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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
California: Bolinas Lagoon Restoration Plan Unveiled
NOAA's Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary will co-sponsor a workshop with the Marin County Open Space District on June 11 to present recommendations for the restoration and management of Bolinas Lagoon. The public is invited to attend the workshop and comment on the recommendations and proposed actions contained in the "locally preferred plan," which addresses the impacts of human activities such as logging, grazing and development on the lagoon. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Stinson Beach Community Center, located at 32 Belvedere Street in Stinson Beach.
http://www.coastalpost.com/08/06/05.html
Washington: City Gathering Input on Waterfront Park Plans
The city will unveil plans for a renovated and more fish-friendly Waterfront Park on Tuesday. Slated as an open house, the city will gather public input on conceptual plans for shoreline restoration, an expanded dock and rerouted trails that run along the Winslow park's beach. The park provides a valuable urban green space, connects Winslow to Eagle Harbor and presents a unique opportunity for increasing fish habitat, according to city planners. "These changes will help address the public's desires for this important centerpiece park," said city project manager Kelly Dickson.
http://blogs.kitsapsun.com/kitsap/bainbridge/archive/2008/05/waterfront_parks_future.html |
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People in the News
Canada: Annapolis River Project Receives Wetland Award
The Clean Annapolis River Project has received the Lieutenant-Governor's Greenwing Award for its role in wetland conservation and education. The ceremony took place recently at the K. C. Irving Environmental Sciences Centre at Acadia University. Deanne Meadus, Atlantic conservation manager for Ducks Unlimited Canada, read the citation and explained why the project was chosen for this honour.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1058844.html
Global Ecology Corporation Signs Letter of Intent With Florida Group
The recently renamed Homeland Security Network, Inc. (Pink Sheets:HSYN), doing business as Global Ecology Corporation (GEC), announced today that it signed a letter of intent with Brillyant, Inc., an environmental resource management company specializing in environmental restoration projects in the southeast U.S. and is headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Under the terms of the agreement, GEC and Brillyant will target and service large projects in the southeastern U.S. that require the combined eco-system technologies and project management skills offered by each company. GEC, along with its partner Huma-Clean, specialize in soil and water restoration using bio-remedial technologies to remove hazardous deposits of heavy metals, dangerous pesticides and other human-caused bacterial pollutants.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1407514/global_ecology_corporation_signs_letter_of_intent_with_florida_group/
Canada: Society Works on Restoration
Having worked in the Salmo watershed and Upper Columbia River Basin for 10 years, Gerard Nellestijn has earned himself a "really great" nomination for tonight's Canadian Environment Awards. As the president of the Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers Society, Nellestijn and the society's volunteers built an environmental stewardship and began their efforts to restore the area impacted by mining, logging and road building. Nellestijn's hard work has led him to receive a Restoration and Rehabilitation award nomination.
http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/live/article/62511 |
| New Books & Articles
Ecological Globalization
Ecosystems are constantly exchanging materials through the movement of air in the atmosphere, the flow of water in rivers and the migration of animals across the landscape. People, however, have also established themselves as another major driver of connectivity among ecosystems. In the June 2008 Special Issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, titled "Continental-scale ecology in an increasingly connected world," ecologists discuss how human influences interact with natural processes to influence connectivity at the continental scale. The authors conclude that networks of large-scale experiments are needed to predict long-term ecological change.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/37225
Report: The Economic Costs of Deteriorating Ecosystems
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), an assessment of the potential economic costs of deteriorating ecosystems and mass extinctions, was released 30 May at the Ninth Conference of Parties (COP 9) for the Convention on Biological Diversity, meeting in Bonn, Germany. Modeled on the 2006 Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, the current iteration of TEEB is an interim report. Work on the interim TEEB report, which is referred to as Phase I, was organized by Sigmar Gabriel, Germany's Minister of the Environment, and Stavros Dimas, Environment Commissioner for the European Commission, following the Potsdam G8+5 summit in March 2007. Pavan Sukhdev of Deutsche Bank is TEEB's lead author. The Conference of Parties comprises signatory countries that meet periodically under the umbrella of the Convention on Biological Diversity, a key agreement of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janiero.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/06/report-the-econ.html |
| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
Appreciating Nature's Services
Nature's services, often called ecosystem services, are the benefits humans derive from nature. They are a subset of ecosystem processes that directly or indirectly support and improve human wellbeing. However, we know almost nothing about how services are produced, who benefits from them, and how we should value them. An enormous, interdisciplinary research effort is required involving ecologists, economists, sociologists and others working with policy makers and stakeholders to identify service-providing organisms and systems, and the flow of services to people, to ensure ongoing delivery and appropriate valuation.
