Science and Engineering Council of Santa Barbara
and the
Santa Barbara Club
present
A downtown luncheon meeting
at
The Santa Barbara Club
1105 Chapala Street (corner of Figueroa St.)

Monday, September 23, 2002 12:00 noon

Doom, Gloom... and Hope:
A Report on the Current State of Ecology

by

Jim Reichman, PhD, Director
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis

Ecologists often convey gloomy news about the environment. Indeed, there is ample evidence that the biosphere is changing rapidly, some of it due to human influences. However, we are now able to use centuries of accumulated information and knowledge to make predictions and offer solutions to some of the most threatening perturbations around the globe. Hundreds of scientists a year visiting the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, a research center of UCSB located in downtown Santa Barbara, to use existing information to address ecological questions. This talk will present some of the gloom, and much of the hope, that ecologists can bring to our understanding of the natural world.

Dr. Reichman's own research focuses on the influence of the spatial patterns of animal disturbances on the restoration of plant communities and natural landscapes. A second area of research involves an analysis of long term food storage strategies by animals that cache food during periods when it is unavailable or costly to secure.

------OTHER INFO------

Reservations are necessary and must be received by Thursday, 19 September.
Guests are welcome.
E-mail: debbie@greeneridge.com or call 805-967-7720.
The cost is $15, payable at the door.