small. Over the last five years, however, student interest in ecological 

 training has increased concurrent with the rising public concern over 

 ecological problems. The recent termination of Federal support of 

 research training grants has been particularly harsh on students with 

 field research projects and it is easier now to conduct graduate research 

 within the confines of the campus. Academic institutions could 

 produce more ecologists and other relevant environmental scientists 

 with research training grants which permit students to study real 

 problems. Such field research can be interdiscipHnary and could be 

 cooperative with industry or local government, thus more effectively 

 linking intellectual resources with socially relevant issues. This 

 activity is most meaningful at the graduate and continuing education 

 levels. 



Ecological awareness has increased in all age groups, but ecological 

 knowledge has been restricted. In spite of an information explosion, 

 especially in environmental activist literature, well-planned, accurate, 

 and well-documented ecological curriculum materials are generally 

 inadequate at all educational levels. Because ecology is a relatively 

 young, dynamic, and evolving science, the curricula tend to be as 

 varied as the instructors. It is, therefore, timely to specify a core 

 curriculum in ecology for various educational levels in context with 

 other relevant subjects. 



Ecologists have been given many new definitions and have been 

 wrongly considered to be specialists in pollution or the environment. In 

 addition there are many concerned environmentalists and "instant" 

 ecologists without proper ecological education. To further add to this 

 complexity, wide differences exist within the ranks of professional 

 ecologists. Some are statistically oriented, and some use a non- 

 quantitative natural history approach. Others utilize a firm taxonomic 

 base while some ignore species and utilize biomass or total produc- 

 tivity to indicate conditions. Hence some ecologists are suitable for 

 certain situations and others are not. It is important that a common 

 knowledge base or core curriculum be developed within the various 

 universities so ecologists (like medical doctors) can be "general practi- 

 tioners" first and specialists second. 



Federal agencies should hire professional ecologists where Recommendation 12 

 needed and not substitute other specialists who lack full 

 ecological training. The Civil Service Commission should 

 establish a classification for ecology and set standards to 

 assure adequate capability. 



Federal agencies have problems in emplojdng ecologists in planning 

 and research roles because ecology, as such, is not listed as a field of 

 science in the Civil Service Commission's list for the Biological and 

 Agricultural Sciences. This omission makes determination of 

 manpower needs in ecology very difficult. While line jobs can be filled 

 by ecologists who are enlisted in botany, forestry, fishery and wildlife 

 biology, or zoology, a staff position as "ecologist" could be more easily 

 justified and would be more appropriate. The Civil Service Commis- 

 sion should be requested to add "ecology" as a field of science and to 

 establish appropriate professional standards to assure proper training 

 and experience. 



27 



