Help the Obama Adminstration Develop A Biodiversity Strategy

The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) congratulates President-elect Barack Obama and all of the victorious candidates for national, state and local office and thanks all candidates and voters for their roles in exercising and advancing democracy in America. We invite you to join us in developing recommendations for the Obama Administrration and the new Congress during the National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment: Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World December 8-10 in Washington, DC.

The conference will occur during the critical time of transition to the new Administration. We will prepare recommendations for biodiversity science and its application to policy in 30 breakout sessions. Topics include bioenergy, endangered species, invasive species, protected areas, coral reefs, agriculture, research, education and many more. We will present these recommendations to the incoming Administration and Congress.

Former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt will moderate a roundtable including members of the Obama transition teams, key agencies and members of the new Congress (invited) to discuss how biodiversity fits within the agenda of the Obama Administration. The conference will feature high level participation from key agencies including the USDA Forest Service, US Geological Survey, US Department of the Interior and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

We invite you to participate in the first NCSE Science and Environment Congressional Visit Day, which will conclude the conference on Wednesday December 10. The Defenders of Wildlife, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) will provide a workshop and organize visits for attendees. The Congressional Visit Day provides a unique opportunity for your insights, perspectives and the work that you do in an academic and non-political setting to become the basis for sound, science-based policy development. You’ll learn communication techniques and make important connections that will enable you to continue to play a role in policy development during the Obama Administration.