Faculty Scholarship Profile: John Lemons

imageJohn Lemons has become a national leader in conservation research and policy making.

The implications of his work have been clearly recognized both within his academic fields and the public domain. His studies and critiques of national park management and wilderness preservation have clarified and focused national debates.

Professor Lemons earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in zoology and physiology from the University of Wyoming and his B.S. in zoology from California State University at Long Beach. As a professor in the Department of Environmental Studies, he has taught courses on environmental issues, environmental ethics, population and the environment, and global environmental change.

Prof. Lemons has authored more than 100 publications on conservation of biodiversity, high-level nuclear waste disposal, global climate change, environmental ethics, sustainable development, the role of science in public policy, and higher education. His seven books include Sustainable Development: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy and Perspectives on Ecological Integrity.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has honored him for his contribution to science and public policy by electing him an ASAS Fellow.

Since 2000, Prof. Lemons has been director of the global project “Best Practices for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity of Global Significance in Arid and Semiarid Zones.” This project, involving more than 100 scientists and others from about 50 countries, is funded by the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Environment Program.

During his tenure as editor-in-chief of The Environmental Professional, Prof. Lemons worked with experts on wilderness preservation to clarify the debate on questions concerning the concepts of “wild” and “natural.”

He has published extensively on national park management and policy– primarily on issues that relate to the use of science in informing decisions about park management and on the issues that explore whether and to what extent the National Park Service has permitted the overuse of parks, resulting in threats to their resources. These publications have helped focus debate among both academics and staff of the National Park Service.

Prof. Lemons’ many publications on the proposed high-level nuclear waste depository for Yucca Mountain in Nevada have been used by the Nevada State Nuclear Waste Projects Office in its involvement with the proposed repository. Prof. Lemons has argued that legislation authorizing the selection of Yucca Mountain as the only site in the nation for the repository violates federal environmental legislation.

Prof. Lemons has also written on the role of science in public policy and decision-making and has contributed to the creation of alternatives to traditional risk assessment practices. In addition, he has published on the pedagogy of science teaching, including writing, leadership, the role of values and curriculum design.

Besides his ongoing work in his academic fields, Prof. Lemons is currently working on a novel.    
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