Members Present Staff Present Incoming Board Members Guests Sunday, August 10, 2014 9:00 am, August 9, 2014, meeting called to order by President Jill Baron Sharon Collinge moved and David Inouye seconded a motion to approve the agenda. All aye. David Inouye moved and Sharon Collinge seconded ratification of the minutes of the May 2014 meeting. All aye. Jill Baron reserved comments for later in the meeting, and thanked ESA staff for all of their efforts on behalf of the Society. She also stressed the importance of retention and recruitment of members. Katherine McCarter previewed reports that will be provided by staff during the meeting. Alison Mize summarized efforts of the Public Affairs office, particularly with reference to activities in Congress. David Inouye suggested doing more to inform members of letters sent to Congress from the Society. Sue Silver thanked the Frontiers editorial board for their efforts to keep the quality of articles high. David Baldwin has been on leave in Mexico, and thanked Regina Przygocki and Publication Office staff for the smooth running of the journals in his absence. Cliff Duke reviewed efforts by the Science Office, focusing on the new program on “Sustaining Biological Infrastructure” to offer short courses on non-profit management. He also updated the board on activities related to the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Michelle Horton gave the board an update on the Sacramento meeting. Growth in the size of the meeting program has required use of nearby hotels for some sessions. Teresa Mourad noted that approximately 30 SEEDS students will be participating in the 2014 meetings. She provided details of the recent SEEDS program review and noted that results will be presented in both a poster and an oral session during the meetings. She summarized approaches for funding the program. A video will be shown in the opening plenary to encourage member donations to the program. Regina Przygocki reviewed activities in the Publications Office, including major updates in the software infrastructure for the journals. Elizabeth Biggs reviewed membership trends over the past 18 years. There was an increase in membership following the launch of Frontiers in 2003. Since then membership has fluctuated, but dropped below 9000 in 2013. There was discussion of a number of new initiatives to strengthen the sense of community among professional ecologists, and recent efforts to increase participation by students and early career ecologists in activities of the Society. Elizabeth Biggs and Katherine McCarter reviewed the budget and fourth quarter financial report. Katherine noted that this is the first budget in many years that does not include a surplus that can be allocated to reserves. Financial challenges with scientific publications continue to put pressure on the budget. Subscription revenue over the past year was significantly below budget, in part because of restructuring of subscription fees that reduced subscription costs to a number of institutional subscribers. Total revenue was more than $400,000 below budget, but expenses were lower by a similar amount, so it is anticipated that there may only be a small draw on unrestricted funds to balance the budget. Les Real moved and Sharon Collinge seconded recommending to the Council the approval of a revised 2014-2015 budget. All aye. There was discussion of two specific ideas for use of board strategic initiative funds, as well as discussion of the process by which resources from the Opportunity Fund are used for strategic initiatives. There was sentiment that the topic should be discussed each year, but without a sense that the funds need to be used each year rather than accumulated over time for more substantive initiatives (such as the strategic review of publications). Sharon Collinge moved and Steve Jackson seconded that $5,500 be allocated to support the Ad Hoc Certification Committee and $4,500 be allocated to complete SEEDS fundraising efforts begun last year. All aye. Katherine McCarter reviewed guidelines the governing board adopted last year for awarding long-range planning grants to sections, chapters and committees. Jill Baron appointed the Governing Board Members-at-Large to serve as the committee to review proposals for long-range planning grants. Katherine reviewed topics to be presented at the Council meeting on Aug. 10, 2014. Charlie Canham reviewed the fundraising strategy, with particular emphasis on the Opportunity Fund. Discussion focused on identifying a limited list of the most compelling needs. Coordinating fundraising efforts with Centennial activities was also discussed. Katherine reviewed the schedule of events for the Governing Board during the Sacramento meeting. Sharon Collinge moved and Julie Reynolds seconded that the Society accept the recommendation of the Sustainability Science Award subcommittee to establish a second award in this category, entitled “The ESA Innovation in Sustainability Science Award”. All aye. Meetings Co-Chair Kiyoko Miyanishi joined the meeting to present the recommendation that New Orleans be selected as the site for the 2019 Annual Meeting. She summarized the pros and cons of the site. In particular, the hotels are willing to guarantee room rates in 2019 that are lower than current hotel rates in Sacramento. Valerie Eviner moved and Sharon Collinge seconded a motion to approve the selection of New Orleans as the site for the 2019 Annual Meeting. All aye. There appears to be a consensus that the most popular meeting sites should be used repeatedly. Susan Ustin, local host for the 2014 meetings has recommended that the environmental offset funds generated by the Sacramento meeting be awarded to the Yolo Basin Foundation, a local nonprofit founded to assist in establishing the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area located in the flood bypass for the Sacramento River. Steve Jackson moved and Julie Reynolds seconded awarding the environmental offset funds to the Yolo Basin Foundation. All aye. Julie Reynolds offered to draft a paragraph to provide more guidance to the local hosts about the environmental offsets. She will have it for the fall meeting. Sharon Collinge introduced the recommendations of the Public Affairs Office and Public Affairs Committee for public policy priorities for the coming year. The Committee met in May and generated a list of issues in eight general areas: (1) energy and climate, (2) water quality and quantity, (3) disasters affecting ecosystems, (4) STEM education, (5) endangered species, (6) invasive species, (7) urban ecosystems, and (8) federal investment in natural resource and research agencies. The list is not designed to exclude action on other issues. Charlie Canham moved and Les Real seconded adopting the public policy priorities. All aye. Jill Baron reviewed the history of ESA activities that led to the Earth Stewardship Initiative, and summarized activities at the 2014 Annual Meeting that are motivated by the Initiative. During the May 2014 Governing Board meeting, the Board asked President Jill Baron to name and charge an ad hoc committee to review ESA's certification program. This request resulted from a discussion that was initiated by Linda Heath, former chair of the Board of Professional Certification. She noted that the program had not been reviewed since its inception in the 1980's. Carmen Cid was appointed chair of the committee, and presented a synopsis of the charge to the committee, and a timeline for their work. ESA has engaged Rising Tide to conduct a strategic review of ESA publications. Katherine McCarter provided an update on the effort. Jill Baron discussed the idea of creating an ad hoc committee to provide input from the ecological community to NEON. The Governing Board went into Executive Session at 4:00 pm, and adjourned at 5:00 pm. Sunday, August 10, 2014 – meeting called to order at 8:30 am III. Discussion/Action Items (continued) Hal Balbach, 2014 Program Chair, gave an update on changes in the program planning process. He thanked Susan Ustin for serving as the local host and coordinating field trips. Jill Baron thanked Jennifer Riem for her extraordinary work on the program. Nancy Huntly, Chair of the Centennial Implementation Committee, reported on activities related to the Centennial year. A call for proposals has been distributed for funding available to Sections and Chapters for activities they would like to propose. Huntly and Carol Brewer, 2015 Program Chair discussed changes to the meeting structure for the Centennial. The Board encouraged them to be creative but cautioned that changes should not reduce the opportunities for members to make presentations. Josh Schimel gave an update on work of the Publications Committee during the past year. Several editors-in-chief were reviewed and reappointed during the year, and an effort is underway to recruit a new editor-in-chief for Ecological Monographs. Dr. Yonglong Lu, Editor-in-Chief of the new journal Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, was introduced. Don Strong, Editor-in-Chief of Ecology reported that Ecology is on an even keel, and that submission, acceptance, and rejection rates are stable, with acceptance rates in low to mid-20% level. He is concerned about staffing support in the Publication Office and publication delays for the Journal. He feels that the problems are structural and related to staffing. He thinks there is an opportunity to pursue tighter linkages between Ecology and Ecosphere. Aaron Ellison, Editor-in-Chief of Ecological Monographs echoed Don Strong's comments that acceptance, and rejection rates are typical of 5-year averages, but that submission rates are down