Re: [ECOLOG-L] Co-sign LETTER TO OBAMA FROM ONE OF EARTH'S LEADING ECOLOGISTS (Stephen R. Carpenter)
Just a thought on this letter: is there really a need for the United States of America to have a population policy? Why not a consumption policy? As noted in the population paragraph, the majorly skewed part of the (population * per capita consumption) term in the U.S.A. is the per capita consumption part. I don't have numbers to back this up, but have heard anecdotally that population growth in most developed/materially rich countries is decreasing and/or has leveled off already. I have also heard that the U.S.A., compared to other developed nations does have a higher growth rate, but I would venture that much of this can be attributed to immigration (?) especially in recent years/decades. I would love to see some links/facts from someone who knows more about this than I do. Globally, sure there are parts of the world where exploding populations and availability resources to meet the needs of those population concentrations are of great concern, but I - personally - don't think that an administrative population policy from Obama (or any of our leaders) is the most appropriate way to address population growth in other nations that are situated outside our national jurisdiction (if anything is outside of that). To me - when you say population policy, that will translate to can't have babies in a lot of people's minds, which is a political bomb. That is not to say I think it isn't a concern at all for the U.S.A., we definitely need to educate women (as well as the men who fertilize those women) in general and also specifically as to reproductive matters, while working with other nations to address population growth globally, but I think couching that kind of policy in (or introducing that paragraph as) a national population-control sort o! f argument is self-defeating, in political terms. I - personally - think we'd be better off focusing our limited (moreso by the day) resources on the per capita part of our impact term. Also, I think any federally-mandated/presidential policy type of effort will have limited efficacy in any arena without local action, so go hand out condoms, but don't buy as many! ;) Discussion? -Original Message- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chase D. Mendenhall Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 6:11 PM To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Co-sign LETTER TO OBAMA FROM ONE OF EARTH'S LEADING ECOLOGISTS (Stephen R. Carpenter) SIGN This Letter: http://www.gopetition.com/online/23266.html This letter was sent and thought to be received by President-Elect Barack Obama from leading ecologist Stephen R. Carpenter. This petition is simply to support the gravity of Dr. Carpenter's advice to save our life support systems. Please sign and forward on to demonstrate your support for these basic, but necessary national priorities for Brack Obama's presidency. The objective of this petitions is to organize citizens who support Stephen R. Carpenter's position of saving human life support systems, emphasize the urgency of the situation to the Obama administration and draw attention to the seemingly unnoticed 1,300 leading scientists' consensus report. Used with permission of Stephen R. Carpenter. http://www.gopetition.com/online/23266.html November 2008-- Dear President-Elect Obama, Congratulations on your election, which has created a sense of optimism in America that has never occurred before in my lifetime. Yet earth's life support systems have deteriorated more in our lifetimes than in any other era of human history. With earth's population increasing, and consumption per person growing much faster than population, humans are heating the climate, polluting air and water, degrading landscapes and turning coastal oceans to dead zones. America's food supply depends on a few fragile crops, grown using practices that degrade soil, air and water to yield foods of low nutritional value that harm our health. The U.S. is not investing in the education and innovation needed to create agriculture and energy technologies that can get us through the 21st century. Details are found in a consensus report of more than 1300 leading scientists from more than 90 nations including the U.S. (http://www.MAweb.org). These findings support the following priorities for your presidency. Decrease America's dependency on coal and oil and increase the supply of energy from non-polluting technologies: We must decrease emission of greenhouse gases, and the era of cheap oil is over. We must accelerate development of clean energy technologies using wind, sun and tides. These investments must be based on scientific information to avoid bogus remedies, such as grain biofuels, that sound good but do not in fact solve the problem. We must increase conservation through better buildings, efficient transportation, and renewal of industry. We must improve agriculture and
[ECOLOG-L] Research Internship in Panama: Ecology, Evolution and Behavior of Leaf-breeding Treefrogs
