The War on Science is Serious. Believing We are Alone is Worse.
June 5, 2025
I’m both grateful and proud to have served as the president of the Society for Freshwater Science over the past year. SFS represents, on average, 1,500 scientists globally. Our annual meeting in May brought together 800 colleagues and friends, including nearly 400 students, from 22 countries.
It’s normally an exciting and lively gathering, but this time, it was bittersweet. We missed seeing those working for the U.S. federal government, whose institutions prohibited them from attending, except on their own time and dime. And across our field, so many bright and dedicated individuals now face an uncertain future. In just a few months, federal support of the science that ensures America’s long-term health and prosperity, as well as the world’s, has rapidly and overwhelmingly been withdrawn.
Environmental science has been hit especially hard. Proposed cuts to the National Science Foundation would reduce its biological sciences funding by nearly 72%.
Young, talented early-career scientists and students who are normally filled with hope and optimism expressed palpable fear and anxiety to their friends at SFS.
One of our members said, “I worry that hard-earned gains on the environmental front will be lost. What will happen to the Clean Water Act? Will there be any guardrails?”
Another said, “The chaos this brings to our work, our staff, and our science is unacceptable and only holds all of us back. Progress cannot be made when we stifle scientific work.”
This is not the America we knew six months ago. The United States is poised to abandon its investments in science and forsake its esteemed role as a world leader in research and development. How many generations of scientific advancement we lose depends on what happens next.
Currently, Stroud Water Research Center has suffered minimal losses of existing contracts. But a crisis looms. Our opportunities to compete for funding are disappearing, as budgets throughout our federal science programs are slashed in half or more.
We feel the threat of retribution if we speak out, recognizing the potential damage could undermine, if not arrest, our work.
But fear is a silent killer. To self-censor, abandon our values and independent voice, not pursue research in the public interest because it challenges debunked views, or ignore the need for a more diverse and inclusive scientific community would stall the advancement of science. Scientific research cannot operate within such constraints, and neither can the Stroud Center.
It’s time for us to speak up and to act. At its heart, environmental science is about learning how to steward this natural wonder we call Earth, a place we not only love but depend on. To quote Robert Newman, “There is no Planet B.”
It is the Stroud Center’s mission to advance knowledge and stewardship of freshwater ecosystems globally. Just this year, we spoke with The New York Times about our recent discovery that biosolids used on farm fields can contaminate neighboring surface waters with PFAS. We led a community science project to measure the impact of road salt on freshwater streams. We described six new mayfly species and learned more about the role of algae in rivers. And we met with government leaders to share innovative solutions that help farmers grow food while restoring degraded water resources.
We will continue to devote ourselves to that mission. At the same time, we must draw public attention to the threats that science, and thus the sustainability of our planet, is facing.
We do not know what the repercussions will be. However, the SFS meeting reminded me we are not alone. The very community and collaboration that enable scientific advancement are what will save our country from ignorance, exclusion, and international isolation.
You are as much a part of our community as our colleagues in science. Your support inspires us, motivates us, and helps us protect the water we all need. And now, the Stroud Center needs you more than ever.
You can help us provide a refuge for scientific research and secure the future of fresh water. Tell your elected representatives what our work means to you, and please donate today.
David B. Arscott, Ph.D.
Executive Director, President, and Research Scientist
Stroud Water Research Center
