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 RESTORE is a weekly e-bulletin, published by SER International, linking you to the latest, breaking news stories from around the world keeping you up-to-date on a wide variety of topics related to ecological restoration including the latest funding opportunities. RESTORE is free to SER International members and can be subscribed to for only $20/year by visiting: www.ser.org/content/restoration_network.asp. |
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Get Involved / Community-Based Restoration
Hungary: SER Europe and Alternet Field Training
One or two places are still available for students in a field course on restoration of sandy grasslands organised by the Institute of Ecology and Botany and the Kiskunság National Park
in Fülöpháza (Hungary) 12-17th May 2008. The aim of the course is to introduce ongoing restoration ecological experiments to the participants, and test methodologies that are suitable for monitoring the restoration success. Please find attached the draft programme and the link to the call:
http://www.obki.hu/en/nyito/news.shtml?AA_SL_Session=b97d5ed9a6bb49e665c692e2fcfaccd3&x=42980
UK: One Step Beyond - Creative Conservation Practice: New Approaches
Half Day Seminar: Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, Surrey on June 4th 2008 for anyone interested. It's a free event- but with limited places. Anyone interested should contact Richard Scott if interested, and further details will be supplied.
rscott@landlife.org.uk
Seek Leads to Early Projects and Initiatives for History of Restoration
We are interested in documenting projects that represent early attempts at restoration, as defined by SER, or that are related to this form of land management in interesting ways. We are also interested in initiatives related to the development and application of restoration for environmental, educational or scientific purposes, or its use in landscaping, soil rehabilitation, hydrological management and the like. If you have suggestions, please contact me at newacademy@comcast.net, 815-337-6896; or George at George.Lubick@NAU.EDU; 928-523-6211.
Wetland Restoration and Wetland Delineation Short Courses
Professional wetland short courses for practicing engineers, planners, scientists, and resource managers at the Heffner Wetland Building at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, Columbus, Ohio. July 9-11, 2008 (3 days) CREATION AND RESTORATION OF WETLANDS with William J. Mitsch and Roy R. "Robin" Lewis, and August 11-15, 2008 (5 days) WETLAND DELINEATION with Ralph W. Tiner, Mark D. DeBrock, Frank Gibbs, and William J. Mitsch.
http://swamp.osu.edu/ShortCourses/index.html
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People in the News
John Teal to Speak on Progress in Wetland Restoration and Preservation
Despite increased environmental awareness and concerted efforts nationwide over the past two decades to restore and preserve wetlands, the battle is far from over, according to Rochester resident John M. Teal. "The figures give the impression that have started to come back but they are sort of fake," said Dr. Teal, a nationally acclaimed wetlands expert with more than 140 scientific publications to his credit. "The only things that are increasing are reservoirs, farm ponds and other man-made creations that are wet." In 1969, Dr. Teal's seminal book "Life and Death of a Salt Marsh," the product of 15 years of research, sounded a warning about the environmental consequences that would ensue if salt marshes continued to be lost. Forty years later, Dr. Teal, scientist emeritus at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, is still actively engaged with marsh restoration and is involved in a variety of projects, large and small, including a restoration project in Delaware Bay encompassing 32 square miles.
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080428/NEWS/804280338
NSF Funding Puts NAU Researchers at the Head of the Class
The National Science Foundation recently awarded a five-year, $2.9 million grant to the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences to support graduate students as they pursue innovative research and share their knowledge with younger students along the way. Grant recipients will receive support for their research and will spend 10 hours a week collaborating with teachers in local K-12 classrooms to improve the instruction of science, technology, engineering and math.
http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=nau&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=112953&XSL=PressRelease
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| New Books & Articles
Biodiversity Linked to Human Health
To protect the health of humans, save other species. That's the message from Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein from Harvard Medical School in Boston, who say that human health depends crucially on biodiversity. While plenty of investigations have focused on the sociological and economic impact of species dying out, few have considered the impact on human health. Chivian and Bernstein hope to change this by drawing together the ideas of leading thinkers on the subject in Sustaining Life: How human health depends on biodiversity, to be published by Oxford University Press in May. Due to be launched at the UN headquarters in New York as New Scientist went to press, the book includes contributions by such heavy-hitters as the sociobiologist Edward O. Wilson and former UN chief Kofi Annan.
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/mg19826533.200-biodiversity-linked-to-human-health.html
Research Team Quantifies Nutrient Pollution Reductions from Urban Stream Restoration
A team of researchers led by University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science researcher Dr. Sujay Kaushal has been among the first able to quantify the amount of excess nitrogen removed from an urban stream during environmental restoration projects. This breakthrough will allow environmental managers to accurately assess the pollution reducing benefits of stormwater management and urban stream restoration, and could lead to new nitrogen reduction opportunities as public works managers make repairs to our nation's aging urban infrastructure.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/uomc-urt043008.php
Reclaiming Nature: Environmental Justice and Ecological Restoration
In Reclaiming Nature, leading environmental thinkers from across the globe explore the relationship between the natural world and human activities. The authors draw inspiration and lessons from diverse experiences, from community-based fishery and forestry management to innovative strategies for combating global warming. They advance a compelling new vision of environmentalism, founded on the link between the struggle to reclaim nature and the struggle for social justice.
http://atlantis.terrassl.net/anthempress.com/product_info.php?cPath=96&products_id=272&osCsid=mf9ie3lh2a2f4st2ehssd0r3o1
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| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
Great Lakes Restoration would Benefit Duluth Economy
Talk about your economic stimulus packages: A Brookings Institution study found that the Duluth economy would be bolstered by $200 to $300 million, mostly in increased property values, if the federal government invests in a comprehensive cleanup and restoration effort across the Great Lakes.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=64576&freebie_check&CFID=26924948&CFTOKEN=40672823&jsessionid=8830c2991b676338c2a1
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Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)
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| Agro-Ecology
Golden Wheat "Greens" Kenya´s Drylands
Through IAEA Partnerships, Scientists and Farmers Pioneer Hardier, Healthier Wheat
Hot and barren, Kenya´s dry lands have long been unfit for agriculture, at best merely a grazing area for wild animals and livestock. Today, the landscape is more picturesque and productive, lined with golden stalks of wheat yielding precious grain for Kenya´s farms and families. The wheat is a new variety, one that is high yielding and resistant to drought. As a result, small farming families are realizing harvests on farmlands once considered too poor to cultivate, to the country´s social and economic benefit.
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2008/kenya_wheatfields.html
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| Biodiversity & Climate Change
California: Climate Change Adds Twist to River Restoration
The best hope for cold-water chinook salmon to survive global warming may be near sweltering Fresno -- in the San Joaquin River, where salmon have been extinct for 60 years. That's the latest twist in the long-running debate over restoring the San Joaquin, a project that will begin in less than 18 months. Farmers, forced by legal settlement to give up irrigation water for the project, are skeptical about the claim. They see global warming as a reason to reconsider the half-billion-dollar restoration. Warmer conditions will kill the restored fish runs, they say.
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/555791.html
McCartney Urges Vegetarianism To Fight Climate Ills
Former Beatle Paul McCartney is urging the world to go vegetarian in a bid to fight global warming and is surprised more green groups don't promote it. McCartney says the amount of land and water used to maintain the meat industry makes it a major contributor to climate change and complains that most environmental groups do not list vegetarianism as one of their top priorities.
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48066/story.htm
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Montana: Three Bitterroot Thinning Projects Announced
Chuck Oliver doesn't have to look far to be reminded why many in Darby hope the U.S. Forest Service will start thinning national forest lands around town soon. From the front window of his district ranger's office, Oliver can see the trees blackened by last summer's Tin Cup fire. Some sound firefighting, a few strategic breaks in the thick timber and a fortunate change in the wind kept the fire from roaring right into Darby. For two days, the fire was the top priority of national firefighting resources.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/04/22/news/mtregional/znews08.txt
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/04/29/news/local/znews03.txt
India: Villages Co-opted into Conservation
An initiative in India to introduce environmental conservation into village administration is making good headway in this rural district some 120 km from Bangalore, capital of southern Karnataka state. Venkatesh, 34, a local rural administrator from Maramakindapalli village in Kolar, bordering the discontinuous Eastern Ghat range of hills along India's eastern coastline, says his mandate this year is to protect the surrounding scrub jungle in the Rayalpad forest zone from being lopped off by the villagers.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42005
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| Wetland Restoration
California: Permanent Natural Wetland could Spring from Reservoir
Part of the city's only nature preserve might be restored for a permanent natural wetland. To compensate for environmental damage caused by its Sunshine Canyon Landfill, Browning-Ferris Industries has proposed creating a conservation easement within the Chatsworth Reservoir. Plans call for the company to restore 44 acres of wetland and river habitat as part of a 140-acre preserve to be managed by the city parks department.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_8938487
Indiana: West Terre Haute Wetland Restoration
State and Local officials came together on Tuesday to announce the restoration of wetlands in West Terre Haute and present a big check to help improve them. If you drive or live along the west side of the Wabash River in West Terre Haute soon it will have a different feel. On Tuesday Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels announced more than 1,200 acres of this area will be restored to wetlands.
http://www.wthitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8171594&nav=menu593_2
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River & Watershed Restoration
India: Vetiver to the Rescue of River Banks
Malappuram district will soon adopt a unique method to protect the banks of its major rivers such as Bharatapuzha, Kadalundipuzha and Chaliyar. Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides), better known by this perennial plant's Malayalam name ramacham, will be planted on the banks of these rivers. Vetiver was chosen for the purpose as it was capable of preventing soil erosion and natural disasters such as landslides and mudslides. Native to India, Vetiver can withstand extreme alkalinity. This plant, though mainly used for perfumery, can also help improve soil fertility and facilitate ground water recharge.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/22/stories/2008042251050200.htm
New York: Preserve Restoration Project Approved
After years of planning and environmental testing, the Nassau County Legislature has awarded the contract to commence work on the restoration of the Massapequa Preserve. The Massapequa Creek Stream Augmentation and Pond Restoration Project is finally under way. "I have worked tirelessly to ensure that the improvements to the Massapequa Creek Preserve were a priority for the Nassau County Legislature, and I am happy to report that approvals have been secured to allow the work to begin," said Legislator Peter J. Schmitt.
http://www.antonnews.com/massapequanobserver/2008/04/18/news/preserve.html
California: Wolk Praises Partnership for Putah Creek Rstoration
Assemblywoman Lois Wolk is welcoming an announcement today that the Lower Putah Creek Coordinating Committee has been given permission to grow native plants for Putah Creek restoration projects at the state's L.A. Moran Reforestation Center in Davis. "This is great news," said Wolk, D-Davis. "It provides a big boost to local habitat restoration and breathes new life into the reforestation center."
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/news/ci_9053553
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| Desertification & Arid Land Restoration
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| Lake Restoration
California: Let's not 'Fire Away' at Lake Merced without the Facts
The Lake Merced Task Force, which includes scores of organizations and agencies, has urged San Francisco to undertake the restoration of Lake Merced for nearly a decade. Many who care about this priceless ecological and recreational resource have come together with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which owns the lake, to develop a Lake Merced Watershed Plan. The plan will address such issues as environmental health, recreational potential, land use and watershed protection at the lake.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/22/EDO41083U9.DTL
Florida: Pond Apple Trees Planted Around Lake
Pond apple trees within the footprint of the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir construction zone are getting a fresh start in the rich muck soils of Torry Island in southern Lake Okeechobee. The South Florida Water Management District is transplanting 1,500 of the mature trees this month to benefit ongoing habitat restoration work on Torry Island in Belle Glade in western Palm Beach County. The project takes advantage of the availability of trees as tall as eight feet that would be completely submerged in the massive EAA Reservoir when complete.
http://swflorida.blogspot.com/2008/04/pond-apple-trees-planted-around-lake.html
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| Coastal & Marine Restoration
Massachusetts: State Grants Aimed at Boosting Marshlands
New state grants will help continue the effort to restore the region's salt marshes, specifically in Gloucester, Beverly, Ipswich, Salisbury, and Newbury. Salem Sound Coastwatch ($33,400) and the Massachusetts Audubon Society ($7,116) were North Region recipients in the latest round of grants totaling $200,000 from the state Office of Coastal Zone Management's Wetlands Restoration Program. Founded in 1994, the program and its partners - which include municipalities, federal agencies, conservation organizations, landowners, and others - have completed 57 projects to restore 720 acres of coastal marshes that had been degraded primarily because man-made structures had cut off the flow of salt water to upstream tidal wetlands.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/27/state_grants_aimed_at_boosting_marshlands/
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Wildlife Restoration
Texas: Habitat Saved by Shoreline Restoration Project
Three priority bird species-the endangered Brown Pelican and threatened Reddish Egret and White-faced Ibis - have been conserved thanks to an erosion-protection project on North Deer Island in West Galveston Bay. Project partners protected the highly populated bird nesting habitat by armoring approximately 1.7 miles of shoreline. The most productive bird nesting island on the Texas Gulf coast, North Deer Island has experienced up to 10 feet of erosion per year. This project protects bird nesting habitat for these three and 16 other bird species.
http://outdoornewsdaily.com/index.php/archives/3647
Fish & Wildlife Service Takes on Seabird Restoration of Rat Island
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that a project to restore the natural biodiversity of Rat Island by eradicating invasive Norway rats will not have any significant impacts on the human environment. In a Finding of No Significant Impact, released today, the Service determined that the project proposed for Rat Island in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge does not constitute a major federal action requiring further environmental analysis. Rat Island is uninhabited and located in the Aleutian Island Chain about 1,300 miles west of Anchorage. The Nature Conservancy and Island Conservation are partners in the plan to restore wildlife habitat by removing the rats.
http://outdoornewsdaily.com/index.php/archives/3558
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| Extractive Industries
Ohio: Thousands of Seedlings may Save Songbird
Lands once spoiled by strip mines might hold new hope for conservationists working to save a disappearing songbird. Strip mines in southern Ohio produced millions of tons of coal but also destroyed thousands of acres of forests that were breeding grounds for the cerulean warbler and other migratory birds. Laws that make companies restore mine-damaged lands let them plant grasses instead of the trees birds need for nests.
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/04/21/Coalrefuge.ART_ART_04-21-08_B1_NCA01L3.html?sid=101
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Invasive Species
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| Urban Restoration
Ohio: Pond Brook Restoration Resumes
The first part of a $3 million restoration of Liberty Park's Pond Brook is more than halfway done, according to Mike Johnson, chief of natural resource management for Metro Parks Serving Summit County. Johnson said Metro Parks and the city began the project, which involves 100 acres of wetland work and 2 miles of stream work because they felt it was their responsibility to restore the "beauty" of the Pond Brook area, which had been destroyed due to earlier use before the two entities bought the land about 10 years ago.
http://www.twinsburgbulletin.com/news/article/3639931
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| Recreation & Tourism
New Jersey: 251 Acres of Liberty State Park will be Restored
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) at a Monday morning press conference at Liberty Science Center announced that he will secure $20 million in federal funds for the restoration project in Liberty State Park. Adding more park space to Liberty State Park? Is that possible for one of the largest state parks in New Jersey? But that's what will happen some time within the next four years, as an extensive $32 million restoration project will develop 251 acres of the park's interior. Those acres have been fenced off due to contamination since before the park opened in 1976.
http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=13251&forum=6
Bulgaria Eco Minister Orders Environmental Restoration at Black Sea Coast
Bulgaria's Environmental Minister Dzhevdet Chakurov ordered Wednesday the removal of all construction facilities in the Sand Dunes area around the Black Sea resort of Nessebar. Chakurov also ordered that the restoration of the natural environment to its previous state, the press service of the Environmental Ministry announced.
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=92306
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| Funding Opportunities
Research Experience for Undergraduates Grant Closes May 1, 2008
Peninsula College and Western Washington University are pleased to announce up to 16 openings for our National Science Foundation-supported Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in Port Angeles, Washington, home of Olympic National Park and the Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project, the world's largest dam removal and fisheries restoration project. Applications are due May 1, 2008, for 16 positions that will get a stipend of $6,200 for the 08-09 school year, and students may either earn credit and/or work toward a degree with Peninsula College (www.pc.ctc.edu) or Western Washington University's Huxley College of the Environment on the Peninsula.
http://www.wwu.edu/huxley/departments/offcampus/index.shtml
2009 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Closes May 2, 2008
The Multistate Conservation Grant Program (MSCGP) is soliciting Letters of Intent (Due by midnight EDT Friday, May 2, 2008) for the 2009 cycle of this competitive grant program. For more application information and materials please visit the MSCGP website. The MSCGP is intended to address regional or national level priorities of state fish and wildlife agencies. It was established in 2000 by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act, which amended the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act. Up to $6,000,000 is available each calendar year for one to three year projects (CFDA Number 15-628).
http://www.fishwildlife.org/multistate_grants.html
Maryland: Coastal Bays Offering Mini-grants Closes May 6, 2008
The Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP), working in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT), is pleased to announce that we are currently accepting Community Stewardship Mini-Grant proposals. The goal of the Community Stewardship Mini-Grants Program is to increase public awareness and public involvement in restoring and protecting Maryland's Coastal Bays and its tributaries. This program is made possible through private contributions made to MCBP and CBT.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/OPI05/804080323/-1/OPI
Washington: Grants Available for Surface Water Education, Restoration Projects Closes May 16, 2008
Plan a field trip, study a creek, plant some native species or even put on a puppet show! The possibilities are endless. Make a Splash environmental grants of up to $2,500 are available from City of Tacoma Environmental Services to any school, group or individual considering a project to help protect and restore surface water resources within the Tacoma city limits. The $50,000 grant program is funded by the City's surface water utility rates and is currently in its sixth year. Application materials for 2008 must be postmarked by May 16, 2008. For more information or to download an application, go to http://www.cityoftacoma.org/makeasplash or call (253) 591-5588.
Fellowships Available in Estuarine Science Closes June 6, 2008
CALFED Science Program, California Sea Grant College Program is offering stipends of up to $45,000/yr. for Postdocs and $25,000/yr. for Graduate Fellows for up to 2 years, plus eligible expenses.
http://www.csgc.ucsd.edu/EDUCATION/CALFED/CALFEDIndx.html
Fulbright Scholar Program for US Faculty and Professionals Closes August 1, 2008
The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering 109 lecturing, research or combined lecturing/research awards in environmental science during the 2009-2010 academic year. Awards range from two months to an academic year. Faculty and professionals in environmental science may apply for awards specifically in their field or for one of the many "All Discipline" awards open to any field. The application deadline for Fulbright traditional lecturing and research grants worldwide is August 1, 2008. U.S. citizenship is required. For other eligibility requirements, detailed award descriptions, and an application, visit our website at www.cies.org, or send a request for materials to apprequest@cies.iie.org.
Fulbright Awards in Agriculture or Fisheries
Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program for academic year 2009-10 offers various awards for American academics and professionals in the fields of agricultural economy. The Philippines ( http://www.cies.org/award_book/award2009/award/Agr9161.htm)offersa six-months Lecturing/Research combination grant to help the development of young scholars and practitioners as well as to consult the country's Department of Agriculture. Kazakhstan ( http://www.cies.org/award_book/award2009/award/Env9494.htm ) offers awards for 4 to 10 months in environmental sciences or environmental law to lecture or lecturing/research combination. Turkmenistan ( http://www.cies.org/award_book/award2009/award/All9513.htm ) seeks for applicants in agricultural studies and water resources management; and so does Uzbekistan ( http://www.cies.org/award_book/award2009/award/All9515.htm ) Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Program Officer Mamiko Hada (mhada@cies.iie.org) with most up-to-date CV.
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