*Research Internship in Panama:* *Ecology, Evolution and Behavior of Leaf-breeding Treefrogs* We seek highly motivated US and Latin American students to join us for the summer of 2009 as interns on our NSF-funded project Fear, death, and life history switch points: cumulative effects of predation and phenotypic plasticity across three life stages. *SUMMARY:* Internships are for 3 months of field research at the Gamboa Field Station of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, in Panama with Professor Karen Warkentin of Boston University and Professor James Vonesh of Virginia Commonwealth University. They include a monthly stipend, funds for travel to the field site, and shared housing in Gamboa. We will hire 2-3 summer interns (~June--August, exact dates negotiable) and may also hire interns for later in the year (~September--November), pending additional funding. The research includes laboratory work in Gamboa, field work at local ponds, and large-scale mesocosm experiments with frog eggs, tadpoles, and metamorphs, and their natural enemies. The Warkentin and Vonesh lab team in Gamboa for the 2009 field season will include several graduate students and postdoctoral fellows as well as interns. Interns will be trained in animal behavior, evolutionary and population ecology, and tropical herpetology, and mentored on career development. The Smithsonian offers a diverse and intellectually rich international scientific community in a tropical rainforest environment. *BACKGROUND:* Members of the Warkentin and Vonesh lab at STRI study predator-prey interactions and plastic anti-predator defenses in red-eyed treefrogs (and some other frogs). Red-eyed treefrogs hatch early to escape from egg-eating snakes and wasps, metamorphose early in response to predaceous giant water bugs, and delay metamorphosis in response to semi-aquatic spiders that eat froglets. Current research addresses how the consequences of plastic 'choices' at different life stages accumulate over the life cycle, and the relative importance of plastic responses to predators vs. direct predation mortality for population processes under different ecological conditions. *TRAINING:* The interns will gain practical research experience, including participating in large collaborative experiments and conducting individual observations and/or experimental research. They will learn a substantial amount about the behavior, ecology, and natural history of leaf-breeding treefrogs and their natural enemies. They will also gain experience with appropriate methods for collecting and handling all of the animals to be used in the experiments, and with analytical methods and scientific computer software. Daily interactions with the Warkentin/Vonesh team will build a strong theoretical framework for the research, including the fundamentals of experimental design. The Gamboa Frog Seminar series, and well as seminars at STRI in Panama City will add breadth to their understanding of behavior, ecology and evolution and, more generally, tropical biology. This background, combined with the opportunity to make personal natural history observations and to discuss ideas with members of the Warkentin lab, should position the interns well to develop an individual research project after the internship. *ELIGIBILITY: *Interns must be either US citizens or residents, or citizens of a Latin American country. Latin Americans may be undergraduate students or recent graduates. For summer 2009, US citizens/residents must be undergraduate students; we may have internship opportunities for recent US graduates during fall 2009. This program is not designed for students already in graduate school. Interns will be selected based on merit, potential for the experience to benefit the intern, and potential for the intern to benefit the project. We will consider academic training and skills relevant to the research as well as personal suitability for working under field conditions and living in shared accommodations in Gamboa. We strive to create a diverse, congenial, and productive team each field season. *APPLICATION DEADLINES:* For full consideration for summer NSF-funded internships, application materials must be received by *January 15, 2009*. We will consider later applications for summer internships from students who have or are seeking their own funding from other sources (e.g. UROP, McNair, etc), or if we receive additional funding ourselves; email us to inquire. Latin American students applying for STRI internships under Prof. Warkentin's sponsorship should send application materials to her /at least/ two weeks prior to the STRI deadline for her review (earlier is better). The relevant STRI deadlines are Feb. 15, May 15 and Aug. 15. *FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY* *SEE THE WARKENTIN LAB WEBSITE* *people.bu.edu/kwarken* Informal inquiries prior to submission of
[ECOLOG-L] Call for Authors: SAGE Green Series
Please distribute widely to faculty and PhD candidates. We are inviting academic editorial contributors to the Green Series, a new electronic reference series for academic and public libraries addressing all aspects of environmental issues, including alternative energies, sustainability, politics, agriculture, and many other subjects that will comprise a 12-title set. Each title has approximately 150 articles (much like encyclopedia articles) on major themes, ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 words. We are starting the assignment process for articles for the first three titles in the series with a deadline of FEBRUARY 2, 2009: Green Energy Green Politics Green Food This comprehensive project will be published in stages by SAGE eReference and will be marketed to academic and public libraries as a digital, online product available to students via the librarys electronic services. The Series Editor is Paul Robbins, Ph.D., University of Arizona, and the General Editor for the first three titles is Dustin R. Mulvaney, Ph.D., UC-Santa Cruz. Both editors will be reviewing each submission to the project. If you are interested in contributing to this cutting-edge reference, it can be a notable publication addition to your CV/resume and broaden your publishing credits. SAGE Publications offers an honorarium ranging from SAGE book credits for smaller articles up to free access to the online product for contributions totaling 10,000 words or more (to one volume). The list of available articles is already prepared, and as a next step we will e-mail you the Article List (Excel file) from which you can select topics that best fit your expertise and interests. Additionally, Style and Submission Guidelines will be provided that detail article specifications. If you would like to contribute to building a truly outstanding reference with the Green Series, please contact me by the e-mail information below. Please provide a brief summary of your academic/publishing credentials in environmental issues. Thanks very much. Ellen Ingber Author Manager Golson Media [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[ECOLOG-L] Research Associate Position