substantially during the past year. The journal has experimented with Twitter, with some success. David Baldwin gave a report on Ecological Applications, including announcement of the first paper in a new format for “virtual invited features”, in which papers in invited features are published as they are ready, and will then be linked into a virtual special feature electronically. Submissions during 2013 were up 15% over the previous year, and have been steady during the first half of 2014. Ecological Applications has instituted a data archiving requirement for accepted papers. Debra Peters, Editor-in-Chief of Ecosphere noted that the journal has its first impact factor to report. Submissions are increasing, and the first special feature has been published, and can be done as “virtual” features that are linked once all of the individual papers have been published. Dr. Lu gave a thorough presentation on the status and future of the new journal, with the first issue slated for January, 2015. There was extensive discussion of the challenges of launching the new journal and achieving the goals of rapid publication of very high quality research. Sue Silver, Editor-in-Chief of Frontiers reviewed the year at Frontiers, including efforts to reduce costs. Ed Johnson, Editor-in-Chief of the Bulletin reviewed plans for the next 4 issues of the Bulletin related to the Centennial celebration. He would like to receive histories from sections and chapters. Meeting adjourned at 12:00 pm. Members Present Members Absent Staff Present Visitors Meeting called to order by President David Inouye at 8:30 am David Inouye welcomed new board members, and thanked Jill Baron for her service during the past year. He reviewed 2014-2015 meeting dates. He described early planning for the program for the Centennial meeting. Kate Gallagher described plans by the Student Section for a monthly newsletter, and liaisons with other sections. David Inouye appointed Jill Baron to serve on the Audit Committee. There was discussion of ideas for increasing the numbers of early and mid-career members attending the meetings, including high-profile named (and sponsored) lectures. Evan Delucia described fundraising efforts with foundations and corporations for support of activities at the Centennial meeting. The landscape design project led by Alex Felson was a very active and visible activity during the meeting. There is hope that a similar activity will be scheduled for the Centennial meeting. Carmen Cid mentioned that the faith communities are expected to be active in the coming year in activities related to earth stewardship. An initial report from the strategic review of publications is expected for the November board meeting. Jill Baron mentioned contacts from other professional societies requesting that ESA provide booths at their annual meetings. Meeting adjourned at 9:45 am Members Present Staff Present Members Absent Visitors 9:00 am, November 18, 2014, meeting called to order by President David Inouye I. Roll Call and Agenda A. Adopt Agenda Monica Turner moved and Valerie Eviner seconded a motion to approve the agenda. All aye. B. Ratification of Vote - Minutes from August 2014 Julie Reynolds moved and Scott Collins seconded ratification of the minutes of the August 2014 meeting. All aye. II. Reports A. Report of the President David Inouye gave a brief report on a visit to the ESA office to meet with staff. He has been in contact with other ecological societies around the world, including societies in Mexico and Europe. He has been in frequent contact with Alison Mize for ESA communications. He also reported on meetings with the Ecological Society of China. B. Report of the Executive Director and Staff Katherine McCarter began her remarks by noting that preparations continue for the Centennial. She recently visited the Publications Office in Ithaca. There was discussion of the ongoing concerns within members of the Society about connections between NEON and the scientific community. Teresa Mourad provided highlights from the Education and Diversity program, including recent field trips funded by the Packard Foundation. She has submitted a number of proposals for funding the SEEDS program, including to NSF and NASA. She continues to seek support from private foundations. Elizabeth Biggs noted that the changes in membership dues structure approved by the Council this year have been implemented. The annual audit has been done. Regina Przygocki gave an update on activities in the Publications Office during the past year. Ecosphere continues to do well. A process of transferring submitted manuscripts from the print journals to Ecosphere was instituted in August 2014, and has worked well, and in the past month constituted a significant fraction of the submissions to Ecosphere. Sue Silver reported that Frontiers is expected to finish the year