ESA News & Events — Page 5

With massive issues like invasive species, climate change and protection of biodiversity moving onto the world stage, ecological knowledge has perhaps never been in higher demand than today. Support for most (about 67 percent) of biological research in the U.S. comes from the National Science Foundation’s Biological Sciences Directorate (affectionately known as NSF BIO);  a similar granting program at the…

Ethanol as the next generation of alternative fuels has stirred significant controversy. While some tout its lower-than-gasoline greenhouse-gas emissions and its usefulness in creating carbon sinks in its agricultural fields, many other ecologists call ethanol production the most inefficient of alternative fuel options. Even the most optimistic scenarios still show that using current technologies, it can take years – in…

This week there has been no shortage of Darwin-related events to attend about town in Washington, D.C., as science and environmental  groups have clamored to put on talks, events and celebrations commemorating Darwin’s legacy. Today I attended a symposium sponsored by the National Academies , titled “Twenty-first Century Ecosystems: Systemic Risk and the Public Good.”  The session I attended on…

The stimulus bill that was passed by the House of Representatives last week includes $3 billion for the National Science Foundation, among other large sums set aside for NOAA and the USGS. The bill is having trouble gaining support in the Senate, however, because many lawmakers believe that the bill includes too many long-term projects that would do little to…

ESA sent a letter today to president-elect Barack Obama recommending top priorities where ecological science should inform policy decisions in the new administration. Obama has already pledged his commitment to curbing climate change during his term. ESA applauded that commitment and outlined four other priorities for the next administration: ▪ Protecting water quality and quantity, especially in conjunction with worldwide…

From the first college introductory biology class, budding biologists are taught the fundamentals of evolution by natural selection. The field of study is soundly rooted in the concept…so soundly, in fact, that scientists often take for granted its validity, snubbing their noses at and refusing to engage in any debate on the topic. But the issue has come to the…

Hear ye, hear ye, friends of ecology! I’m pleased to announce that the ESA blog is taking a new direction, has a new look, and has a new name. Meet EcoTone.

For the past two years, ESA News and Views has served as a forum for voicing ideas about the

The October issue of the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America is now available. With over 200 pages, it is one of the biggest issues ever published. Look for the six reports on symposia held at the annual meeting in Milwaukee in August. The cover is a colorful picture of MacArthur’s warblers, which is a part of a 50th…

Summer means two things for ecologists: fieldwork or lab work and the ESA Annual Meeting. I am particularly aware of the diversity of research done by ecologists as the Director of an Institute which has two field stations and a research watershed. Early in May the snow researchers are shutting down their research and the bird and mammal people are arriving to keep track of nesting

The ESA Bulletin, appearing quarterly, publishes a wide range of items of interest to ecology, and the content is free to ESA members and nonmembers alike. You can access the latest issue at http://www.esajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-toc&issn=0012-9623&volume=89&issue=3.

The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is the premier award for recognizing outstanding contributions in the fields of environmental science, environmental protection, energy and environmental health.

Since its inception we have honored fifty-nine individuals and four corporations with the Tyler Prize and through their work, the Tyler Laureates have focused worldwide attention on environmental problems by their discoveries and the solutions that have resulted from these discoveries. The award consists of a gold medallion and a US $200,000.00 cash prize.

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is known as one of the most important information providers on plant diversity worldwide. It has developed a unique global database of wild plants in cultivation in botanic gardens around the world and, through its membership and other partnerships, it brings together the major players in plant conservation worldwide. Further, its GardenSearch database provides a gateway to the world’s botanic gardens and thus provides a portal to a vast range of information on plant diversity relevant at national and regional levels.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a report that can help reduce the potential impact of climate change on estuaries, forests, wetlands, coral reefs, and other sensitive ecosystems. The report, entitled Preliminary Review of Adaptation Options for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources, identifies strategies to protect the environment as these changes occur.

On July 18, 2008, the U.S. National Committee for Soil Science (USNC/SS) of the National Academy of Sciences will be hosting a symposium, “Soil:Sustaining Life on Planet Earth.” The symposium is co-sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America and the International Union of Soil Sciences. The symposium will be held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC….

The Pollinator Partnership is coordinating the 2nd Annual National Pollinator Week, scheduled for June 22-28, 2008, to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators. Events are scheduled throughout the United States and Canada including lectures, workshops, festivals and fairs, art displays, organized hikes, family fun and field days, and open houses.

EPA invites you to join EPA’s National Dialogue on Access to Environmental Information. Today, June 9, begins a week of on-line dialogue with our environmental information partners to hear your ideas about how we can enhance information access.

On Saturday, March 8, ESA heaquarters, both our downtown DC office and our Silver Spring, MD Frontiers/Education offices, will move into gleaming new space at 1990 M Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036. The telephone number for all ESA offices will be the same as the current DC number, 202-833-8773; emails are not affected by the move. We look…

The National Science Foundation’s Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) is searching for three permanent program directors; one in each of three clusters: Ecosystem Science Cluster, Population and Evolutionary Processes Cluster, and Systematic Biology and Biodiversity Inventories Cluster.

It has been quite awhile since we have communicated with you. This is largely due to two factors. First, much of the recent work of NEON has involved getting our business systems in place, hiring new staff, writing NSF proposals to keep the funding stream flowing, and getting the new Boulder office up and running.

Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Alaska with the SEEDS program! The spring SEEDS field trip will be to the Bonanza Creek LTER from May 25-31 with the theme of “ecology on the edge: polar ecosystems and their response to climate change”. SEEDS serves undergraduate students who are underrepresented in the ecology profession. Applications is…