Research Associate Carbon sequestration in intensively managed pine plantations Position Description: We are seeking a motivated scientist to manage several field laboratories in a study to investigate the productivity and environmental impacts of intensive loblolly pine silviculture. The study will focus on the impact of tree-insect interactions that result in stem defects, and possibly reduced productivity and carbon sequestration. The successful candidate will be responsible for establishment and maintenance of two field sites located in the coastal plain and Piedmont of North Carolina. At each site, we will establish tree plantations of loblolly pine with improved genetics to determine rates of biomass production, stand-level carbon cycling and storage. The project is funded for two years, with strong possibility of continued funding. The successful candidate will be responsible for the following duties: establish field sites; plant and care for the trees; periodic destructive and non-destructive measurements to monitor growth; analysis of forest floor and soil carbon; plant and soil nutrient analysis; measurement of photosynthesis, water relations and soil respiration; data management and analysis; guiding tours of the field sites; and supervising undergraduate student workers. Significant travel within North Carolina will be a part of this position. The candidate will also be expected to participate in advanced data analysis, publication of results in peer-reviewed journals, and attendance at scientific meetings. Qualifications: The successful candidate will have a PhD in forestry, forest ecophysiology, or related field at the time of appointment. Previous work experience in a forestry-related field is advantageous, as is experience in evaluating stem form and quality, tree physiology measurements, carbon and nutrient cycling studies, forest pathology, or forest hydrology. A strong work ethic, ability to work outdoors and travel, and interest in working with a diverse array of students, faculty, and forest products industry representatives would be beneficial. Experience at running field experiments, building fences, large-scale tree planting, basic carpentry, etc. would be beneficial but not required. Starting salary will range from $40,000 to 50,000, depending on qualifications, and can begin as soon as a qualified person is located. Continued employment is contingent upon satisfactory performance of duties and availability of funding. Applicants should apply for position # 05-38-0809 through NCSU’s online Human Resources jobs site (http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/hr/job_applicants/). NCSU is AA/EEO employer. In addition, NC State welcomes all persons without regard to sexual orientation. Final candidates for employment are subject to criminal sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. A previous criminal conviction does not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for employment. However, failure to provide complete accurate information will be considered falsification and applicants will be removed from consideration.
Re: [ECOLOG-L] Co-sign LETTER TO OBAMA FROM ONE OF EARTH'S LEADING ECOLOGISTS (Stephen R. Carpenter)
The letter to Obama is a great idea, and hopefully will have some effect, short-term at least. Meanwhile, a professional society position statement carries more weight and is relatively timeless in effect, so this ECOLOG discussion is probably a good context for revisiting the proposed ESA position on economic growth. Policy Statement on Economic Growth Proposed for Adoption by the Ecological Society of America on July 12, 2007 List of Proposers Updated March 20, 2008 Proposed by ESA Members Warren Aney, Paul Angermeier, Robert Baldwin, Randy Bangert, Alice Bard, Terry Bowyer, Mark Boyce, Cara Lin Bridgman, Jim Brown, Joel Brown, Peter Brussard, David Bryant, John Cairns, Joseph Cech, Jameson Chace, Dana Coelho, Christopher Craft, Brian Czech, Dominick DellaSala, David Ehrenfeld, Elmer Finck, Dan Fiscus, Curt Flather, Edward Gates, Joseph Gathman, Brian Halstead, Rod Heitschmidt, Jeff Houlahan, Nancy Johnson, Evan Kane, Rick Knight, Nicola Koper, Erika Latty, Josh Lawler, Chris Lepczyk, Karin Limburg, Richard Lindroth, Michael Lowe, Michael Marsh, Carl McDaniel, Eliot McIntire, Guy McPherson, David Mech, Chris Papouchis, Andrew Park, Mary Price, Kenneth Raedeke, Heather Reynolds, Todd Rinaldi, Winston Smith, Nicholas Stowe, Teresa Tibbets, Stephen Trombulak, Gerald Van Amburg, Skip Van Bloem, Ashwani Vasishth, Robert Wagner, Mohan Wali, David Walls, Nick Waser, Jake Weltzin, John Yunger, Richard York, and Patricia Zaradic. Background Economic growth is an increase in the production and consumption of goods and services. It requires increasing population and/or per capita production and consumption. It is indicated by measures of production, income, and expenditure, most notably gross domestic product (GDP). Economic growth is a function of land, labor, and capital. Capital may be real or financial. Real