FYI... Stefanie Rixecker ECOFEM Coordinator ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 16:02:39 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Kate Wing) Subject: New Report on U.S. Ecosystem Conditions FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 27, 1999 Heinz Center Releases Report on U.S. Ecosystem Conditions http://www.us-ecosystems.org/ The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment today released a study that provides a foundation for periodic reports on the state of the Nation's ecosystems. "This is the first step toward truly reliable and regular reports on the condition of our natural resources," said William Merrell, President of the Heinz Center. Under the leadership of William Clark, Professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, the Heinz Center project that produced the study brought together a wide range of experts from industry, conservation groups, academia, and government agencies in an unusual collaboration. More than 100 individuals joined various committees and working groups, contributed information, or reviewed the work in progress. "If the point of the exercise is to develop a reporting system that is perceived as fair and accurate, then it is essential that every stakeholder comes out of the process with a sense of ownership," said Tom Jorling, chairman of the project's Advisory Committee and Vice President for Environmental Affairs at the International Paper Company. The report, Designing a Report on the State of the Nation's Ecosystems, is a prototype, intended to elicit comments, criticism and suggestions on the project's initial approach and preliminary findings. In 2001, The Heinz Center will issue an expanded report covering all ecosystems of the United States. The prototype provides a framework of indicators to describe the extent of U.S. ecosystems, the human uses of those systems, and their basic condition. It draws data from public and private sources to describe croplands, forests, and coasts and oceans. The 2001 version of the Report on the State of the Nation's Ecosystems will analyze three additional systems: freshwater; arid lands and rangelands; and cities and suburbs, in addition to updating the 1999 report. In following a core set of indicators across ecosystems and over time, the report mirrors the approach used in the collection and reporting of economic data. "Periodic reports on leading economic indicators, such as employment, production, and trade are fundamental tools for making investments and determining economic policy," Clark said. "Developing analogous indicators for the environment is long overdue and fundamental to the quest for sustainable environmental policies." Although environmental information is produced by many public agencies and private interests, it is rarely synthesized or brought together to improve overall understanding of broad trends in forests, croplands, or coastal resources. Indeed, different interests often report only what they find most useful. "I get opinions every day," said Rep. Saxton, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and Oceans, "but I need timely, accurate information in a meaningful context, and that is why I support this project and applaud its report." Project participants were often unable to find reliable information on key ecosystem topics. The Report includes conspicuous blanks to highlight these key unmet needs. Interested parties are encouraged to critique the prototype, which will be updated and modified as data on the additional ecosystems is being compiled for the final report. "This is a work in progress," Clark said. "We will include improvements in the final report that are inspired by comments on the prototype." For more information or for a printed version, contact: Robin O'Malley The Heinz Center, 1001 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 735 South Washington, DC 20004 202/737-6307 State of the Nations Ecosystems The Heinz Center gratefully acknowledges the financial and in-kind support provided by the following public and private entities, without which this project would not be possible: The Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, and Office of Naval Research (Grant Number N000014-97-1071). The Chevron Corporation, John Deere & Company, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, the Electric Power Research Institute, the S.C. Johnson Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, and the Vira I. Heinz Endowment. DESIGN COMMITTEE WILLIAM C. CLARK, CHAIR Professor, JFK School of Government Harvard University TOM BANCROFT Vice President, Ecology and Economics Research The Wilderness Society ROSINA BIERBAUM Assistant Director for Environment Office of Science & Technology Policy CARROL BOLEN Vice President of Legal and Government Affairs Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. LAWRENCE CLARK (MAY 1999 TO PRESENT) Deputy Chief, Science & Technology U.S. Department of Agriculture TERRY DAVIES Director, Center for Risk Management Resources for the Future DAVID ERVIN Director, Policy Studies Program Henry A. Wallace Institute TERRY GARCIA Assistant Secretary for Oceans & Atmosphere NOAA SUZANNE IUDICELLO MARTLEY Special Counsel for Fisheries Center for Marine Conservation DEBORAH JENSEN Vice President, Conservation Science Division The Nature Conservancy ALAN LUCIER Senior Vice President National Council of the Paper Industry