Ecological Society of America's Initiatives and Contributions During the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Forty-eight hours after the BP oil rig explosion and fire on 20 April 2010, ESA's Public Affairs Office got in touch with media contacts, offering them contact information for ESA's Rapid Response Team (RRT). Reporters from Newsweek and other media outlets sought ESA's help in providing scientific perspectives on the unfolding oil spill. The willingness of RRT members to respond quickly to media inquiries about unexpected disasters such as this one makes it possible for ESA to be a valuable and timely resource for reporters. Several weeks later, Public Affairs staff interviewed members of its RRT to put together a special question-and-answer blog post on questions about the oil spill: 〈http://www.esa.org/esablog/ecology-in-policy/qa-ecologists-assess-oil-spill-damage/〉 By early May, it became clear that ESA could and should do more to try and help. What additional activity would make the most sense for a scientific membership organization, and what did those working on the problem directly need? The Society's strength is in its 10,000 members, who possess both ecological expertise and a passion for the environment. After several e-mails among ESA President Mary Power, ESA RRT member Felicia Coleman (who as director of Florida State University's Coastal and Marine Laboratory was extremely close to the unfolding disaster), ESA's Executive Director Katherine McCarter, and Student Section chair Rob Salguero-Gomez, it became clear that data from pre-spill conditions would be of great help to the Gulf Coast states. Katherine McCarter and ESA Director of Public Affairs Nadine Lymn got on the phone with the Society's Student Section leaders, Rob Salguero-Gomez and Jorge Ramos, to figure out the best way to make this happen. Thanks to the tremendous enthusiasm of Rob and Jorge, it was agreed that they would take the lead in mobilizing the ecological community to share their relevant data sets. They e-mailed Student Section officers and SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability) students to help out by informing research institutions, agencies, and local universities within the affected states about the existence of the ESA database. Following this initiative and direct calls to the community through listservs and social networks, ecologists and other scientists started e-mailing data sets and photographs to the ESA's Student Section. Jorge and Rob then collated the information, making it available via a special page on ESA's web site to resource managers in the affected Gulf Coast states. ESA Student Section leaders and Public Affairs staff also distributed a compilation of state-specific links for opportunities to volunteer with clean-up and rescue of oiled wildlife. In addition, ESA staff prepared a Taking Action post on the Society's blog 〈http://www.esa.org/esablog/research/conservation/taking-action-what-is-being-done-and-what-you-can-do-for-the-gulf/〉 Later that spring, ESA's Public Affairs Committee and staff organized a special Opening Plenary Panel for the Society's August Annual Meeting that focused on environmental disasters, including the BP oil spill. In the fall of 2010, thanks to the urging of ESA members with insights into previous oil spills (e.g., Diana Padilla and Josh Schimel), ESA prepared two letters that stressed the need for independent scientific research assessments of the impacts of the spill on the Gulf Coast. One letter was directed to John Holdren, President Obama's Science Advisor, and emphasized the need to ensure that funding for researchers studying the aftermath of incidents caused by industry does not impose constraints on researchers' data and other intellectual property. The other letter, directed to the U.S. Senate, which was slated to take up related legislation, laid out the need for public access to independent scientific research results from the BP disaster. With excellent input from individual ecologists, including Susan Williams and Christopher D'Elia, this ESA letter attracted endorsement from 13 other scientific organizations,* *The organizations listed below endorsed ESA's letter on the BP oil spill. American Institute of Biological Sciences American Society of Agronomy American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Council of Environmental Deans and Directors Crop Science Society of America Ecological Society of America National Council for Science and the Environment Natural Science Collections Alliance North American Benthological Society Ornithological Council Society for Conservation Biology Society of Wetland Scientists Soil Science Society of America and was distributed to all Senators. American Institute of Biological Sciences American Society of Agronomy American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Council of Environmental Deans and Directors Crop Science Society of America Ecological Society of America National Council for Science and the Environment Natural Science Collections Alliance North American Benthological Society Ornithological Council Society for Conservation Biology Society of Wetland Scientists Soil Science Society of America Over a year later, ESA's Public Affairs Office continues to track developments related to the oil disaster and to share that information broadly. It is gratifying to work and be part of an organization of members who are so willing to help by freely giving their time, energy, and expertise. The Society's response to the BP oil spill shows ESA members' dedication to their science, the environment, and to society at large. It is probably not the last occasion for which such efforts will be needed. American Institute of Biological Sciences American Society of Agronomy American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Council of Environmental Deans and Directors Crop Science Society of America Ecological Society of America National Council for Science and the Environment Natural Science Collections Alliance North American Benthological Society Ornithological Council Society for Conservation Biology Society of Wetland Scientists Soil Science Society of America