ESA Policy News November 25: Scientific Societies defend NOAA, Apply for 2016 ESA Graduate Student Policy Award

Here are some highlights from the latest ESA Policy News by Policy Analyst Terence Houston. Read the full Policy News here. 

HOUSE: ESA JOINS OTHER SOCIETIES IN DEFENDING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

ESA and six other leading science societies sent a letter to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) concerning his ongoing inquiries into the climate-change research of Thomas Karl and colleagues at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). At issue is the nearly unprecedented nature of the congressional inquiry into the study.

Karl and NOAA colleagues used updated and corrected global surface temperature data to dispute the existence of a recent pause in global warming.  Since its publication, Chairman Smith and NOAA have been embroiled in a very public dispute related to a subpoena he sent to NOAA demanding the release of internal communications between NOAA scientists about the climate study. Smith is among those House members who are skeptical of the scientific evidence on climate change. The chairman believes it is possible that NOAA scientists manipulated data to advance the Obama administration’s Climate Action Plan.

In the Nov. 24 letter to Chairman Smith, the science societies expressed concern that politically-motivated inquiries could hinder the ability of government researchers to fulfill their agencies’ scientific missions and constrain federal agencies’ capacity to attract quality scientific talent.

“Scientists should not be subjected to fraud investigations or harassment simply for providing scientific results that some may see as politically controversial,” stated the letter. “Science cannot thrive when policymakers—regardless of party affiliation— use policy disagreements as a pretext to attack scientific conclusions without public evidence.”

Click here to view the scientific societies letter.

Click here to view Administrator Sullivan’s letter to Chairman Smith. Click here to view Ranking Member Johnson’s letter to Chairman Smith. Click here to view Chairman Smith’s response to the Johnson letter.

APPROPRIATIONS: ESA REQUESTS ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH FUNDING INCREASE FOR FY 2016

On Nov. 20, the Ecological Society of America (ESA) sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators requesting a 5.2 percent discretionary spending increase for federal agencies that fund scientific research.

The letter notes the role the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the US Geological Survey and other agencies play in supporting ecological research. It also calls upon appropriations leaders not to include riders that would hinder the ability of federal agencies to make policy decisions informed by scientific research.

“The Society hopes that Congress can reach a bipartisan appropriations agreement that is free of provisions that would circumvent environmental assessments, impede climate change research or make determinations for endangered species listings that bypass the collaborative process involving researchers, state and local resource managers, and input from the general public,” the letter states. “It is important to maintain federal agencies’ capacity to provide the best available science to inform policy decisions.”

Congress has until Dec. 11 to pass a bill that continues federal funding for the remainder of current Fiscal Year 2016.

Click here to view the ESA letter.

FOREST SERVICE: UPDATED SOFTWARE PROVIDES ECOLOGICAL DATA TO GENERAL PUBLIC

The US Forest Service has launched an updated version of its free software, i-Tree, which provides the general public with scientific information on tree growth and how they are enhancing communities across the United States.

The enhanced features of “i-Tree, Version 6.0” provide users with landscape data on the many ecological benefits trees provide to their area, including carbon storage, air pollution removal, and hydrologic effects. The new software also upgrades web-based mobile data collection and reporting features and simulates future tree population growth totals among other canopy and diversity measurements.

Click here for additional information.

FWS: DELMARVA FOX SQUIRREL LEAPS OFF ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST

On Nov. 13, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that due to collaborative conservation efforts between federal state and local officials, it will remove the Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel from the endangered species list.

The squirrel was among the first species to gain federal protection under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, a precursor to the Endangered Species Act. Agricultural development, timber harvesting, forest clearing and overhunting contributed to the loss of 90 percent of the squirrels range in the mid-20th century.

Today, a majority of the squirrel population occupy private land. Since its listing, the squirrel’s range has increased from four to 10 counties with up to 20,000 squirrels living on the Delmarva Peninsula, along the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware Bay. Most of the population is in Maryland although the peninsula also crosses into Virginia and Delaware.

Click here for additional information.

POLICY ENGAGEMENT: APPLY FOR 2016 ESA GRADUATE STUDENT POLICY AWARD

The Ecological Society of America invites you to apply for the 2016 Graduate Student Policy Award (GSPA). Recipients receive first-hand engagement at the interface of science and public policy. The two-day event will occur April 27 and 28, 2016.

Participants receive:

• Travel to Washington, DC, to participate in the Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition Congressional Visits Day, an annual event that brings scientists to the nation’s capital to speak-up for federal investment in the sciences, with a primary focus on the National Science Foundation.  Domestic travel, hotel, and meal expenses will be paid by ESA.
• Policy and communications training, including information on the legislative process and trends in federal science funding.
• An opportunity to hear first-hand from ecologists currently working in federal agencies about their policy careers.
• Meetings with congressional policymakers on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of federal investments in the biological sciences.
• The opportunity to be interviewed for ESA’s podcast,  The Ecologist Goes to Washington and EcoTone blog

Applicants must be an ESA member and a United States citizen residing in the country. Former GSPA winners are not eligible.  Applications are due January 10, 2016. Click here for additional information on how to apply.

NOAA: FISHERIES MANAGEMENT POLICY OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) is accepting public comments for a new ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) policy.

Through the establishment of a framework of guiding principles, the new EBFM policy will help clarify existing management policy within NOAA Fisheries and help clarify how these practices relate to existing living marine resources management policy. According to the agency, implementation of this new policy will help NOAA Fisheries and partnering entities “optimize societal benefits across its multiple federal mandates by considering environmental and ecological factors and identifying trade-offs among its trust resources, including fisheries, protected species, and their habitats.”

Comments on the draft EBFM should be sent to Jason Link, Senior Science Advisor for Ecosystems at Jason.Link@nullnoaa.gov or Heather Sagar, Senior Policy Advisor at heather.sagar@nullnoaa.gov by Dec. 16, 2015.

Click here for additional information, including a link to the draft policy.