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/opinions/20080306-17426.html |
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) |
Agro-Ecology
UK: Natural Balance
Today, the mountain is being farmed in a very different way from how it was. "The past was about producing meat and wool, now it's about producing a healthy environment, wildlife, clean water, flood management," says Neale. "In 10-20 years' time, we hope to have more woodland and peat bogs. We want to show that a farming model can deliver public benefit and environmental services and provide a profit, preserving the link between the land and the culture. We're looking at land in a different way."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/04/conservation.environment
Global Hoofprint
We hear plenty about public land grazing impacts around the West, but what is the cumulative environmental impact of the livestock industry around the world? It's big, but not all livestock operations are equally to blame. The latest issue of Heifer International's World Ark magazine includes an article called "The Carbon Hoofprint, which takes a closer look at the 2006 UN report, Livestock's Long Shadow. That long shadow includes some serious environmental offenses: Raising and processing livestock produces a whopping 18 percent of all greenhouse gases worldwide; waste lagoons at densely-packed feedlots and processing plants contribute foul pollution to surface water and groundwater; feeding, slaughtering, packaging, transporting and tanning use tremendous amounts of water; and deforestation and sloppy grazing practices lead to a loss of biodiversity.
http://blog.hcn.org/goat/2008/06/03/global-hoofprint/
Unnatural Roots of the Food Crisis
As representatives of the world's governments gather to address shortages in major foodstuffs and rising prices, Gonzalo Oviedo counsels them to focus on ecosystems. The modern business-dominated agricultural industry, he argues, promotes the degradation of nature - and that, in turn, means less and worse food. Feeding the world requires healthy ecosystems and equitable governance. The current model of market-driven food production is leaving people hungry. It has turned food into a commodity subject to all the market failures that create inequities and negative impacts on the environment.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7430996.stm
Growing Farm Economy Puts Prairie Acres Under Siege
With a bowl full of stars heralding a warm May day to come, the hush on Chippewa Prairie is broken only by the occasional squawk of distant pheasants. But a few minutes past 5 a.m., a dozen shadowy shapes appear on an acre of grass, and the cacophony begins -- male greater prairie chickens cackling, shrieking and humming in a springtime ritual as old as the prairie itself. For the chickens, a species rare enough to be of "special concern" in Minnesota, this urgent clamor means they're hopeful they'll find the perfect mate. But for wildlife manager Dave Trauba, watching the "booming" in a nearby blind, it's the worrisome sound of decline.
