Ecologists convened at the UW-Madison Pyle Center on Oct. 7 and 8 to raise awareness of Wisconsin's ecological deterioration. The workshop, titled \The Vanishing Present: Perspectives on Ecological Change in Wisconsin,"" brought together UW, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and other regional organizations to share research findings and promote environmental issues.
""When [research is] important for how we live our lives and for political decisions that get made, it is important to share it with the public,"" UW-Madison botany professor Don Waller said.
Waller, the organizer of the event, noted Wisconsin's ecological problem is a slow-moving catastrophe. It does not grab people's attention like the news of a destructive hurricane, he said, but it is just as powerful and important.
""People come here for the natural beauty, but we're losing it,"" Waller said.
Researchers studying diverse species and systems-whether lichen, salamanders, forests or lakes-are coming to similar conclusions. Wisconsin's ecological health is suffering. Habitats are shrinking and becoming polluted. The climate is getting warmer and drier. Invasive plant and animal species are competing for already dwindling habitat space, while others are consuming native species.
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz spoke at the conference, offering hope that political officials have taken note of Wisconsin's environmental issues. He warned against suburban sprawl, citing the loss of natural areas, as well as the increased air pollution and gas consumption required for commuting.
""Living in the city is the best thing you can do for the environment,"" Cieslewicz said.
Wisconsin ecologists have unique access to research data that are much older than those found in other states. Records of biological surveys performed here in the 19th century provide a baseline to which current ecological conditions can be compared. More recently, UW has provided a steady stream of ecological research that itself dates back many decades.
The speakers will publish a book in 2005 that will bear the same title as the workshop. The book itself will be an effort in ecological conservation, and is meant to reach ""college students, high school teachers and naturalists,"" Waller said, adding ""...and Chicago tourists,"" with a wry smile.
""This [book will be] a great bringing together of all different components of ecology-rural and urban, land and water, current, past and future. I'm really excited to see the book,"" said Julie Vano, a UW-Madison land resources graduate student.
