Meeting Theme: Linking Extreme Events, Ecosystem Resilience & Human
Well-Being
New Orleans, LA Sunday, Aug 5 - Fr Aug 10, 2018
Extreme events: WildFires, hurricanes, volcanoes, tsunamis,
earthquakes, tornados, floods.
Dear Colleagues -
The 2018 Ecological Society of America Meeting is being held in New
Orleans from Sunday August 5th - Friday August 10th with the theme:
Linking Extreme Events, Ecosystem Resilience & Human Well-Being, is even
more poignant with the onset of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. In
response to the discussions at the Portland meeting in our Education,
Justice and Inclusion sessions, Leanne Jablonski (Environmental Justice)
and Kim Bjorgo-Thorne (Education Section) are proposing we move forward
on submitting one (or two if we have enough interest) Organized Oral
Sessions. If interested in joining us as co-organizers, to further these
ideas, please let us know.
We invite your response to either of these two sessions (If we have
enough, perhaps we can propose 2 organized oral sessions; otherwise
will combine into one.
+Your own interest in presenting and a proposed title
+Your nomination/suggestion of others who you (or suggest we) could
approach/invite.
Session 1: WORKING TITLE: Lessons Learned from Houston, New Orleans &
Other Hurricanes. Justice Connections between People & Ecosystems:
Harvey, Katrina, Sandy & Aftermath.
(Featuring some presenters who live or have worked in New Orleans, as
well as those who have used Katrina/New Orleans, Harvey/Houston & Sandy
(NY/NJ) as a learning context)
Possible talks/topics to be addressed:
+Feature people engaged currently in work In New Orleans (perhaps new to
ESA - to help us to learn from them). (all aspects that connect to
environment and justice: including socio-ecological, cultural, health,
community-based, faith-based, governmental and NGO, etc.
+People who were impacted by Katrina - what are the challenges post-
Katrina ?
+Education and outreach learning activities and approaches from those
who have used Katrina and other hurricanes and floods (Sandy, Harvey,
etc) as a context or springboard for learning
+ Best educational practices/learning. Including ‘case studies’ or
particular educational approaches and activities
+ Focus on any/all levels of education: Informal, non-formal, general
public, high school/youth or college level all welcome
+Particular cultural approaches
+Ecosystem restoration in New Orleans area
+Approaches to any of the environmental aspects: water (freshwater and
marine, land/soil, wildlife, pollution, etc.)
+Linking Climate change Education & Outreach with Increased storms &
flooding
+Are disproportionate impacts increasing ? (where severe storms/floods
and socio-economics)
+ Post-Katrina, Harvey/ other storms & rebuilding - Gentrification in
New Orleans/Houston and elsewhere, including impacts (urban issues from
extreme events)
+How are organizations collaborating? Best ways to work in partnerships
Role of Ecologists and role of other humans in ecosystem
resilience/rebuilding
+What is needed from ecologists to best serve partners/impacted humans?
What systemic changes are needed to ensure ecosystem resilience & human
well-being?
Session 2: Justice Dimensions of Extreme Events; Applying Ecology,
Education and Outreach
(Featuring ecosystem-justice examples that are neither US hurricanes nor
Houston & New Orleans, such as wildfires, volcanoes, tsunamis,
earthquakes, tornados, floods).
+Consider human induced extreme events that shift human population
dynamics and/or contribute to injustice
+Superfund and other pollution events, highways, brownfields, Urban
changes etc that shift demographics or change impacts
+Feature all aspects and approaches that connect to environment and
justice: including socio-ecological, cultural, health, community-based,
faith-based, governmental and NGO, etc.
+Education and outreach learning activities and approaches from those
who have used extreme events as a context or springboard for learning
Best educational practices/learning. Including ‘case studies’ or
particular educational approaches and activities
+Focus on any/all levels of education: Informal, non-formal, general
public, high school/youth or college level all welcome
Particular cultural approaches or impacts
+Ecosystem resilience: How are we educating about it, and making
connections in ecology education
+How have our outreach and partnerships changed (past, present, future
possibilities(
+What is our role as ecologists after a catastrophic event?
What does the local community need from us?
--In terms of education and outreach and partnerships, especially
with community-based groups and programs.
--In providing data, doing science WITH the community and their
questions and concerns & giving them the tools
--Impact of extreme events or ecosystem resilience on
disproportional impacts (injustice)
--Gentrification and other urban impacts after extreme events
--Educating in the face of denial; holding to the integrity of
science amid the disasters
* If interested in presenting, please email us back as soon as possible
(and no later than September 10th) with a working title, your
affiliation / justice/education/outreach role pertinent and your email
address and best phone number.
* If nominating someone - feel free to give a proposed talk title
(subject area) and their job/justice/educational role, email address,
and feel free to forward this to them.
Thanks and look forward to hearing from you!
Leanne & Kim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leanne M. Jablonski FMI, PhD
Scholar for Faith & Environment
Hanley Sustainability Institute, University of Dayton
Coordinator, Sustainability, Energy Environment (SEE) Integrated
Learning-Living Community (ILLC)
Director, Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC)
email: [email protected]
Ph: (Direct: 937/426-5388)
Kim Bjorgo-Thorne, PhD
Assistiant Professor, West Virginia Wesleyan College
Environmental Studies Program Coordinator
Past-chair, ESA Education Section
[email protected]
304.473.8126 (voice)