http://www.startribune.com/local/19444519.html?location_refer=Sports |
| Biodiversity & Climate Change
World Leaders Commit to Conserve Diversity of Life on Earth
Heads of state and 87 ministers from around the world have reinforced their commitment to "substantially reduce" the global loss of biodiversity within two years. The European Commission is committed to stopping the loss of biodiversity in Europe by 2010.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2008/2008-05-30-01.asp
Restoring Great Lakes May Buffer Against Climate Change
Great Lakes environmental groups and researchers Wednesday released a report claiming that restoring the Great Lakes ecosystem would help buffer the region against ill effects from global climate change. The plan, called the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy and announced by the Bush administration three years ago, has been partially enacted by Congress, but many elements remain unfulfilled with little or no money. The plan would restore wetlands and other habitat, clean up toxic hot spots in Great Lakes harbors, refurbish sewage facilities to prevent overflows and enact laws to limit the introduction and movement of exotic species.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1407242/restoring_great_lakes_may_buffer_against_climate_change/
Environmental Groups Warn of Global Warming's Effects on Florida
Florida should act now to avoid being a big loser as the earth's climate changes, a coalition of environmental groups urged Wednesday. The Florida Coastal and Ocean Coalition released a report recommending a series of steps to combat the effects of rising sea levels, extreme weather and declining ocean health. "We need more than just planning, we need action today," said National Wildlife Federation senior global warming specialist Patty Glick, the report's primary author.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/28/environmental-coalition-urges-taking-global-warmin/ |
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Satellite Images Show Papua New Guinea Deforestation at Critical Level
The forests of Papua New Guinea are being chopped down so quickly that more than half its trees could be lost by 2021, according to a new satellite study of the region. The study, by the University of Papua New Guinea and the Australian National University, found that deforestation is much more widespread than was previously thought, even in so-called conservation areas. Papua New Guinea (PNG) has the world's third largest tropical forest, but it was being cleared or degraded at a rate of 362,000 hectares (895,000 acres) a year in 2001, the report said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/02/forests.conservation |
| Wetland Restoration
Arizona: Yuma's Heritage Area Receives $1.4 Million Grant
The city of Yuma's Heritage Area has received a $1.4 million grant from the Bureau of Reclamation toward continuing restorations of the Yuma East Wetlands. "Reclamation is committed to the city of Yuma and the Quechan Indian Tribe's ongoing effort to improve this riparian area and the historic river channel," said bureau Commissioner Robert Johnson. The wetlands project is a 1,400-acre area that spans from the base of the Territorial Prison State Park to the Gila River confluence with the Colorado River.
http://www.yumasun.com/news/yuma_42106___article.html/area_grant.html |
River & Watershed Restoration
Alaska: Efficient Resource Use Helps Heal Forest
A recreational cabin is rising in the old clear-cuts north of Sitka, part of a joint venture between groups that didn't used to be on speaking terms. Restoring damaged forest has become an area where environmentalists see eye to eye with the U.S. Forest Service. In the last several years, groups such as the Nature Conservancy and Trout Unlimited worked on various stream restoration projects in the Forest Service-run Tongass National Forest.
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/053008/sta_284531015.shtml |
| Grassland Restoration
Restoration Row
This miracle of restoration is the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, nearly 40,000 acres run by the Nature Conservancy. It is the largest protected remnant of tallgrass prairie left on earth, according the stewards of this land - cowboys with advanced botany degrees. The conservancy bought this land in 1989 and then set out to bring it back. The two biggest missing elements - fire and bison - were returned. Both renew the grass, distribute seeds,
http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/restoration-row/
Tribe Plowing Jackpot into Prairie, Wetlands
A 30-acre field where corn and soybeans were once grown is now covered with Canada wild rye, big bluestem, golden alexander and compass plant - the same grasses and flowers the pioneers saw as they pushed westward across the American prairie in the 1800s. This small patch of prairie next to a condominium complex in suburban Minneapolis did not suddenly appear on its own. Instead, it was painstakingly restored at great cost by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux tribe.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/30/MNTM1100FC.DTL
Bird Study a Calling for UNL Students
The 100-acre restored tallgrass prairie at Homestead National Monument of America is one of three locations in the Midwest involved in a study aimed at learning the impact these sites have on providing habitat for prairie grassland birds. "The grassland prairie is considered endangered land, less than 1 percent of the tallgrass prairie remains today," said Monument Park Ranger Jesse Bolli. "With only 1 percent remaining, we need to learn how we're going to manage that to best protect these species." That's where a grant-funded study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln headed up by UNL graduate student Sarah Rehme, who is working on her master's in wildlife ecology, comes in.
