policy

I'm in the middle of writing a conference abstract for presentation this summer. In the past, I've tended to focus on technical and scientific things, usually related to field research. In the past few years, I've also presented a few papers that looked at more of a project implementation overview, case studies of restoration implementation. This time I'm moving in a policy direction. I'm attempting to summarize my restoration-related experiences as a small-town elected official. I'm finding that it's more difficult than I expected.

Unlike my past papers, there's nothing quantifiable here. The careful study designs and formulas and statistical analysis of science don't translate very well to the world of special interests and sound bites.

I'm realizing that this disconnect is exactly why it's important to talk about this. Scientists can't communicate effectively with policy makers unless they understand the mindset and are able to speak the language.

In my case, I'm the only member of our City Council with any ecology background. We have one fellow with an academic background, something in mathematics, and he's able to adapt easily enough. The others include a businessman, a rancher, and a state employee who works on the operations side. It's a safe assumption that most City Councils don't have anyone with a science background.

Instead, elected bodies are driven by political philosophy, constituency, and the realities of managing limited financial resources in difficult economic times. In California, there's generally also distrust of a state government that's been dipping a hand in local pockets for years to feed it's own dysfunctional bureaucracy and lack of fiscal restraint.

A Council might back a restoration project, if it doesn't cost too much or the money comes from someplace else, and if there is some perceived local benefit (a tourism draw, or mitigation for a badly needed infrastructure project). Surprisingly, the local Chamber of Commerce can sometimes be an advocate; birdwatchers at a local wetland restoration often stop on Main Street for lunch and stay in a local hotel.

Scientists are notoriously bad at converting complex technical knowledge into press-friendly sound bites, and they often aren't very good at building coalitions to push a project through a maze of funding constraints and regulatory hurdles. Yet, if we're actually going to build restoration projects, these are necessary skills. Someone needs to bridge the gap.