Kurt Riitters honored with the 2019 Distinguished Landscape Ecologist Award
USDA Forest Service scientist Kurt Riitters was named the 2019 Distinguished Landscape Ecologist by the North American Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE-NA) at their annual meeting held in Fort Collins, CO. Riitters is a Research Ecologist and Team Leader at the Southern Research Station's Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center (EFETAC).
The award recognizes individuals whose thinking and writing have helped to shape the field of landscape ecology and is the highest honor bestowed by the society. Riitters is a past president of US-IALE (2012–2014). (In 2019 the US chapter of IALE transitioned to IALE-NA with Canada and Mexico). He commented, "I am honored to be recognized as a Distinguished Landscape Ecologist, and very pleased to know that my research has made important contributions to the science of landscape ecology." He has authored more than 85 peer-reviewed journal articles, 100+ Forest Service and other agency reports, book chapters, etc., and his work has appeared in many environmental reports including the Millennium Assessment, the Official Atlas of the United States, and the State of the Nation's Ecosystems. The IALE-NA fosters landscape ecology in North America and promotes interdisciplinary research and communication among scientists, planners, and other professionals concerned with landscape ecology. Read More about Dr. Riitter's award at the IALE-NA website...
