Future Visioning Announcement from ESA President Dennis Ojima, President-Elect Sharon Collinge, and Past-President Kathleen Weathers In 2015, the Ecological Society of America (ESA) celebrated 100 years of successfully advancing the science and practice of ecology. Following a major governance review and bylaws revisions (effective January 2022), guided by the 2019 – 2022 strategic plan and with a new perspective, as…

When over 3,200 individuals from across the United States, Canada and around the globe convene for a scientific conference such as the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA) meeting in Montreal, Quebec it takes an environmental toll: the energy required to power the planes, trains and automobiles people use to travel to and from the meeting. As one way to offset…

Whenever we do a search for the word “diversity” in ecology journals, many articles pop up focusing on “biodiversity” but rarely does one refer to “human diversity” in ecology. The fact that ecologists focus their research and teaching on biodiversity conservation but rarely include “human diversity” in their discussion prompts us to elevate the discussion of the human dimension in…

In this issue: Congress Passes NSF, Department of Energy Office of Science Reauthorization Bill The bill increases authorized funding for the National Science Foundation to $18.9 billion over the next five years. Senate Releases FY 2023 Spending Bills Bill includes an over 10% increase for discretionary, non-defense spending. Congress Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)…

You’re probably excited to be seeing colleagues for the first time in a long time at our first in-person meeting in three years—we certainly are. But you might also be nervous about being around so many people at the same time in enclosed spaces, especially now that there are recent upticks in COVID-19 cases (including BA.5). We take the health…

In this issue: Congress House is expected to pass all fiscal year 2023 spending bills before the August recess. Executive Branch Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management seeking comments on the definition of old growth forests. Courts Court strikes down Trump administration Endangered Species Act regulations. States Virginia Governor appoints former EPA Administrator to regulatory office. International IPBES releases…

Elise Gornish is a life member of ESA and a founder of the Ecological Restoration Section. She was elected an Early Career Fellow of the Society in 2019. In June, she published her first children’s book, what she believes is the first children’s book on ecological restoration. A Kids’ Guide to Ecological Restoration is available via Amazon. ESA: What was…

In this issue: ESA Decries the Supreme Court’s West Virginia v EPA Decision The Supreme Court decision severely hinders the efforts of the United States to reduce emissions. ESA, Scientific Societies Submit Amici Curiae Brief in Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court Case Supreme Court will hear Clean Water Act case in October 2023. House Appropriations Bills Include Increases for Ecological…

The Ecological Society of America, representing 8,000 research ecologists and environmental scientists, is greatly concerned about the recent United States Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA. At stake was the ability to reduce carbon emissions under the auspices of the Clean Air Act that gives the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) power to regulate “the best system of reducing…