http://www.beatricedailysun.com/articles/2008/05/28/news/local/doc483d6c089da8a554510422.txt |
| Desertification & Arid Land Restoration
Desert is Claiming Southeast Spain
Lush fields of lettuce and hothouses of tomatoes line the roads. Verdant new developments of plush pastel vacation homes beckon buyers from Britain and Germany. Golf courses - 54 of them, all built in the past decade and most in the past three years - give way to the beach. At last, this hardscrabble corner of southeast Spain is thriving. There is only one problem with this picture of bounty: This province, Murcia, is running out of water. Spurred on by global warming and poorly planned development, swaths of southeast Spain are steadily turning into desert.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/37291
UNCCD High Level Policy Dialogue
The high-level policy dialogue (the "Dialogue") on the theme "Coping with today's global challenges in the context of the Strategy of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification" (UNCCD), took place on Tuesday, 27 May 2008, in Bonn, Germany. The Dialogue was intended to facilitate a targeted exchange from a number of stakeholders on the ten-year strategic plan ("the Strategy") and to foster awareness of and buy-in among relevant policy and decision makers. There were over 120 participants, including ambassadors, ministers, country representatives, intergovernmental organizations, UN agencies, NGOs and the private sector. The Dialogue consisted of three segments, each of which comprised presentations and discussion among participants. This Briefing Note provides an overview of the presentations and a thematic summary of the discussions.
http://www.iisd.ca/vol04/enb04208e.html |
| Lake Restoration
New York: City Investigates New Technology for Lake Restoration
Fulton Mayor Ron Woodward is researching technology that might help circulate the water of Lake Neatahwanta, which could allow the nearly 700-acre, phosphorus-filled body of water revitalize itself. The technology, called the SolarBee, pulls the cold water and nutrients from the bottom of the lake and distributes them to the top, decreasing the overall water temperature. The phosphorus and other nutrients, including ammonia, would dissipate into the air.
http://www.valleynewsonline.com/viewnews.php?newsid=82410&id=1 |
Coastal & Marine Restoration
Caribbean Nations Launch Challenge Initiative to Protect Marine and Coastal Resources
The Nature Conservancy and Caribbean leaders announced the launch of the Caribbean Challenge, an effort by regional governments to build political support and generate long-term funding to protect at least 20 percent of participating countries' marine and coastal habitats by 2020.
http://www.terracurve.com/2008/06/03/caribbean-nations-launch-challenge-initiative-to-protect-marine-and-coastal-resources/
NOAA Teams Up With Local Experts to Restore Alabama Shorelines
NOAA has announced plans to invest $1 million over three years to help restore Alabama's Mobile Bay, partnering with local organizations and citizens to reverse the loss of wetlands caused by coastal development. As part of an innovative restoration practice called "Living Shorelines," NOAA's Restoration Center will work with a number of organizations including the University of South Alabama, the Association of National Estuary Programs, and Mobile Bay National Estuary Program to use natural techniques to reduce coastal erosion, improve water quality, and prevent future damage from boat wake, storms, and climate change.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080603_mobilebay.html
Delaware: Dune Restoration Kicks Off
"The last time there was a dune here was in 1962 and the water just took it. It flowed away like lava from a volcano," she said. "I had water up to my windows." Things were a lot different, however, when a nor'easter hit Bethany's shores earlier this month. This time, hulking dunes planted with tufts of beach grass stood guard, blocking the attack by the wind-driven Atlantic waters. Work to repair that damage is expected to begin today and reach completion by July 4, officials said.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080528/DW01/805280346/-1/DW
Florida: Mangrove Restoration Project to Improve Fisheries
The City of Sanibel announced earlier this week that the concrete pipe installation on Dixie Beach Boulevard, between Albatross Road and Royal Poinciana Drive, has begun. This 100 percent grant-funded Dixie Beach Mangrove Restoration Project will restore tidal flushing to 77 acres of semi-impounded mangrove forest, located on the east side of Dixie Beach Boulevard. This project is being funded with a $70,000 grant from the South Florida Water Management District and a $40,000 "Reprogramming" grant received from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
http://www.island-reporter.com/breaking_news/articles.asp?articleID=4582
Texas: Oyster-bed Restoration Project to Create New Habitat
The Nature Conservancy deposited 200 cubic yards of oyster shell into Copano Bay as part of a pilot project to restore oyster beds that are in decline in the Gulf of Mexico. The shells were carried into the bay on a 30-foot barge and blown into shallow water within a one-acre patch where an oyster bed previously existed. "Oysters have been in serious decline since the 1980s in Texas, in part due to pressure from commercial fishing but also because of shell dredging for use as roadbed material and in making concrete," said Rafael Calderon, director of The Nature Conservancy's Gulf of Mexico Program.
