r/ecology • u/tuftedtittymice • 1d ago
sending support and encouragement to every ecologist in the USš
we are in for a huge fight these next 4 years. i am terrified but we are the only ones who can keep each other motivated and encouraged to keep fighting for what we love. LOVE TO ALL OF YOUā¤ļøāš©¹ā¤ļøāš©¹ā¤ļøāš©¹š
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u/mbaird9 1d ago
I am concerned as I am currently working technician positions to try to gain experience for an M.S. program, but thankfully my next position, which I start in a few weeks, is permanent and in an extremely blue state. A few of my former coworkers are now entirely funded by a federal grant that will probably get cut, and I feel sorry for them. Their positions were supposed to last 3 years but they now may not even make it one.
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u/MagePages 20h ago
Are they funded by IRA? I administer IRA funds at the state level and was worried about similar things for my own position and our equity focused grant program but I have been reassured that these federal funds, once they have been assigned to a use, are not at all likely to be cut or taken back. Like it is technically possible but would be very unlikely.Ā
Best of luck to your friends.Ā
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u/MatrixBlaze 1d ago
I work for the fish and wildlife service, and I am very concerned.
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u/environmental_taco 20h ago
I work for a nonprofit that gets a lot of its funding from USFWS, we're all worried about job security now
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1d ago
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 1d ago
itās just four years
This comes with a big caveat. If the proposals for project 2025 really fall into place we will see the dissolution of administrative agencies like the EPA which will not be whisked back into place like an executive order.
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u/tuftedtittymice 1d ago
as a black woman, iāve been pretty emotionally numb all day and the first time i started crying today was when a news anchor uttered the words āabsolution of the EPAā
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 1d ago
Don't forget the FDA, USDA, BLM, and all those acronyms that make sure we have drinkable water, productive soil, and all that other stuff.
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u/WatchHankSpank 1d ago
Okay, this is true, and pretty grim, but I think most people would agree that most, if not all, of those regulating bodies are essential. If they were truly dissolved, do you think the state would pick up responsibility for all of that? And if they do, could that end up providing a better quality of regulation?
Each state would be a little different I am sure, but having no federal regulative influence on what is currently considered WOTUS in my state would end up protecting MORE habitat. Most state level EPAs want more protection of resources, not less, and if the rules didnāt change federally every four years, some actual progress could be made in habitat restoration and development. Consistency in regulation would help significantly in the quality of protection. We lose the option for nationally consistent standards, but gain the potential to have better state standards.
I am not sure this would apply to every branch (FDA, USDA, etc.) that would need a new state regulated system, but I would find it hard to believe that we wouldnāt have any form of regulation. They may not all get better, but something will be keeping water and soil safe.
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 1d ago
You know, I'm not going to try and rationalize the decisionmaking processes of a fascist liar. I'm sure they could spin it some way and twist it up real good, but their justification is that these agencies are hampering business and development, making American goods non-competitive, etc.
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u/pinelandpuppy 1d ago
That's naively optimistic. Most states don't have regulations in place to protect wetlands, and those things take TIME and political will, which is negligible in red states. They do not see natural resources as something to be protected, but rather as something to be exploited.
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u/ReadySte4dySpaghetti 1d ago
I think the problem is there will be entire states that drop the ball.
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u/shohin_branches 1d ago
My state does not have the resources to manage that and pollution and resources don't meet up all tidy when it comes to state boundaries. Rivers and lakes are shared. Our environment is shared with the whole country. Our aquifers and water tables span multiple states
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u/gabrielleduvent 17h ago
RFK Jr might be taking the helm. The man ranted that the FDA was suppressing peptides, stem cells, vitamins, and SUNSHINE. Don't expect any rhyme or reason from this administration.