for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. MAURY MAUSBACH (JAN. 1998 TO MAY 1999) Deputy Chief, Soil Survey & Resource Assessment USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service JERRY MELILLO Co-Director, Ecosystem Center Marine Biological Laboratory MIKE NUSSMAN Vice President American Sportfishing Association GORDON ORIANS Professor Emeritus, Zoology Department University of Washington FRAN PIERCE Professor, Crop & Soil Science Department Michigan State University LOU PITELKA Director, Appalachian Laboratory University of Maryland System, representing the Electric Power Research Institute PAUL SABATIER Department of Environmental Sciences & Policy University of California, Davis DON SCAVIA Director, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science NOAA MARK SCHAEFER Deputy Assistant Secretary for Science U.S. Department of Interior BUD WARD Executive Director Environmental Health Center DOUGLAS WHEELER (formerly) Secretary, Resources Agency of California (currently) Hogan & Hartson L.L.P. CROPLANDS WORK GROUP FRAN PIERCE, CHAIR Professor, Crop & Soil Science Department Michigan State University JERI BERC Resource Inventory Division USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service DANIEL DOOLEY Dooley, Herr & Williams GEORGE HALLBERG The Cadmus Group MAUREEN HINCKLE (retired) Director, Agricultural Policy National Audubon Society RICHARD JOHNSON (DECEASED) Manager, Agronomic Services Deere & Co. Technical Center JIM HRUBOVCAK Economic Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture EGIDE NIZEYIMANA Environmental Resources Research Institute Penn State University GARY W. PETERSEN Co-Director, Office for Remote Sensing of Earth Resources Penn State University DAVID S. SHRINER (formerly) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (currently) U.S. Forest Service BOBBY STEWART Director, Dryland Agriculture Institute West Texas A&M University FOREST WORK GROUP ALAN LUCIER, CHAIR Senior Vice President National Council of the Paper Industry for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. TOM BANCROFT Vice President, Ecology and Economics Research The Wilderness Society ARTHUR W. COOPER Department of Forestry North Carolina State University DAVID DARR Resource Valuation & Use Research U.S. Forest Service DOMINICK A. DELLASALA Director of U.S. Forest Conservation Programs World Wildlife Fund PETER FARNUM Director, Timberlands Forestry Research Weyerhaeuser Company RICH GULDIN Director of Science, Policy, Planning, Inventory & Information U.S. Forest Service DEBORAH JENSEN Vice President, Conservation Science Division The Nature Conservancy ROBERT MANGOLD National Manager, Forest Health Monitoring Program U.S. Forest Service HELGA VAN MIEGROET Assistant Professor, Wildland Soils & Biogeochemistry Utah State University COASTS & OCEANS WORK GROUP DON SCAVIA, CHAIR Director, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science NOAA BRIAN BAIRD Ocean Program Manager California Resources Agency GIL BERGQUIST Associate Director, Florida Center for Public Management DENISE BREITBURG Academy of Natural Sciences CARLOS FETTEROLF National Sea Grant Review Panel JOHN HOEY (formerly) National Fisheries Institute (currently) NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service MARY HOPE KATSOUROS The Heinz Center LYNN KUTNER The Nature Conservancy DOUG LIPTON Professor, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics University of Maryland MIKE MAC Science Advisor Biological Resources Division, USGS TOM MALONE Director Horn Point Environmental Laboratory PATRICK O'BRIEN Ecology Team Leader Chevron Corporation JACK SOBEL Center for Marine Conservation KEVIN SUMMERS Gulf Ecology Division Environmental Protection Agency ADVISORY COMMITTEE TOM JORLING, CHAIR Vice President, Environmental Affairs International Paper Company WILLIAM CLARK Professor, JFK School of Government Harvard University JOHN FLICKER President National Audubon Society THE HONORABLE DAN GLICKMAN Secretary of Agriculture THEODORE HULLAR Director, Cornell Center for the Environment Cornell University CHARLES JOHNSON Chairman, President and CEO Pioneer Hi-bred International JOHN SAWHILL President and CEO The Nature Conservancy THE HONORABLE JIM SAXTON U.S. Representative from New Jersey ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project is the result of countless hours of work by many collaborators and reviewers. The Heinz Center is grateful for their dedication--without their efforts this report would not exist. Many of the people we have acknowledged were critical in collecting data and preparing it for this report, and there are others who contributed behind the scenes. To all we have named here, and to those we may have missed, we thank you. James Agee, University of Washington Art Allen, USGS Jeff Amthor, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Margot Anderson, USDA Susan S. Andrews, USDA D. James Baker, NOAA Dan Basta, NOAA Carol Baumann, Center for Marine Conservation Kerry Bolognese, NASULGC Dan Botkin, George Mason University Steve Brady, USDA Forest Service Vince Breneman, USDA Suzanne Bricker, NOAA Juliette Brown, Gibson Creative John Brown, Gibson Creative Melissa Cahn, National Park Service Kelton Clarke, Academy of Natural Sciences Kathryn Clement, USGS Mike Collopy, USGS Barbara Conkling, USDA Forest Service Renee Connor, Johnson Worldwide Controls Ken Cordell, USDA Forest