Public Affairs Staff

Public Affairs staff manages the Society’s public policy and media initiatives. Working closely with its elected leadership, we facilitate opportunities for members to engage beyond the scientific community through media contacts, press releases, social media, briefings, and one-on-one meetings with policymakers. We provide media and policy training to our members, in addition to bimonthly updates on national policy developments relevant to this ecological community.

**Alison Mize** Director of Public Affairs
gro.asenull@nosila
202.833.8773, ext. 205

**Heidi Swanson** Public Information Manager
gro.asenull@idieh
202.833.8773, ext. 211

Nicole Zimmerman portrait image — **Nicole Zimmerman** Public Affairs Manager gro.asenull@elocin
202.833.8773, ext. 224

Public Affairs Committee

Frank Davis, Vice President for Public Affairs (2015-2017) Phone: (805) 893-3438 ude.bscu.nerbnull@dwf

Bruce Byers, Bruce Byers Consulting (2017-2020)

Laura Petes, NOAA Office for Coastal Management (2018-2020)

Tim Male, Environmental Policy Innovation Center (2017-2020)

Ann Bartuska, Resources for the Future (2019-2022)

Astrid Caldas, Union of Concerned Scientists (2017-2020)

Kabryn Mattison, Student Representative (2019-2020)

News

Dead Trees Fuel Wildfire Severity in Sierra Nevada

UC Davis scientists found that the presence of recently dead trees on the landscape was a driver of wildfire severity for two large fires that occurred toward the end of the drought and documents the important role recently dead trees can play in exacerbating fire severity.

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Invasive in the U.S., lifesaver Down Under

Researchers from the University of Southern Florida revealed that a monitor lizard should be regarded as an “ecosystem engineer,” a rarity for reptiles.

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Identifying Where to Reforest After Wildfire

A UC Davis team collected post-fire recovery data to develop a unique tool to better understand where to focus forest regeneration efforts.

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Beating the “billion-dollar bug” is a shared burden

A new study suggests that slowing the resurgence of western corn rootworm may require a larger-scale strategy than previously thought.

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Joint impacts of climate change and forest degradation on the survival of Himalayan birds

With increased upward migration of species due to climate change, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science found that this migration only maintained species survival rates when moving to intact forests.

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Non-tenured and female faculty feeling COVID burdens, study says

Junior and female ecology and evolutionary biology faculty are most negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study done by Purdue University and Colorado State University researchers.

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Could fishermen hold the key to conservation of ocean species?

Scientists who track-and-trace fish for a living claim that analysing seawater can tell us the richest story of what lies beneath the waves.

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Journals and Publications

The Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) of southeastern Australia is world-renowned for its spectacular courtship displays. Lesser known is the lyrebird’s role in moderating litter and soil habitats, caused by the extensive foraging pits dug on the forest ﬂoor while searching for invertebrates. Maisey et al. show that lyrebirds alter litter depth and soil compaction, and displace more material, per unit area, than for any other animal recorded in terrestrial ecosystems, worldwide. Their results are presented in the January issue of Ecological Applications.

Ecological Applications

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