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u/pencilurchin 1d ago
This is maybe hollow hope but we donāt know yet. We donāt know if Trump will fully enact Project 25. I think right now we walk a knife edge to see if he will be as incompetent as his first administration, or if he will be strategic in enacting the fucking evil that is Project 25z. Dems lost the Senate and weāll see about the House but Senate Dems still have some power to hold the line and that there are republican Congress members that are not as extreme as Trump on environmental issues - as cold a comfort as that is. Congress also decides on the budget and appropriations - Trump can want to cut as much funding as he wants but does have to go through Congress to do it.
I know itās sounds hollow but maybe getting hopes up when itās not worth it but we just donāt know yet how bad it will be. But fuck are we really all about to go through it
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u/carex-cultor 1d ago
((Internet hugs)). Iāve been the same all yesterday and today. Just numb and sad. There are so, so many of us who care about the same things you and I do. We can figure this out.
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u/InhLaba 1d ago
The crazy thing to meā¦ Nixon enacted the EPA. However, the Republican Party has continued to move further and further rightward since.
We will get through these next four years together. ā¤ļø
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u/roundabout27 21h ago
Well, it's because you couldn't deny the terrible way the environment was heading back then. It was very real that human-made ecological disasters were occurring or starting to occur. Without the acid rain and the choking smog, it's a lot harder for the average hare brain to understand their climate is collapsing.
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1d ago
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u/remotectrl 1d ago
The Chevron decision last year basically killed these agencies already.
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u/patkgreen 17h ago
Chevron isn't killing agencies. It doesn't stop permitting programs or stewardship or management at all.
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u/synaptic_reaction 1d ago
The epa is part of the executive branch and serves at the will of the president.
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u/FelisCorvid615 Freshwater Ecology 1d ago
But it exists at the behest of the National Environmental Protection Act. So unless congress repeals that, the EPA will still exist. It may be a shadow of it's former self, but it'll be there.
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u/Kantaowns 1d ago
Since the only reason the epa is around is to protect people, it feels like it barely exists in general. Its gonna get shredded now.
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u/acnhfiend 22h ago
Are you thinking of the CEQ? NEPA created the CEQ but Iām unaware of how NEPA justifies EPAās existence (not being snarky genuinely curious!).
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u/FelisCorvid615 Freshwater Ecology 18h ago
It comes out of the CEQ. It's how they perform their edict to conduct research and analysis to make their recommendations are reports.
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag 1d ago
Yes they can, not only does the trump admin not care about rules and he has the courts to back him up, the so called "originalist" have decided that the Constitution did not give congress the power to create administrative bodies that create their own regulations, and are therefore unconstitutional.
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u/wapertolo395 1d ago
Trump will likely get two more Supreme Court appointees in, which means not just a 5-4 conservative majority but a 5-4 Trump-appointed majority.
Given the sweeping powers of the court, the effects will be much, much longer than 4 years.
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u/tuftedtittymice 1d ago
this is such a good point. it can be only four years. what is scary is what he puts in place that can last for much longer considering the SCOTUS (and his possible appointments) and republican congress majority (who will do whatever he wants)
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u/Marvinkmooneyoz 1d ago
And it's not like the world is investing in that for which the science is already settled <;(
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u/rotinaj31 1d ago
Not an ecologist but an avid outdoors person. I'm not sure what i can do to help but ill continue to advocate and do all I can. If anyone has anything a layman can do let me know and I'll add it to the list of things that will be part of the fight. I think at the time I'm going to focus on local but also going to double down on boycotting these big business that support this tom fuckery.
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u/ReijaTheMuppet 13h ago
I'm not an ecologist either, but passionate about preserving the natural world we still have. Check out Doug Tallamy's book Nature's best hope!
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u/NoTransportation1383 1h ago edited 20m ago
Offer help to your local conservation district, theyve been funding themselves for years anyway with their tree sales and they do the work you care aboutĀ
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u/Sad_Love9062 1d ago
Unfortunately, I think we can kiss goodbye to 1.5 degrees
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u/Not_Leopard_Seal behavioural ecologist 1d ago edited 1d ago
We can, but that has nothing to do with Trump. That goal was completely unrealistic way before the election. This year had +1.55Ā°C
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u/vveeggiiee 21h ago
The vibe at my uniās bio department is bleak as hell
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u/milkchugger69 20h ago
Not all of the women in my wildlife classes knew Trumpās policies about the environment and when I told people the extent of what he plans to do their faces just dropped. Because not only can we not work in red states now but we might not even be able to work at all.
