Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 12.2
(continued)
From studying to shaping: A design charette bridging site analysis to
conceptual design
Analysis of the ecological dimensions in general public energy education pro-
grams of major justice, faith-based, indigenous, and environmental organi-
zations: Energizing a future role for ecologists
Promoting urban sustainability via linkages among stewardship, urban yards,
biodiversity, and ecosystem services
The student section of ESA has been most active and innovative in exploring
ways to incorporate Earth Stewardship into their section activities. Five ESA stu-
dent members summarized some of the ways that graduate students and their uni-
versity departments could individually and collectively be more effectively engaged
in Earth Stewardship (Colón-Rivera et al.
2013
). In addition, the student section has
been a reasoned and effective advocate for “action ecology,” an expansion of eco-
logical science into the realm of research that directly supports decision-making and
policy (Bonilla et al.
2012
; Rivera et al.
2010
). They have done this, for example, by
sponsoring symposia on this topic (sometimes under the label of “Revolutionary
Ecology”; Marshall et al.
2011
) at several recent ESA annual meetings. They were
instrumental in organizing an initiative to assess ecosystem services in response to
the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (Ramos et al.
2012
) and have
participated actively since 2008 in BioBlitzes that engage residents in documenting
local biodiversity (Box
12.1
). ESA graduate students have been consistent, active
participants in congressional staff visits in Washington. For example, in April 2014,
fi ve graduate students visited congressional offi ces to explain the value of ecologi-
cal science to the nation and to press for continued support for scientifi c research
(
http://www.esa.org/newsletter/eiaSpring14.html
).
The extent of engagement of other ESA sections in the Earth Stewardship
Initiative has been variable. In general, the sections that focus explicitly on human-
nature interactions have been consistently active and account for much of the cur-
rent implementation of Earth Stewardship within ESA. For example, the Human
Ecology Section has regularly organized symposia at annual meetings and has
served as the interface between ESA and its international counterpart—the Society
for Human Ecology. The Environmental Justice Section has also organized sympo-
sia and played an active outreach role by engaging environmental groups associated
with various communities of faith and by organizing a speakers bureau, as described
in the next section. The Traditional Knowledge Section has regularly met with local
tribes in the region of each ESA annual meeting to increase the awareness of ESA
members of the indigenous heritage of the US, and on occasions also with indige-
nous people from other countries, to foster engagement of indigenous peoples
in local and global ecological and environmental issues. About half of the ESA
Sections (including Agroecology, Applied Ecology, Aquatic Ecology, Asian
Ecology, Education, Environmental Justice, Long-term Studies, Microbial Ecology,
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