From the Fall 2007 Newsletter
Name Change and New Constitution Pass with Flying Colors
The Last ERF President
I write this within a few hours of the ballot count and finding that an overwhelming number of members voted to change the Federation’s name to the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF). It was not unanimous, but it was way beyond a simple majority. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would be the last ERF President.
President Elect
Susan L. Williams
Professor, Evolution and Ecology
Director, Bodega Marine Laboratory
University of California at Davis
Bodega Bay, California, USA
Secretary
Pat Glibert
Professor, University of Maryland Center for
Environmental Science
Horn Point Laboratory
Cambridge, MD 21613 USA
Member At Large, 2007-2011
Ivan Valiela
Adj. Senior Scientist at the Ecosystems Center, and a
Professor, Boston University Marine Program, at the
Marine Biological Laboraratory, Woods Hole MA
Member At Large – International, 2007-2011
Daniel Conley
Professor, Marie Curie Chair
GeoBiosphere Science Centre, Department of Geology,
Lund University, Sweden
While I voted for the change and fully endorse it, I have great sympathy for and even empathy with the small minority who voted “no.” In fact had I not been so involved with the business of ERF for the past 4 years, I probably would have voted “no.”
Working with other Board members on strategic planning showed me that adding the word coastal makes the Federation more welcoming to people we want as members, authors in our journal and conference attendees. The change is the correct move for us if our work is to be recognized by a broader community. The name change also acknowledges that many of our members are involved in coastal studies beyond estuaries – even by the broadest definition of estuary.
I have been an ERF fan and member for essentially my entire professional career. I was at the Myrtle Beach meeting in 1973 and co-author of a paper as a graduate student in its Estuarine Research. Many of you may not realize that each of those early meetings had a proceedings book published by Academic Press. In the 1970’s and early 1980’s these books captured estuarine science of the day. Many of the articles are still worth reading.
In the early days the link between ERF and the Affiliate Societies was complete. To be a member of an Affiliate Society automatically made you a member of ERF. Our membership was actually larger then than today. But in the 1980’s ERF strengthened in its organization and role as a scientific society. It has continued to grow in stature. The name change is the next step in the organization’s development. It and other recent changes in our constitution and journal’s publishing plan position CERF for even better things in the future.
We will lose something as we grow, I am sure. But the membership, and especially the minority who voted “no,” will not let the organization lose its friendly and compassionate ethos. ERF, CERF or whatever you want to call it, remains the primary professional society for the study, education and management of our coastal ecosystems. I hope you agree and that you will make sure that the future CERF keeps the faith!
It has been a privilege to serve as your President for the past two years. I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Board members who have worked with me. Their names and offices are found on page 2.
Please join me in welcoming the new officers who will serve on the first Coastal and Estuarine Federation’s Governing Board during Bob Howarth's administration. Their names and offices are in the box above.