Wednesday, August 6, 2008: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
202 C, Midwest Airlines Center
OOS 14 - Ecological Education Furthering Environmental Justice
Because ecologists and ecological knowledge can contribute to alleviating environmental injustices, it is critical to determine the most effective practices in providing ecological information to both environmentally impacted communities and to authoritative decision-makers. The greater the ecological knowledge of stakeholders - including affected community members, legislators, resource managers, and non-affected members of the wider community - the more likely that effective resolutions can be achieved. Topics to be addressed in this session include: (1) developing effective educational strategies that lead to effective communication of ecological information; (2) determining what types of information are needed and useful to affected communities; (3) developing user-friendly information packages; (4) assessing effectiveness of ecological and environmental education efforts; (5) building and sustaining stakeholder relationships; (6) determining barriers to effective collaboration and how to remove them; and (7) building partnerships that include opportunities of benefit to ecologists (e.g., opportunities for participatory research). This session features case studies spanning ecological domains including aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and ranging from pristine wildlife to agricultural to urban. The communities impacted by environmental justice (EJ) are culturally and geographically diverse, and the issues addressed range from the quality and access to natural resources and wildlife, food resources, and human health. Presenters include ecologists and social scientists working in academic, government, business, and non-profit settings, as well as EJ practitioners who rely on ecological data and information. Presenters will highlight and assess the effectiveness of formal, informal and non-formal education and communication approaches that have been used to address EJ issues. They will examine how partnerships between ecologists, EJ-impacted communities, and others can advance ecological literacy and the application of ecology to societal needs. ESA members from diverse workplace settings will benefit from the insights and principles presented, which will enhance understanding of EJ issues and EJ-relevant dimensions of research fields, and of how we can be more effective educators and partners with local communities. This session is sponsored by the ESA EJ Working Group (soon to be the Environmental Justice Section) and promotes the engagement of ecologists in addressing environmental injustice issues. It builds upon the 2006 Ecology and Environmental Justice Symposium and the companion April 2007 Bulletin article, and moves forward the education, research, and outreach needs articulated at the ESA 2007 Meeting Special Session: Environmental Justice, Ecology and Restoration: Advancing the Agenda.
Organizer:	Leanne M. Jablonski, Marianist Environmental Education Center
Co-organizers:	George A. Middendorf, Howard University John D. Cubit, NOAA Charles H. Nilon, University of Missouri - Columbia
Moderator:	George A. Middendorf, Howard University
8:00 AM	OOS 14-1		The moral disengagement of the carbon footprint Roberto Gonzalez-Plaza, Indigenous Education Institute
8:20 AM	OOS 14-2		Tuskegee Black Belt project Ramble Ankumah, Tuskegee University, Raymond Shirk, Tuskegee University, Robert Zabawa, Tuskegee University
8:40 AM	OOS 14-3		Educational poverty in Indigenous communities Mimi E. Lam, University of British Columbia
9:00 AM	OOS 14-4		Environmental awareness mission to remote villages in Enugu Nigeria, West Africa Godfrey Uzochukwu, North Carolina A&T State University, Mary Uzochukwu, North Carolina A&T State University
9:20 AM	OOS 14-5		Faith-based communities and environmental justice: Opportunities for ecology education Leanne M. Jablonski, Marianist Environmental Education Center, Gregory F. Hitzhusen, The Ohio State University
9:40 AM			Break
9:50 AM	OOS 14-6		Parks and people: An ecological approach to natural resource management and environmental stewardship in urban settings Mary Lynn Washington, The Parks & People Foundation
10:10 AM	OOS 14-7		Integrating underserved groups into scientific endeavors Rebecca Jordan, Rutgers University, Wesley R. Brooks, Rutgers University, David T. Mellor, Rutgers University
10:30 AM	OOS 14-8		From managerial to entreprenurial urban ecology: Challenges with devolving forestry to the local private sector Harold A. Perkins, Ohio University
10:50 AM	OOS 14-9		Broader impacts: Linking research, education, and outreach Sonia Ortega, National Science Foundation

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See more of The 93rd ESA Annual Meeting (August 3 -- August 8, 2008)