Petition to Create a New ESA Section for Private and Public Sector Ecologists
ESA understands that it needs to better serve the professional needs of ecologists working in all sectors, not just academia. Toward this aim, we, the undersigned, support the creation of a section dedicated to these professionals within ESA’s membership.
The focus of this new section will be to serve ecologists whose primary work focus is the application of ecological science to address ecological issues, and who work outside of academia. These ecologists most often work at private or public sector organizations.
For clarity, we define “private sector” as:
- Private or publicly traded companies (consulting companies, utilities, industry, etc.)
- Independent practitioners
- Nonprofit entities, excluding schools, colleges and universities
“Public sector” means:
- Any governmental organization at any scale from local to federal (e.g., county conservation district, state/provincial resource management agency, federal/national resource management agency), excluding research-focused branches thereof (e.g. U.S. Forest Service Research Stations)
The benefits of a section include:
- A dedicated voice representing these sectors’ interests on the ESA Council
- Dues money for projects to benefit members of the section
- More networking for practitioners and career exploration opportunities for students
All ESA members who support these goals are encouraged to sign this petition; it does not obligate one to join the section if approved by Council.