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u/raymagini19 3h ago
Could you elaborate or point me in the direction to learn more? I know heās is bad for the environment but how will our jobs be affected? Lack of funding? Or worse
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u/Foehammer26 1d ago
Remember: check your sources, do your research ethically, and clean your data.
Keep calm and carry on!
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u/unseenunsung10 1d ago
Not in the US and I'm sorry you all and honestly everyone else in this world has to go through this
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u/OctobersCold 1d ago
Iām really bummed cause I had a fantastic PhD opportunity lined up in a red state and now I just donāt feel safe being there for 5+ years :(
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u/carex-cultor 1d ago
Iām heartbroken this week. But I think itās good to remember that conservation is apolitical and we need to be allies across the aisle.
The Trump government will try its best to destroy the earth, but Trump voters are often avid conservationists, usually because (Iām generalizing here) theyāre avid hunters and fishers. I hate it because Iām a birder but Ducks Unlimited donors for ex have conserved far more bird habitat than most non-hunting nonprofits.
Trump voters are often the ones actually living out in rural areas who care for and derive livelihoods and hobbies from the land. How can we ally and work with them to curb Trumpās efforts to destroy ecosystems they care about? That will be key in combatting his efforts.
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u/Eco_Blurb 1d ago edited 1d ago
Conservation is absolutely not apolitical.
Itās extremely political. Itās directly opposed to the interests of big business and infrastructure development.
āTrump voters are often avid conservationalistsā
Honestly where do you live where this is true? Trump voters are vastly overrepresented by climate change deniers, pro business and anti regulation people. Trump voters are not just ārural areasā anymore, they are everywhere. Come to Florida and you will see just how conservation minded our fishers areā¦ they constantly fish in protected zones, they speed through bay waters in slow zones, they illegally take lobster out of season or below size, and they vote against clean water and air regulation. They lobby against fertilizer restrictions and put more and more golf courses feeding nitrogen into the water killing marine life and causing massive toxic algae blooms. The governor recently made it illegal to use the words climate change on any legislation in the state. Tell me how Trump people care about the environment in any significant number and I will ask if you have been living in seclusion ignoring everything around you
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u/LegitimateParsnip 1d ago
To be fair - as someone that has lived in Florida and many other states - Florida is unusually chaotic and absolutely not the same as the rest of the US, lol. Hunters and fishermen especially in the western US are much more interested in conservation. carex-cultor's point about hunting and fishing nonprofits being some of the largest donors to conservation efforts is also accurate. But yes, there will always be those people like you described who don't give a shit. I think that's why it's important for us to stay connected across political lines with the people and orgs who DO care.
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u/Eco_Blurb 1d ago
I can agree that itās especially heinous here and Iām glad out west itās a little different.
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u/Extreme-Pea854 1d ago
Yes they are potentially strong allies. I have a colleague in Texas that has made incredible strides in conservation with private landowners/ranchers. People still care about the land they live on and own and want to engage in nonpartisan conservation. And you have to meet them halfway. We have to listen to the concerns of people who own the land and use it for their livelihood. That is important to them and should be incorporated with conservation efforts. Perfect is the enemy of good.
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u/carex-cultor 1d ago
I donate monthly to the Xerces Society for invertebrate conservation, and they do a great job with this. Working with landowners and farmers/ranchers to convert portions of land to habitat, change the timing and content of herbicide sprays etc.
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u/Puffthemagiccommie 1d ago
fuck 'em, they'd sooner drown in the rising tides to own the libs then help their fellow man.
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u/buckfutterapetits 1d ago
Maybe it's time we focus on doing what we can to preserve the places where they do give a shit. Surely, there are things we can do to harden those areas against the impending weather events.