with an acceptance rate and number of submissions that are similar to last year. The new series on natural history is taking shape. The Co-Chairs of the Natural History Section have agreed to edit the series. There was discussion of the pros and cons of a page in Frontiers devoted to news and activities from the Washington office. There will be two special issues in 2015, and one online-only special issue. Cliff Duke highlighted activities of the Science Office, including the series of courses on sustainability planning for scientific infrastructure projects. Michelle Horton gave an update on upcoming deadlines for a variety of programs, including Fellows and Awards. She will be conducting a site visit at the Baltimore Convention Center later this month with Nancy Huntly and Carol Brewer. Alison Mize reported on activities in support of science funding within the federal government. C. Financial Update 1. Fourth Quarter Financials Katherine McCarter and Liz Biggs reviewed the first quarter financial report. Revenue from the annual meeting exceeded budget, but expenses did as well, so net revenue from the annual meeting will be slightly below last year. They expect that both revenue and expenses are on track to be very close to the budget approved at the August 2014 Council meeting. 2. Investment Update Evan DeLucia gave his overview of Society finances, and discussed broad strategies for dealing with long-term trends in both revenue and expenses. He also reviewed the Society's investment portfolios, which are very conservatively invested. He feels that the investment mix is probably more conservative than the stated investment goals for these funds. III. Discussion/Action Items A. Awards Committee Questions Alan Hastings, Chair of the Awards Committee, submitted a set of questions for clarification by the Governing Board. The first question concerned whether awards should focus primarily on ESA members. It was the sense of the Board that unless the documents creating the award stated otherwise, the Awards Committee and its subcommittees should give priority to ESA members. A second question concerned when it is appropriate to give an award to more than one person. The Governing Board agreed that there are clearly cases where this is appropriate, but that it should be the exception rather than the rule. The third question concerned whether nominations need to come from ESA members. There is no requirement for this, and creating a pool of suitable nominees is ultimately the responsibility of the specific award subcommittees, but the Board encourages as broad a pool of nominees as possible, from all sources. This same principle applies to their question about self-nominations. The Awards Subcommittee holds ultimate responsibility for recommending awardees, regardless of the source of a nomination. The Awards Committee recommended that the Governing Board make decisions via e-mail on award nominations by February of each year. The Board agrees that this is desirable and should be implemented. The Committee also asked about the cap on 20 Honorary Members at any one time. The Governing Board generally felt that the cap was reasonable, particularly given the costs associated with designating honorary members. There may be other innovative ways to recognize other international scholars. B. Environmental Offset Guidelines Earth Stewardship is a high priority for the Ecological Society of America, and one way in which we demonstrate this value is to mitigate the environmental impact of our annual meeting. Therefore, ESA contributes $5 for each registrant to an environmental organization whose mission achieves this goal. The Governing Board invites the meeting local host to nominate a local organization or organizations who meets these criteria to which this contribution will be donated. Charlie Canham moved and Scott Collins seconded accepting this language. All aye. C. Strategic Initiatives/Opportunity Fund Each year the ESA budget has contained $10,000 moved from the Opportunity Fund to the line item called Board Strategic Initiatives. This allows the Board to determine the use of this subset of the Opportunity Funds, which are expected to be used for strategic activities not included in the annual budget. During the August meeting, the Board began a discussion about the use of these funds and expressed sentiment that the funds need not be used each year, allowing them to be accumulated over time for more substantive initiatives (such as the strategic review of publications). There was also discussion of the desirability of allocating time at Governing Board meetings for considering strategic long-term initiatives in general. President Inouye recommended that a time slot for this be scheduled during the May meetings. D. Diversity Statement Julie Reynolds presented a request from the Committee on Diversity