capital includes natural capital, manufactured capital, and human capital. Natural capital may take the form of raw materials (e.g., oil, timber, fish) or services (e.g., solar radiation, water filtration, climate regulation). Manufactured capital includes the infrastructure, plant, and machinery that are used in the production of consumer goods or additional manufactured capital, or in the performance of services. Human capital refers to various aspects of the human condition that allow for higher productivity; for example, education, information, and health. The economic production process entails the conversion of natural capital into manufactured capital (including service facilities) and consumer goods and services by the application of labor, manufactured capital, and human capital. Some services may be performed with little manufactured capital, but natural capital in the form of energy and/or agricultural commodities are nevertheless required for such performance. Essentially, the human economy has a sectoral structure that reflects the trophic structure of the ecosystem. The ecosystem comprises an economy of nature that is founded upon the producers, or plants, which produce their own food in the process of photosynthesis. Among the animals, primary consumers eat plants, secondary consumers eat primary consumers, etc. In some ecosystems more than five distinct trophic levels may be identified. Omnivores consume in more than one trophic level, and many species are omnivorous to some extent. Some species, such as pollinators, detritivores, and scavengers, are aptly characterized as service providers in the economy of nature. The human economy is also founded upon producers, most notably the agricultural and extractive sectors. Surplus production in these sectors is what allows for the division of labor. Laborers and other individuals consume products from the agricultural sectors for sustenance, and manufacturing sectors transform energy and raw materials from the extractive sectors into consumer goods and manufactured capital. Service sectors, such as janitorial, transportation, and financial services, are an integral component of the full economy, as with the service providers in the economy of nature. Macroeconomic Policy and the Environment Of primary concern to the Ecological Society of America is the relationship of economic growth to the functional integrity and sustainability of the ecosystem, which in turn has implications for the sustainability of the economy itself. The Ecological Society of America is also concerned with the lack of public policy dialog on the implications of macroeconomic policy to ecological integrity and economic sustainability. Furthermore, in the limited dialog that does occur, there appears to be confusion about limits to economic growth and the tradeoffs between economic growth and environmental protection. The Ecological Society of America believes ecologists have a unique conceptual toolkit, as a result of their training and
[ECOLOG-L] Please post
Two Faculty Positions in the Sustainability of Rural Landscapes Assistant and Associate/Full Professor W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and Dept of Sociology Michigan State University Michigan State University (MSU) seeks to fill two tenure-track faculty positions (one Assistant Professor and one Associate/Full Professor) in the area of Sustainability of Rural Landscapes. We seek individuals with expertise in environmental science and the relationships among ecology, technology, social change, and policy. These positions will enhance interdepartmental research in the Department of Sociology and at MSU, with particular focus on strengthening social science research at MSU's Kellogg Biological Station (KBS). Both positions will be joint between KBS and the Department of Sociology (SOC) with a tenure home in SOC and a possible affiliation with the Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) at MSU. The positions will have appointments with the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station to support research. At least one of these positions is expected to be resident at KBS, a biological field station of Michigan State University (www.kbs.msu.edu) with a year-round resident faculty located ~65 miles from East Lansing. KBS hosts an NSF-supported LTER program on the ecology of row-crop systems (www.kbs.msu.edu/lter), a DOE-funded Great Lakes BioEnergy Research Center (GLBRC; www.glbrc.org) on the sustainability of biofuels, and is establishing a pasture-based dairy with support from the WK Kellogg Foundation. These facilities all support research on the sustainability of agricultural landscapes and the vitality of rural communities that involve KBS and campus-based faculty and other institutions, and are expected to provide research opportunities for both positions. The scholarly focus is environmental science and the relationships among ecology, technology, social change and policy; areas of emphasis include, but are not limited to, socio-ecological issues of agricultural landscapes and production systems, policy issues relevant to ecosystem services (biodiversity and introduced species), coupled human and natural systems, and the sustainability of bio-based economies, including alternative energy. These positions will complement existing strengths in ecology, environmental and agricultural science at KBS, the Department of Sociology, and social science across the University. The faculty candidates will teach undergraduate and graduate courses in sociology that contribute to educational programs at KBS and to one of the five focal research areas of the Department of Sociology (www.sociology.msu.edu). These are academic