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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. |
SER Opens Search for New Executive Director The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) International has opened its search to fill the position of Executive Director. The application deadline is Monday, August 18, 2008. For a complete set of duties and qualifications, please go to http://www.ser.org/pdf/edjobdesc.pdf
Get Involved / Community-Based Restoration
New Zealand: Scrap Statements and Grow Trees
The Bank of New Zealand is encouraging online customers to cancel paper statements and grow trees. From now until the end of September, customers logging on to the internet banking service will be prompted to opt into receiving online statements. For each customer who signs up, BNZ will arrange for a native treeto be planted by the Motuihe Island Restoration Project, a charitable trust working to create a habitat for kiwi and other native bird species on the Hauraki Gulf island. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10520830
New Zealand: All Blacks Help Kids in Wetland Planting
The All Blacks are used to getting dirty, but at the weekend they did it in a different cause. All Blacks captain Rodney So'oialo and team member Neemia Tialata rolled up their sleeves and joined schoolchildren planting trees yesterday at Pauatahanui Wildlife Reserve. The junior rugby players and Scout cubs were not expecting the rugby stars, who helped to plant about 200 native wetland plants at the reserve, which Forest and Bird has been restoring since 1984. Previously the area was a wasteland of rubbish and dumped soil. http://www.stuff.co.nz/4624858a10295.html |
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People in the News
Maine: Hull Man Wins Environmental Award
The Gulf of Maine Council, a US-Canadian partnership of government and nongovernment organizations whose focus is maintaining and enhancing the quality of the Gulf of Maine, has honored Hull resident Lawry Reid with its annual Longard Volunteer Award. Reid founded the Straits Pond Watershed Association in 2000 and serves as its president. Straits Pond is a 100-acre coastal saltwater body that is part of the Weir River Estuary. Lawry and fellow Straits Pond Watershed Association members have been involved in a regional wetland restoration project that will restore fish and invertebrate habitat as well as improve conditions for wading and diving birds.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/07/17/hull_man_wins_environmental_award/
California: High School Teacher Leads Students to Save Creek
Furrer is a wildlife biology instructor at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma and founder and director of the United Anglers Conservation Fish Hatchery - the only high school-based fully licensed fish hatchery in the United States - and the Adobe Creek Restoration Project. The restoration project began with a question from a student at Casa Grande in 1982.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/18/LVFH11PLTC.DTL
Wyoming: Freudenthal Appoints Colson to Wildlife Trust
Gov. Dave Freudenthal has appointed Peggy Colson of Rawlins to serve on Wyoming's Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust Board. Colson replaces Deborah Smith of Laramie on the board. The board distributes funding for wildlife habitat and natural resource restoration projects around the state.
http://cbs4denver.com/coloradowire/22.0.html?type=local&state=WY&category=n&filename=WY--WildlifeTrust-Col.xml |
| New Books & Articles
Successional Dynamics and Restoration Implications of a Montane Coniferous Forest in the Central Appalachians, USA
Central Appalachian montane red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) communities have been greatly reduced in extent and functional quality over the past century. This community decline has put several plant and animal species, such as the endangered Virginia northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus Shaw), at risk from habitat loss, and has resulted in the elimination of these forests as a commercially important type. Where feasible, red spruce restoration efforts may help mitigate these regional trends and provide valuable lessons for community restoration efforts elsewhere.
http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/5293
Targets for Ecosystem Repair after Clearing of Invasive Alien Plants in Riparian Zones
A special issue on riparian vegetation management and ecosystem repair in alien plant-invaded South African landscapes was published in the July 2008 issue of South African Journal of Botany. The collection of papers is a culmination of work (plus some additional papers contributing to the theme) from a project commissioned by the national Working for Water (WfW) program to identify targets for ecosystem repair in alien-invaded riparian zones in South Africa. The special issue contains 15 papers focussing on a range of issues from the setting of priorities at different scales; refining methods for effective removal of the invasive species and subsequent treatments to steer recovery in desired directions; to the problem of identifying reference sites. Target riparian systems include those found in the Fynbos, Grassland and Savanna biomes.
