Environmental Law Institute - National Wetlands Awards

Dr. James G. Gosselink has been a leader in wetland ecology for more than 40 years as a scientist and scholar and as a communicator of science. He has authored and co-authored more than 100 scientific contributions on wetland ecology, and he has collaborated with virtually every federal agency responsible for managing wetlands in North America. Most recently, he has worked to improve the scientific basis for understanding and managing bottomland hardwood wetlands and to protect them from losses due to the cumulative impacts of many small individual decisions. He co-authored one of the most widely read books on wetland ecology and management-Wetlands, now enjoying its third edition. The publication has become widely regarded as the premier reference book on wetland ecology, and it is perhaps the only book that synthesizes wetland ecology at a landscape scale.

Dr. Gosselink, currently emeritus professor at Louisiana State University’s Coastal Ecology Institute, continues to participate as a scientist and citizen in national and international dialogues, studies, and policy guidance on wetland values. His academic and experienced leadership has inspired students and colleagues for more than three decades. His respect for science and his dedication to the constructive engagement of science in law, policy, and citizen action make him a seasoned voice for sound wetland conservation and management worldwide. A colleague recently described him succinctly and precisely: “When Jim Gosselink speaks, everyone stops to listen.”

— R. Eugene Turner, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana