The session goal is to increase ecologists’ awareness of ways in which they may work with local communities to address local and regional environmental issues. Old mantras often hold meaning—and “”Think globally, act locally” is one that contains a major truth. While it is critical to address large-scale Earth stewardship issues such as global climate change internationally, we all none-the-less live, work and play at local levels. Along with the vital need to develop international treaties and solutions, we must also recognize that there are many, many other, more local or regional issues that require our attention and that would benefit from our participation as both citizens and scientists. Local-level stewardship requires a variety of tasks, including interacting with people with various perspectives and backgrounds and with policy-decision-makers by providing scientific input, support, and insight. Ecologists can contribute to environmental stewardship by becoming an active and trusted part of a local community. As such, the skills and perspectives that ecologists have to contribute are more readily integrated into a community or region’s policy and management decisions. Recognizing great opportunities for ESA members to participate in local and regional environmental policy efforts, this organized oral session features speakers covering a number of pertinent topics: defining the responsibilities of ecologists in helping communities share in scientific advancement and its benefits; engaging outside the ecological community to foster local and regional interactions with communities in need; the potential of contemplative practices in engaging with communities; developing stakeholder partnerships for sustainable solutions; building institutional partnerships to address regional environmental change; developing policy for effective resource management; working with communities to increase natural resilience against flooding; and fostering civic ecology—including community gardening and forestry. The session will include not only academic ecologists who set aside time to participate in local environmental issues, but also speakers whose professional work is focused on integrating science into policy solutions that further the goal of maintaining our planet’s life support systems.