Service Gladys Cotter, USGS Ann Covalt, independent writer Maurice Crawford, Academy of Natural Sciences Eric Crecilius, Battelle Sequim Marine Laboratory Tom Culliton, NOAA Tom Dahl, USFWS Paul Dayton, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Linda Deegan, Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory Jennifer Dempsey, American Farmland Trust Elena Deshler, USGS Eric Dobson, NOAA Jerry Dobson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Otto Doering, Purdue University Debbie Drake, California Resources Agency Paul Dresler, Dept. of the Interior Sam Droege, USGS Don Erman, University of California at Davis Dan Farrow, NOAA Denny Fenn, USGS Chris Field, Carnegie Institution of Washington Don Field, NOAA Kurt Flather, USDA Forest Service Doug Florian, NOAA Nancy Foster, NOAA Tom Franklin, The Wildlife Society Warren Freas, USEPA Todd Fritch, State of Massachusetts Mark Fuller, USGS Bob Gilliom, USGS Tim Goodspeed, NOAA Fred Grassle, Rutgers University Roger Griffis, NOAA Katherine Gross, Michigan State University Ralph Grosse, American Farmland Trust David Guinnup, USEPA Melissa Hagan, Magpie Design Steven Hamburg, Brown University Alison Hammer, NOAA Trudy Harlow, USGS Miranda Harris, NOAA Sue Haseltine, USGS John Hayes, NOAA Ralph Heimlich, USDA John Heissenbuttel, American Forest & Paper Association Gordon Hester, Electric Power Research Institute Doug Hobbes, American Sportfishing Association Carl Holguin, USDA Forest Service Steve Holland, University of Florida Larry Holmes, USDA Tom Horton, The Baltimore Sun Steven Howard, USGS Bob Howarth, Cornell University Malcolm Hunter, University of Maine Rudolph B. Husar, Washington University Richard Huzil, USDA Tom Iivari, USDA Peter James Ince, Dick Jachowski, USGS Dan James, USGS Doug Johnson, USGS Bruce Jones, USEPA Kate Kase, USGS Doug Karlen, USDA Bob Kellogg, USDA Matt Kendall, NOAA Lowell Kepics, California Resources Agency Syble Kincannon, USDA Forest Service Kristen Krapf, Renewable Natural Resources Foundation Tom LaPointe, NOAA Doug Lea, independent writer Jeff Lewis, Heinz Family Endowments Lowell Lewis, INTECS International Rick Linthurst, USEPA Bob Loomis, University of California at Davis David Lott, NOAA Tom Lovejoy, The World Bank/Smithsonian Institution Tom Loveland, USGS Richard Lowrance, USDA Jane Lubchenco, Oregon State University Nadine Lynn, Ecological Society of America James MacMahon, Utah State University Gary Magnuson, NOAA Vishwanie Maharaj, American Sportfishing Association Pamela Matson, Stanford University Kathleen Maybury, The Nature Conservancy Nancy Maynard, NASA Chuck McClain, NASA William McComb, University of Massachusetts Andrew McElwaine, Heinz Family Endowments Dave McNeal, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Will McWilliams, USDA Forest Service Judy Meyer, University of Georgia Tim Miller, USGS Steve Murray, California State University at Fullerton Robert Naiman, University of Washington David "Moe" Nelson, NOAA Greg Neuschafer, Office of Naval Research Elliott Norse, Marine Conservation Biology Institute Reed Noss, Conservation Biology Institute Lisa H. Nowell, USGS Tom O'Connor, NOAA Robert O'Neill, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Paul Orlando, NOAA Laura Ost, independent editor Nipa Parikh, NOAA Tom Parris, Harvard University Library Robert Peet, University of North Carolina Audrey Pritchard, The Nature Conservancy Don Pryor, Office of Science & Technology Policy Phil Raup, University of Minnesota Peter Raven, Missouri Botanical Garden John Rayfield, Office of Rep. Jim Saxton Bill Reilly, Aqua International Partners Davida Remer, NOAA Kurt Riitters, US Geological Survey Mike Rodemeyer, Office of Science & Technology Policy Keith Roskoske, Census Bureau Pam Rubin, NOAA Mike Ruggiero, USGS Janet Ruth, USGS Carl Safina, National Audubon Society John Sauer, USGS Steve Shafer, USDA Brad Smith, USDA Forest Service Janine Stenback, California Resources Agency Brent Stinson, USDA John Stoddard, USEPA Jeff Stoner, USGS Jim Strittholt, Conservation Biology Institute David Struhs, State of Massachusetts Turner Sutton, North Carolina State University Larry Swanson, State University of New York at Stony Brook Dave Terry, State of Massachusetts Pat Tester, NOAA John Paul Tolson, NOAA Ken Turgeon, Mineral Management Service John Vrana, USDA Gibby Waitzkin, Gibson Creative Diana Wall, Colorado State University Robert Ward, Colorado State University Ed Whitelaw, ECO Northwest Donna Wieting, NOAA Pace Wilber, NOAA Bill Wilen, USFWS Andrea Yank, Natural Resources Council of America Denise Yver, NOAA Zhiliang Zhu, Raytheon Systems/USGS Heidi Zuratt, Gibson Creative The Heinz Center and all project collaborators wish to recognize the important contributions of the late Richard Johnson. His knowledge and sense of humor will be sorely missed. The project team wishes to thank the entire staff of The Heinz Center for their patience, support, and assistance throughout this project. We especially thank Heather Blough, Marico Sayoc, Sarah Baish, and Sheila David, all of whom contributed significantly to the project. ------- End of forwarded message ------- ************************************ Dr. Stefanie S. Rixecker Division of Environmental Management & Design Lincoln University, Canterbury PO Box 84 Aotearoa New Zealand E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fax: 64-03-325-3841 ************************************