year appointments with a 60% research 40% teaching responsibility split. Applicants must have a Ph.D. and show evidence of the capacity to establish an extramurally-funded and interdisciplinary research program. Preference will be given to individuals with interdisciplinary research experience that can strengthen the research programs in both KBS and Sociology. International experience or demonstrated interest in international regions is an advantage. Questions and applications should be sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED], addressed to the Sustainability Search Committee, Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, with Search Committee, Sustainability of Rural Landscapes in the subject line. Applications should include a curriculum vita, statements of research and teaching interests (including current and long-term goals), and names and contact information for three references, sent electronically as a single pdf. Review of applications will begin on 15 December 2008 and will continue until an appropriate candidate is identified. Further information about KBS and SOC can be found at www.kbs.msu.edu and www.sociology.msu.edu. MSU is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution; women and minorities are particularly welcome to apply. Date position is available: August 16, 2009 Organization: Michigan State University Departmental Representatives: Dr. Nan Johnson, Search Committee Co-Chair, Department of Sociology ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Dr. G. Philip Robertson, Search Committee Co-Chair, Kellogg Biological Station ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
[ECOLOG-L] PhD projects in Quebec and Alberta
Three PhD projects in stand and soil carbon dynamics and soil chemistry in boreal forest under variable fire regime Wildfire is the main agent of natural disturbance in the boreal black spruce forest of eastern Canada. We are looking for a candidate for a PhD project that is part of a larger multi-university effort to evaluate carbon stocks in vegetation and soils under variable fire intensity. This specific project will examine the interaction between fire severity and carbon accumulation in developing vegetation as well as soils, including impacts of salvage logging, which is frequent after fire in this region. The candidate must be ready for difficult conditions in the field and also considerable lab work. The student will be a member of a dynamic research centre, Center for Forest Research (http://www.cef-cfr.ca), which involves 51 researchers and over 300 graduate students in 8 universities of Quebec. For more information about the research team and my own laboratory see: http://www.cef-cfr.ca/index.php?n=Membres.AlisonMunson http://www.cef-cfr.ca/index.php?n=Membres.AlisonMunson Although Quebec is a French-speaking university, PhD students have a minimum of course work, and this can be accommodated depending on the level of French of the candidate. This is a great opportunity to acquire a second or third language. Quebec City, which turned 400 years old this year, is a wonderful place to live and work, especially if you like outdoor activity AND interesting culture. Interested persons can send a CV (with coordinates of at least two references), and a copy of latest academic record to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The post will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. A second PhD project associated with this effort is under supervision of Sylvie Quideau and Rod Wasylishen, in the Departments of Renewable Resources(http://www.ales.ualberta.ca/rr/) and Chemistry (http://www.chem.ualberta.ca/), University of Alberta, Edmonton. This specific project uses a variety of methods, including NMR and stable isotopes, to evaluate the quantity and fate of charcoal in the soil profile under different environmental conditions. Edmonton is a fast-growing city of over 1 million people, and is home to a vibrant arts community, various festivals and many outdoor recreational activities along its vast river valley and in the nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains. Established in 1908, the University of Alberta is one of Canada's largest research-intensive universities. Interested persons can send a CV (with coordinates of at least two references), and a copy of latest academic record to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] file:///C:[EMAIL PROTECTED] The post will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. The third position is in landscape modelling, supervised by Steve Cumming and Sylvie Gauthier. The student will work on coupled dynamic models of forest landscapes, forest stands and subsurface carbon and nitrogen pools. The stand dynamics model will be size-class-structured demographic model of the tree population on the patch scale (e.g. 1ha), to be calibrated from forest mensuration data. Patches will interact on the landscape through spatial processes of fire, seed dispersal and, possibly, forest harvesting. The above-ground models will drive the subsurface models which will be specified and parameterised using the empirical findings of, and in collaboration with, other project members. A good grounding in quantitative ecology and statistics and some familiarity with computer programming would be a definite asset. The student will be part of an active and growing meta-lab on spatial simulation, statistical ecology and conservation biology of boreal forest. For more information, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Alison Munson Professor, Forest Ecology Center for Forest Studies Pavillon Abitibi-Price Université Laval Québec QC, CANADA, G1K 7P4 Tél: +001 418 656-7669 Fax: +001 418 656-5262
