Environmental Leadership

 

Politics, Power, and Justice in Puerto Rico

Field research 2026

Environmental Leadership explores the science, politics, and economics behind environmental issues through the lens of environmental justice. This year, participants will delve into the long-lasting environmental effects of the U.S. military’s use of Vieques, Puerto Rico, a small island in the Atlantic Ocean. Understanding the political and economic forces that drive unequal access to environmental goods (clean air, clean water, healthy food) and unequal exposure to environmental harms (pollution) is central to the study of environmental justice. 

Background

From the 1940s into the early 2000s, the U.S. Navy controlled large portions of Vieques, using the island as a live-fire bombing range and military training site. By the 1970s-80s, community groups such as the Vieques Fishermen’s Association and the Crusade to Rescue Vieques organized blockades (“fish-ins”), beach vigils, and lobbying to challenge U.S. Navy's presence. These efforts drew national and international attention, reframing the struggle as both a human rights issue and a fight for environmental justice.

Momentum grew through the 1990s, and in 2000, Puerto Rico’s governor, Pedro Rosselló, and U.S. President Bill Clinton reached an agreement that the Navy would withdraw by 2003. President George W. Bush later ordered an end to military exercises and the full closure of the bombing range on Vieques by May 1, 2003. Much of the land has since been converted into a National Wildlife Refuge administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Vieques movement is widely regarded as one of the most successful and sustained campaigns of civil disobedience against U.S. military policy. Even so, the work of environmental restoration and community healing continues today.

Puerto Rico remains a U.S. Territory despite President Dwight D. Eisenhower's offer in the early 1950s to grant independence if requested by the Puerto Rican legislature. Financial, security, and political issues prevented Puerto Rico from taking advantage of this offer. President Eisenhower embarked on a goodwill tour to the island in 1960.

Program Information

Led by Dr. Howard Ernst, Senior Scholar at University of Virginia’s Center for Politics and Professor of Political Science at the United States Naval Academy, this program provides a select group of Gettysburg College students with a unique opportunity to gain a greater understanding of environmental justice issues, to apply social science research methods, and develop their leadership skills. These objectives are achieved through guided discussion sessions, readings, and the completion of an original research project.

The program is divided into three complimentary parts:

  1. structured discussions that provide students with the conceptual grounding necessary to understand the annual them (environmental justice);
  2. field experiences that enable students to research the annual theme; and 
  3. a student-run symposium in which seminar participants present the key lessons from their research.

As part of the yearlong student-led project team, participants will:

  • Explore big ideas in environmental justice and apply them to real issues.
  • Learn how to research a problem, gather evidence, and understand different perspectives.
  • Lead discussions, plan a field experience, and work directly with experts and community partners.
  • Interview scientists, policymakers, or local leaders. 
  • Build a project with a team and present findings at a student-led symposium.
  • Practice real leadership: decision-making, giving and receiving feedback, and stepping into different team roles.

Research Project

Participants will work as a research team to plan and implement a rigorous field analysis in Vieques, Puerto Rico, during Spring Break 2027. The project culminates with the research team presenting key findings and policy suggestions at a public symposium at Gettysburg College. Throughout the program, students are provided meaningful opportunities to interact with environmental policy leaders and to learn from leading scholars in the field. Each student will lead a major aspect of the research project and will help plan and implement the spring field study.

Participants 

This program is designed from a social science perspective and is not intended for students who desire to conduct natural science research. The program focuses on the competing values and economic pressures that fuel environmental justice issues, as well as the politics of environmental justice remedies. The Environmental Leadership Program is open to all students who have an interest in environmental justice issues, who want to gain social science research experience, and who desire to refine their leadership skills. Discussions, interviews, and debates are common elements of the experience, and students should be prepared to engage in these activities. As a hands-on field experience, students must be willing to get their hands dirty. Outdoor activities are an integral part of the field experience.

Program Schedule

The program takes place during the full 2026-2027 academic year. Students are required to attend and participate in all program sessions, including the spring break research trip. Students who are interested in the program should apply only if they are able to attend all components of the program. 

Fall 2026

  • Sat., September 19, 1-3:30pm (Gettysburg), Session 1
  • Sat., October 3, 11am-2pm (Off-site field visit), Session 2
  • Sat., October 24, 1-3:30pm (Gettysburg), Session 3
  • Sat., November 14, 1-3:30pm (Gettysburg), Session 4
  • Sat., December 5, 1-3:30pm (Gettysburg), Session 5

Spring 2027

  • Sat., January 23, 1-3:30pm (Gettysburg), Field Experience Planning Session 1
  • Sat., February 13, 1-3:30pm (Gettysburg), Field Experience Planning Session 2
  • March 5-14, Field Research Trip over Spring Break
  • Sat., April 3, 1-3:30pm (Gettysburg) Symposium Planning Session
  • TBD in April 2027 - Student Research Symposium

Previous Research Projects and Program Outcomes

  • 2025-26: The Politics of Water (Phase 3) - Students focused on the restoration of the endangered San Pedro River, traveling to Bisbee, AZ, to conduct field research, interviews, and on-site analysis. 
  • 2024-25: The Politics of Water (Phase 2) - Students focused on the politics of industrial wastewater. While the copper mining operations have been dormant in Bisbee for more than 30 years, the environmental legacy of the mining operation remains an enduring issue. Students are constructing a GIS Story Map to track a phosphate groundwater plume that threatens the town's sole water source. The map tells the story of the plume and the people who are working to find solutions to this enduring problem.
  • 2023-24: The Politics of Water (Phase 1) - Student researchers explored how Bisbee, Arizona (a small border town with deep roots to the copper mining industry) overcame the “resource curse” and became a flourishing cultural gem. This phase of the study involved extensive elite interviews among the town’s “creative class,” shedding light on the factors that can help renew former industrial towns that face economic and cultural decline.

  • 2022-23: Cultural Remembrance in Bay Country - Students interviewed U.S. Naval Academy Museum Director Claude Berube on the Preble Hall podcast as part of their project exploring underrepresented cultures surrounding the Chesapeake Bay's Eastern Shore. The project was presented at the National Environmental Justice Conference on March 8, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

  • 2021-22: Hidden History of Beach Segregation - Students conducted original research and field interviews on Amelia Island and in Palm Beach County, Florida in a continued exploration of segregated coastal communities, and current access issues. See and hear their work, shared in a campus wide presentation.
  • 2019-20: Parking Access, Beach Usage and Race - A Study of the Relationship Between Parking Access and Racial Inequality at Public Beaches in Palm Beach County, Florida - Students used SOPARC methodology in a field research project over 5 consecutive days, resulting in a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Justice. 
  • 2018-19: Loxahatchee River Restoration Project - Students submitted a white paper to the South Florida water management community with policy proposals regarding water management and restoration plans along the Loxahatchee River. The proposals were the result of an original field research project, presented at a campus symposium. Their report was discussed at a meeting of the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners. 

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