and Education for the Governing Board to adopt a diversity statement and to add links to the statement on the ESA website. In addition, they are asking for an amendment to the ESA ByLaws to add language that directs the Nominations Committee to be guided by the diversity statement. “The Ecological Society of America is dedicated to the science and study of ecology. The society welcomes and encourages participation by all individuals regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, national origin, physical or mental difference, politics, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, or subculture. We strive to cultivate a society built on mentorship, encouragement, tolerance and mutual respect, thereby engendering a welcoming environment for all. Ecologists believe in the need for interdisciplinary study, both in terms of disciplines and participants. We believe in biodiversity both in terms of ecosystems and membership. We will vigorously and proactively reject prejudice and stereotyping wherever it is encountered in our profession. ESA further promotes diversity in all areas of activity, including fostering diversity in membership, leadership, committees, staff, outreach, public engagement, recruitment, and all other areas of societal activity.” Julie Reynolds moved and Monica Turner seconded approving the language as the Society's formal statement on diversity. All aye. There was further discussion on how to disseminate the statement and give it visibility in the ESA webpage. Julie Reynolds moved and Evan DeLucia seconded a motion to change the webpage in ways specified in the board book to highlight the statement and the diversity programs on the ESA website. All aye. Bylaw 1. Elections. The Nominations Committee shall be guided by the Diversity Statement when soliciting names of potential candidates for each position from the Chairs of ESA Sections, Chapters, and Committees and the general ESA membership prior to 1 March. Julie Reynolds moved and Carmen Cid seconded approving this change and recommending to the Council that the Bylaws be amended accordingly. The motion passed by majority. There was also discussion of updating the Bylaws to correctly list new awards. David Inouye will work with Katherine McCarter and Carmen Cid to propose appropriate updates. E. New Section Petitions Bylaw 13 indicates that any group of 50 or more members of the Society may petition for the establishment of a Section. The petition must specify the proposed general scope of the Section and its proposed plan of organization. Article 10 of the Constitution indicates that each Section must be approved by a vote of the Council and that proposed Section bylaws must be approved by the Governing Board. 1. Science Communications Section Holly Menninger has submitted a petition to establish a Science Communication Section. The petition contains a statement of general scope, proposed bylaws, and the names of at least 50 members. Staff review of the proposed bylaws indicates that they are in accordance with the requirements of the ESA Constitution and Bylaws and also confirms that 50 members have signed the petition. Charles Canham moved and Julie Reynolds seconded approving the proposed bylaws and recommending to the Council the formation of a Science Communications Section. All aye. 2. Open Science Section Andrew MacDonald has submitted a petition to establish an Open Science Section. The petition contains a statement of general scope, proposed bylaws, and the names of at least 50 members. Staff review of the proposed bylaws indicates that they are in accordance with the requirements of the ESA Constitution and Bylaws and also confirms that 50 members have signed the petition. Leah Gerber made a motion that the Board recommends approval to the Council, but that the petitioners be required to add additional detail about the definition of open science principles in Article 2 of the proposed bylaws. Julie Reynolds seconded the motion. Motion failed, 4 aye, 5 nay. Evan DeLucia moved that we table discussion of this proposal pending further clarification of the definition of open science in the Bylaws. Monica Turner seconded. All aye. Further clarification was provided later in the day. Scott Collins moved and Leah Gerber seconded approving the bylaws with the additional clarification and recommending to the Council creation of the Open Science Section. All aye. 3. Invasion Ecology Section Jennifer Funk, Luke Flory, Erik Aschehoug, and Virginia Matzek have submitted a petition to establish an Invasion Ecology Section. The petition contains a statement of general scope, proposed bylaws, and the names of at least 50 members. Staff review of the proposed bylaws indicates that they are in accordance with the requirements of the ESA Constitution and Bylaws and also confirms that 50 members have signed the