella.
- Could Ecosphere play a role – through forum pieces, essays or contribution from other societies?
- A publication in the Issues in Ecology series is another potential vehicle for communication. The Human Ecology Section has been considering an Issue related to the Stewardship Initiative.
III. Discussion/Action
A. Audit Committee
There are several members rotating off the committee. Laura Huenneke is a continuing member, Charles Canham will serve, and Rob Jackson will be asked to serve.
B. Feedback from Committee Meetings and Council
Registration was strong (and the music was good). There was discussion of ways to encourage speakers to return to broader issues in the conclusions of their talks.
Meeting adjourned at 10:00
Minutes respectfully submitted,
Charles Canham, Secretary