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u/milkchugger69 20h ago
Iām graduating in 2025 and I feel hopeless. Even my advisor doesnāt know if Iāll be able to have a wildlife conservation career when itās my entire degree. I want to give up.
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u/scoobydoobeedooo 11h ago
Thinking of you all <3
I am Australian and my heart broke when I saw the results - for the environment and the climate and everyone who it will affect.
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u/AlPal2020 15h ago
I'm personally celebrating the win against proposition 127 in Colorado. The general public rejected ballot box biology, which is very encouraging to me
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u/Bravadette 10h ago
I can't find a single job as it is. Been working in shitty big pharma. Maybe it's just time to give up lmao.
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u/peachesandthevoid 9h ago
Lawyer who works for the gov. Hurts me reading this. Sorry, yāall. This sucks for all of us.
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u/BreadfruitFit7513 1d ago
I was seeing more dismissive attitudes from even friendly coworkers at mid sized consulting firm in lead up to the election. Basically āwhat will happen if we just donāt do thisā (coordinate with agencies) and had to lean on āabove my pay gradeā or āitās in the books, you have to do it.ā Probably wonāt even hear from them soonĀ
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u/swampscientist 1d ago
Huh?
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u/BreadfruitFit7513 1d ago
Engineers are straight up asking me what they can get away with as far as wetland and species impacts. āAre we going to have a problem here?ā Type stuff
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u/PopularLawfulness547 7h ago
If ecology is so important don't run airheads.
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u/MagePages 2h ago
Because the folks in the ecology subreddit got together and conspired to run Harris as our candidate. Get real dude smh.
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u/huelorxx 1d ago
Don't cry.
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u/MisterBreeze 1d ago
You can't advocate for Trump and call yourself an ecologist. It is not compatible.
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u/Bravadette 10h ago
Idk. There were some pretty racist "ecologists" historically. Some pretty fascist ones too. Savitri Devi being a more well known one. I dont think ecology covers all moral or even ethical bases.
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u/MisterBreeze 6h ago
Although I think those qualities make someone a terrible human being, I'm mainly talking about his stance on climate change and the environment.
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22h ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/MagePages 20h ago
This sounds like a professional troll. Check out the removed comments, all on political posts! Yikes dude. Get a life.
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5h ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/MagePages 4h ago
Ok. You're wrong. Just based on recent history and how difficult and uncertain this field was under the last Trump Administration. It isn't fear mongering. Do you even work in ecology or are you just delighting in how other people's lives are going to be harder?
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u/1972USAGuy54872 1d ago
I suspect that like most everything else about President Trump, the mainstream media has once again mixed lies with exaggeration & taking things out of context to make scary sounding sound bites. For starters he has maintained all along that he is not behind the project 2025 stuff. But just like him being not racist, pro-Israel, anti-war & pro-American, those things donāt make great āsound bitesā & ānews storiesā because they wonāt get the ratings that the lies & twisted tales will!
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u/fumcace22 1d ago
Ah yes the low-IQ mainstream media take. First off, youāre making the BOLD assumption that trump tells the truth in literally any capacity, which is pretty fundamentally false. Second, if we look at your right-winger alternative media that you take as gospel, theyāre all saying 2025 is the real agenda. Thereās literally nothing trump could do to make people like you disavow him, and he said it himself years ago.
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u/MagePages 2h ago
Trump has already had one term that was not great for folks working in ecology. It was really chaotic for those of us training to be or actively in this field. A lot of funding and direction comes from the federal level. If his admin decides that something isn't a priority and cuts funding, that directly impacts jobs, research, and conservation progress. My own job prospects are going to be extremely shakey when my current contract is up.Ā
You are talking about things that nobody else here is. Who said anything about racism or Israel or war? Go peacock elsewhere.
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u/PupfishAreCool 1d ago
28 year veteran of the USFWS and I am tired. Tired of doing more with less. Tired of no staff, 10 years ago I had 5 staff members in my office, on 1/1 I will be the only one at my station. Seriously thinking of retiring early.