Summary of the Closing Plenary Brunch

Abstract

The closing plenary brunch wrapped up a successful week of symposia, contributed papers, posters, workshops, and many other events at the Ecological Society of America (ESA) and Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) International 2007 joint Annual Meeting. The brunch featured several prominent ecologists—Carolyn Kurle, Ann Bartuska, and Ed Johnson—who commented on the week that was and provided a forum for other meeting attendees to do the same. The opening comments of Norm Christensen, ESA President, and George Gann, Chair of the SER Board, foreshadowed the prevailing themes of discussion: the growing prominence of applied research in ecology, the desire to include a broad set of disciplines and perspectives at annual meetings, and the role of politics in scientific societies. Dr. Christensen began the discussion by outlining the changes ESA has undergone over the past 35 years. The Society transformed from an organization dedicated to primary scientific research to one that now embraces highly applied issues such as conservation, restoration, and policy. The ESA journal Ecological Applications and the Washington, D.C. headquarters of ESA (a prime location for informing policy makers) exemplify this transition. Ann Bartuska added that much of the value of ESA meetings for her and other Forest Service employees rests in large part on the inclusion of applied research at ESA's Annual Meetings. For her, and presumably for many land managers, the combination of science and practice is crucial in making ecological research relevant to their work. Dr. Gann pointed out, however, that this joint meeting of ESA and SER did not have the amount of interaction among scientists, practitioners, and others that he typically expects from SER meetings. He noted that SER thrives on peer-to-peer communication among researchers and practitioners, but that the large joint meeting lacked the strong sense of interaction present at smaller meetings. Ed Johnson took Dr. Gann's comments on inclusion and interaction a step further and asked if ESA is truly interdisciplinary, and if it promotes an adequate level of communication among disparate fields. He noted that ecologists largely ignore accomplishments in other fields. They ignore, in particular, advances in the physical sciences, such as meteorology and engineering, often to their own detriment. Several audience members added that ESA could do more to include teachers, media, traditional knowledge practitioners, philosophers, minority groups, and the public as a whole in its Annual Meetings. Dr. Johnson suggested specifically that ESA might dedicate two or three days of programs for teachers, including field trips and workshops. Others pointed out that ESA could increase the interdisciplinary nature of sessions, possibly in the form of more interdisciplinary organized oral sessions. However, one audience member noted that ESA already encompasses a huge range of fields, which is one of the strengths of the Society. Clearly, the question of how to balance inclusiveness (easier in big meetings) and communication (easier in small meetings) within ESA Annual Meetings is a topic of interest for members and deserves further discussion. The third theme of the brunch centered on the relationship between ESA and politics. Dr. Christensen noted that ESA's Public Affairs office works with Congress people and their staffs on ecological issues. Kerry Woods, ESA Program Chair, stated that ESA planned to continue to invite political figures to give public plenary talks at Annual Meetings. And Alan Covich, ESA's Past President, described how ESA's Rapid Response Teams provide effective and quick responses on time-sensitive, controversial issues. Some audience members wondered if it was appropriate for ESA to be so involved in politics. It appeared to be a consensus among the speakers, however, that ESA and its members had an obligation to discuss political issues and to inform policy makers. This discussion should include plenary speakers, workshops, symposia, and contributed papers. However, it was also clear that attendees felt that too much advocacy, and not simply discussion of politics, could damage the scientific credibility of the Society. Two other notable points were mentioned briefly during the brunch. First, Carolyn Kurle pointed out the difficulties involved with having a young child and doing research and attending meetings. ESA has child care at its Annual Meeting, but she suggested that it could improve the resources available to new ecologists who are building a family and a career at the same time. Specifically, ESA might develop a web page for this purpose. Second, an audience member noted that there is much room to improve aspects of the meeting related to sustainability—e.g., recycling, composting, organic and/or local food, etc. Dr. Christensen said that the ESA Governing Board is currently addressing these issues, and Dr. Woods said that anyone with suggestions on how to improve these aspects of future meetings should contact the ESA staff. If you would like to make comments regarding the 2007 ESA/SER joint Annual Meeting, please direct them to Michelle Horton (E-mail: michelle@esa.org).