Assisted Colonization and Rapid Climate Change
Moving species outside their historic ranges may mitigate loss of biodiversity in the face of global climate change.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/321/5887/345
Montana: Report Details Climate Change in Clark Fork Watershed
A new report by the Missoula-based nonprofit Clark Fork Coalition provides a comprehensive view of how global climate change has affected - and will likely affect - western Montana and north Idaho. "We view this as a starting point for discussion and a motivator for action," said Clark Fork Coalition director Karen Knudsen. Temperatures in the report's coverage area increased, on average by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 50 years and may well continue to warm, over the next 100 years, by another 5.4 degrees.
http://www.newwest.net/city/article/report_clark_fork_watershed_is_warming/C8/L8/
Restoring Lost Mangroves - Lessons from Philippines
One of the world's most intensive efforts to restore coastal mangrove forests was in Philippines where extensive tracts of mangroves were converted to fish farms. The restoration efforts are failing in many places. Biologists Maricar Samson and Rene Rollon of the University of the Philippines in Quezon City have come out with a paper titled "Growth Performance of Planted Mangroves in the Philippines: Revisiting Forest Management Strategies" in the latest issue of journal Ambio, outlining the reasons for this failure.
http://tahrcountry.blogspot.com/2008/07/restoring-lost-mangroves-lessons-from.html
Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Wetlands and Water: Summary for Decision-makers
For over 30 years, the Ramsar Convention has recognized the interdependence of people and their environment and is the only global intergovernmental convention addressing the interactions between water and wetland ecosystems. It has promoted the wise use of wetlands as a means of maintaining their "ecological character"- the ecosystem components and processes that comprise the wetland and that underpin the delivery of ecosystem services, such as fresh water and food.
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecosystems_and_Human_Well-being~_Wetlands_and_Water~_Summary_for_Decision-makers |
| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
Time to Put the Eco Back in Economics
Economics and ecology are based on the same root word, eco, from the Greek oikos, meaning "home". Ecology is the study of home while economics is its management. Ecologists study the conditions and principles that determine the long-term survival of species. It seems obvious that managing our "home" would depend on understanding these conditions and principles. But in elevating economics above everything else, we ignore the reality that we live within and make a living from the finite confines of the biosphere - the thin layer of air, water, and soil where all life exists.
http://www.straight.com/article-154644/at-home-with-nature
Montana; Frenchtown Face - Project Balances Nature, Growth
In the dense woods near here, the U.S. Forest Service says it has found the "sweet spot." That's what Dave Atkins calls the area where environmental, economic and social concerns overlap, a spot on the landscape where the needs of nature and humans are balanced. "As we demand more of our natural resources in the West, we have to adapt our management," said Atkins, the acting Ninemile district ranger on the Lolo National Forest. In the modern West, development is converting many rural areas into a problematic "wildland-urban interface," but Forest Service officials believe they've found the answer in their Frenchtown Face restoration project.
http://missoulian.com/articles/2008/07/23/news/local/news04.txt |
| Agro-Ecology
Water, Plant, Soil Interactions Studies Underway
The presentation addressed a variety of topics related to alternative agriculture and the plant, soil and water interactions (PSW). Miller described monitoring for soil erosion, salinity, soil nutrient input and output, soil organic matter, soil moisture, soil temperature, invasive species along the river, groundwater nutrient input and output, native plant varieties , and evapotranspiration and crop production functions. He said the ultimate goal of this research is to combine data collected into a model and to ask the model which land is best suited for alternative agricultural or restoration practices.
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/MVN01/807170364/1305/BIZ01 |
| Biodiversity & Climate Change
Biodiversity Defensing Against Climate Change
Climate change is happening, and we must develop ways for all life to be able to cope, environmental advocates urge. WWF Vietnam Programme is looking at this through the development of resilient multifunctional landscapes that also work as forest corridors, assisting with species dispersal and adaptation, by changes in land-use practices.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080713183039.htm
Wetlands Could Unleash "Carbon Bomb"
The world's wetlands, threatened by development, dehydration and climate change, could release a planet-warming "carbon bomb" if they are destroyed, ecological scientists said on Sunday. Wetlands contain 771 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases, one-fifth of all the carbon on Earth and about the same amount of carbon as is now in the atmosphere, the scientists said before an international conference linking wetlands and global warming.
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/49408/story.htm
Canada: Protecting Species At Risk And Their Habitats
More than $900,000 in funding will support 29 volunteer stewardship projects in eastern Ontario this year under the province's Species at Risk Stewardship Fund. Proposals to increase awareness of at-risk species of turtles and snakes, monitor nesting success of black terns, and develop disease-resistant butternut trees are among the projects supporting public outreach and education initiatives and a variety of stewardship activities to protect and restore species and essential habitat.