http://www.lonestaroutdoornews.com/content/view/414/26/ |
Wildlife Restoration
Nebraska: Group Aims to Restore State's Wildlife Habitat
Ducks Unlimited will be using a grant of $153,641 it received from the Nebraska Environmental Trust to restore more than 1,500 acres of grassland and wetland habitat in the Rainwater Basin. In April, Ducks Unlimited received a $736,000 grant from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to help to conserve 2,600 acres of waterfowl habitat in the Rainwater Basin.
http://www.theindependent.com/news/x784974756/Group-aims-to-restore-states-wildlife-habitat |
| Extractive Industries
Canada: Oil Sands Certified Reclamation at 0.2%
After 41 years of oil sands mining operations in northern Alberta, only 0.2%-one square kilometer-of disturbed land is certified as reclaimed, according to a new report by environmental group the Pembina Institute. Oil sands mining is transforming northeastern Alberta. By the end of 2007, oil sands companies had cleared or mined more than 470 square kilometers of boreal forest. More than 3,000 square kilometers of boreal forest is already leased for mine development. Toxic tailings lakes, currently an aggregate 50 square kilometers in size, are projected to grow to 220 square kilometers.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/05/report-oil-sand.html
Oil and Gas Blocks Cover 75 Percent of the Peruvian Amazon
The Peruvian Amazon, a region that holds some of the most pristine and biodiverse rainforests on Earth, continues to face an unprecedented wave of new oil and gas exploration. Peru recently released eight new Amazon oil blocks as part of its 2008 bidding round. According to analysis by Save America's Forests, that brings the total to 64 oil and gas blocks in Peru's vast Amazon region.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2008/2008-05-28-01.asp |
| Invasive Species
South Carolina: Swapping Pine for Pine
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources is clearing about 350 acres of pine trees and other plants in the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve, and some Horry County residents who visit the preserve worry the logging could be damaging the forest. But conservation officials say they are doing just the opposite. The slash pines being removed in the 9,600-acre preserve off S.C. 90 are not native to the area and will be replaced with indigenous longleaf pines that provide a better habitat for an endangered woodpecker.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/story/468025.html
Invasive Plants in a Warming World
Wetlands are particularly vulnerable to non-native plant invasions. Referred to as landscape "sinks," most wetlands are low-lying areas where debris, sediments, and water accumulate from up-gradient locations. As water flows into a wetland, it can carry invasive seeds and fragments of invasive plants from more distant locations. Woody debris and eroded sediments are also flushed into wetlands during storms, and in the process smother native vegetation. An area of smothered vegetation can create an opening in the wetland canopy, which in turn provides direct sunlight to disturbed, barren soils, all ideal conditions under which invasive plants tend to take hold.
http://www.dailynewstribune.com/archive/x1878566594/Varney-Invasive-plants-in-a-warming-world |
Urban Restoration
California: Roseville is Branching Out All Over
Traveling around Roseville it's clear that the majestic oak tree has played an important role in the city's history. One cannot venture far without encountering a street, shopping center, residential development, school or park named after an oak. The city recognizes the importance of our native oaks and how they enhance the natural and scenic beauty of our community. During this past fall and winter, the city set about the impressive feat of planting more than 7,000 native oak trees throughout our parks and open space.
http://www.granitebaypt.com/detail/85938.html
Hawaii: The Green Behind the Greenery
Using native grasses and other indigenous plants to landscape the median and shoulders of Mokulele Highway made sense, especially when advocates said the greenery would need less water and a minimal amount of maintenance. But establishing the native species is proving costly and challenging. State officials estimate it could cost nearly $1 million a year to maintain the native plant landscaping along the newly widened Mokulele Highway. Using traditional Bermuda grass could have cost half as much.
http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/504419.html?nav=10 |
Funding Opportunities
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)offers a 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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