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Historical review

History of Long-Term Ecology Research

The latest HRC newsletter (April 2020) offers a look back in recognition of the 40th anniversary of LTER programming. Here’s the introduction: The Long-Term Ecological Research Program turns Forty 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. Initially described as a “pilot project” and an “experiment,” the program started modestly with only…

Fifty Years Ago: The Development of Thermal Ecology at SREL

Fifty Years Ago: The Development of Thermal Ecology at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratoryby Sharon KingslandFrom the HRC newsletter, #16, January 2019Download the January 2019 HRC Newsletter, as pdf.The recent passing of Rebecca (Becky) Sharitz in October 2018 prompts reflections on how the national laboratories created after the Second World War provided opportunities for the growth of ecology and the…

ESA’s Sixth Decade (1966–1975): Start of ESA’s Second Half-Century

By Kiyoko Miyanishi Reprinted from the ESA Bulletin, Vol 96(4), October 2015, pp 513-518. A caveat on this series of Bulletin articles on ESA by decade: this is not any kind of official history of ESA but simply one person’s selective summary of interesting information gleaned from reading past ESA Bulletins. During the sixth decade, ESA membership rose from ~3000…

References for the History of Ecology

For the history of ESA, see ESA History References. Resources for the History of Ecology Bocking, Stephen. 1997. Ecologists and Environmental Politics: A History of Contemporary Ecology. Yale University Press, New Haven. Croker, Robert A. 1991. Pioneer ecologist: the life and work of Victor Ernest Shelford, 1877-1968. Washington, D.C. Egerton, Frank N. (ed.). 1977. History of American Ecology. Arno Press,…

References for ESA’s History

Numerous websites, books, and papers describe the history of ecology (see History of Ecology, References). This page provides sources on the history of the Ecological Society of America. History of the Ecological Society of America For a summary of important events in the history of ESA, go to Timelines. For information on ESA’s repository for historical documents, go to Archives….

Original ESA Members

In 1917, shortly after its founding, ESA published a detailed directory, or “handbook,” based on questions asked of its early members. The list provided documentation of the individuals’ professional position, field of study, research methods, and other details, making it an invaluable resource for historians. See full directory spreadsheet here. In placing this text version here, our goal is to…

ESA’s Fifth Decade: A Period of Growth

By Kiyoko Miyanishi Reprinted from the ESA Bulletin, Vol 96(1), January 2015, pp 41-44. ESA’s fifth decade (1956–1965) began with its membership standing at 1364. With the Membership Committee’s concerted efforts (such as scanning over 40 scientific journals to identify potential members and mailing out 5000 invitations each year at a cost of $500), membership increased to >3000 by the…

ESA’s Fourth Decade: The Post-War Years

By Kiyoko Miyanishi Reprinted from the ESA Bulletin, Vol 95(4), October 2014, pp 303-317. ESA’s fourth decade (1946–1955) coincided with the start of the Cold War, and the Society was not immune to its impact. The September 1951 Bulletin reported that ESA had received a request (from whom wasn’t stated) for “a definition of its field of activity suitable for…