Ecological Society of America

ESA’s policy activities aim to contribute ecological information to public policy through activities such as ESA letters, Capitol Hill briefings, congressional visits and participation in coalitions.

Recent Activities:

On November 2, 2011, ESA sponsored a congressional briefing: "Using Science to Improve Flood Management." Emily Stanley (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and Jeff Opperman (The Nature Conservancy, Ohio Field Office) addressed the function of floodplains and managing rivers as systems and for multiple benefits.

They suggested that the nation's aging levee infrastructure and continued high costs from floods argue for adding green infrastructure solutions. Briefing presentations and more information are available here.

Communications activities at ESA encourage broad public understanding of ecology, primarily through press releases for the mass media and through the ESA blog, EcoTone

Recent news

May 7, 2012 - Dry rivers, vibrant with culture and life

WASHINGTON-'When the River Runs Dry' is a familiar song in Australia. Some rivers in the arid center of the continent flow only after a stiff monsoon season, and smaller tributaries all over the country commonly shrink to puddled potholes and dry river beds during the dry season. But rivers also run dry in more temperate climes. Much of the upper reaches and feeder streams of the great rivers of North America, and even the mighty Amazon, dry out seasonally.