petition. Monica Turner moved and Valerie Eviner seconded approving the proposed bylaws and recommending that the Council approve the formation of the Invasion Ecology Section. All aye. F. EiC Review – Ed Johnson The Editors in Chief of Ecology, Ecological Monographs, Ecological Applications, Ecosphere, Issues in Ecology and the ESA Bulletin are appointed by the Governing Board to three year terms. At the end of the term, the Publications Committee is asked to review the EiC and make a recommendation to the Governing Board about reappointment. There are no term limits. Ed Johnson's current agreement with ESA expires in December, 2014. The Publications Committee named Josh Schimel, Paul Grogan and Christine Hawkes to review Johnson's leadership of the ESA Bulletin. The committee recommends that Ed Johnson be reappointed to a fourth three-year term as Editor in Chief of the ESA Bulletin. The Board expressed its appreciation for the excellent job Editor-in-Chief Johnson has done with the Bulletin. Monica Turner moved and Charles Canham seconded reappointing Ed Johnson as the Editor-in-Chief of the ESA Bulletin. All aye. G. Annual Meeting Issues 1. 2016 Annual Meeting Program Chair Program Committee Co-Chair Kiyoko Miyanishi and the Meetings Committee are recommending Lee Frelich as the Program Chair for the annual meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2016. Dr. Frelich is a Research Associate at the University of Minnesota and Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology. He was the Local Host for the 2013 annual meeting and as a result has served on the Meetings Committee. Monica Turner moved and Julie Reynolds seconded appointing Lee Frelich as the Program Chair for the 2016 Annual Meeting. All aye. 2. 2016 Local Host Chair Program Committee Co-Chair Kiyoko Miyanishi and the Meetings Committee are recommending Brian Benscoter as the local host chair for the annual meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2016. Dr. Benscoter is with the Department of Biological Sciences with Florida Atlantic University. Valerie Eviner moved and Julie Reynolds seconded appointing Brian Benscoter as the local host chair for the 2016 annual meeting. H. Certification Review Committee Carmen Cid, Certification Review Committee Chair, provided an update on the deliberations of the committee and described future plans of the committee. The committee has a long list of recommendations for expansion of the certification program, including issues of continuing education, and certification for ecology teaching. There was discussion of both the fees and expenses that could be associated with the various proposals. I. New Phytologist Trust Plenary Speaker Evan DeLucia presented a proposal to designate a New Phytologist Trust Keynote Speaker, with details outlined in the board book. Funding will be supplied by the New Phytologist Trust. The major change from the proposal outlined in the board book was replacement of “plenary” with “keynote”, since there are so few true plenary time slots in the program. Julie Reynolds moved and Charles Canham seconded approving the amended proposal. All aye. J. Board Fundraising Update Charles Canham gave an update on the board efforts to increase contributions to the Fund for the Future (and its component parts – SEEDS, Student Travel Grants, and the Opportunity Fund). As in the past, board members were asked to personalize e-mails to friends and colleagues encouraging them to contribute. K. Centennial Survey Valerie Eviner, Elena Bennet, Daniel Scholes, and Kelly Garbach have drafted a series of surveys to be sent to four groups: researchers, educators, environmental managers and policy makers. They provided a cover sheet explaining the project and a draft of the four surveys in the board book. Val Eviner gave an overview of the effort, and asked for feedback from the Board to assess the scope of the survey and identify any gaps in what is covered. The Board expressed their strong support for the effort. L. CourseSource Julie Reynolds described a long-range planning grant proposal to create a working group to produce a list of topics that would represent the core set of ideas that should be contained in a college ecology course. The materials would be posted in an online journal from an organization named CourseSource from the University of Minnesota. The Board entered executive session at 4:45 pm and adjourned for the day at 5:30 pm David Inouye called the meeting to order at 8:00 am on Wednesday, November 19. The Board entered executive session to consider the strategic review of ESA publications. At the end of that session, David Inouye moved and Charles Canham seconded that the ESA issue a Request for Proposals to seek a publishing partner for its journals. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at noon, Wednesday, November 19, 2014.