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2008/17/c5670.html
North Carolina: Land Left Wild to Get Tax Break
Landowners who manage their land for wildlife and conservation will get a property tax break under a bill approved Wednesday by the state legislature. The new law carves out a special designation for conservation lands that has long been applied to commercial farming and forestry uses, basically setting tax valuations lower. Environmental groups said the measure would keep more lands from being sold and developed.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1482256/land_left_wild_to_get_tax_break/ |
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Thailand: Tha Yang Forest Project Starts with 2,500 Trees
PATT (Plant A Tree Today) Foundation's forest-restoration project in Tha Yang (Phetchaburi), underwent its first tree-planting event on Sunday when school-children, monks, government officers, villagers, PATT and local wildlife centre staff planted 2,500 trees, the first of 50,000 to be planted there by mid 2010.
http://www.greenassembly.net/?p=54 |
| Wetland Restoration
Idaho: Project will Restore Wetlands near Hailey
A project to clean up years of trash accumulation and restore damaged wetlands at an abandoned landfill west of Hailey at Lion's Park begins today. Spearheaded by the Hailey-based Wood River Land Trust, the project will restore the area to create a larger, more naturally functioning wetland and riparian area. The site of the Croy Creek Restoration Project is immediately north of the 84.5-acre Draper Wood River Preserve, which was purchased and permanently protected by the land trust in 2007.
http://www.mtexpress.com/vu_breaking_story.php?bid=5569
UK: New Wetland could See Continental Birds Arriving in Kent
Restoration of a large area of Kent countryside to wildlife-rich wetland could see the garden of England become a landing pad for bird species moving north from Europe as the climate warms. The RSPB believes species like the once scarce little egret - already making a home along the south coast - and the little bittern, could soon be mixing with more familiar birds like lapwing, reed bunting and water rail in a rejuvenated Lydden Valley. Now the Society has launched an appeal in an effort to raise the £1.4 million it needs to buy and manage 600 acres of the valley.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/media/releases/details.asp?id=tcm:9-194435
California: Second Phase of Giacomini Wetlands Project Begins
The latest stage of the $5 million effort to turn the former Waldo Giacomini Dairy near Point Reyes Station into a 550-acre wetlands wasn't scheduled to begin until late this week. But time and tide wait for no one, and a seven-foot tide July 1 broke through one of the levees surrounding the former pasture, creating unexpected problems for project workers.
http://www.marinij.com/ci_9923963?source=most_viewed
Illinois: More Airport Land at O'Hare Means More Wetlands in Southland
The stench of jet fuel will be replaced by the perfume of prairie flowers in full bloom. The roar of jet engines will be absent, substituted with bobolinks singing and egrets fishing. But this vision for the forest preserve north of New Lenox could not exist if it wasn't for O'Hare.
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1065471,072108wetlands.article |
River & Watershed Restoration
Colorado: River Rehab Headed to Edwards
Restoration work will begin this summer on a warm, wide and shallow stretch of the Eagle River in Edwards, an area notoriously inhospitable to fish. Back in the 1800s, trees used to line this flat section of river between the Edwards Spur Road Bridge and the Hillcrest Drive bridge. Years of agriculture, ranching and development weakened the river banks and slowly ruined the ecosystem.
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080712/NEWS/325825249
California: A Watershed is Restored
"Wild salmon are to the rivers and the watershed and the ocean what the canary is to the miners in the coal mine," said U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson in response to the collapse of the chinook salmon run in the Sacramento River. But, here on the Mendocino Coast we have the story of the Garcia River restoration to provide hope for threatened salmon populations. After over 100 years of logging, gravel mining and grazing, the Garcia River watershed was in poor shape. Coho and steelhead salmon runs had noticeably declined because of poor water quality, sedimentation from erosion, and loss of streamside vegetation. Local residents were motivated to save the salmon.
http://forests.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=103179
Utah: Provo River Project a Model Fix
It's not nice to mess with Mother Nature, but water projects have done just that in Utah and across the West since the 1930s. Now, a decadelong restoration effort is mending the scars along the Provo River and, even before its completion this fall, becoming a model for how to repair riparian environments.
http://origin.sltrib.com/outdoors/ci_9914759
Vermont: Batten Kill Restoration Appears to be Working
Efforts to restore the trout population in the Batten Kill appear to be working, an official said. On Thursday a state biologist conducted a fish count of a section of the river and early results were encouraging, said Cynthia Browning, the executive director of the Batten Kill Watershed Alliance. For the last two years biologists and private groups have been working to restore trout habitat on the world famous trout stream, which in recent years saw a decline of about 70 percent. A key to the program has been to restore vegetation along the river bank and to provide places in the river where small trout can hide from predators
http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2008/07/20/batten_kill_restoration_appears_to_be_working/
Nevada: Truckee Begins Restoring Tributary to Lake Tahoe
Truckee city officials have broken ground on an $8 million, 3-year restoration of part of the Upper Truckee river, in hopes of undoing some historic damage to the river. Project officials plan to replace the channel that currently exists with a 4,000-foot winding channel. The river is the largest tributary to Lake Tahoe and a major source of clarity-reducing fine sediment.
http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=8704815
Rhode Island: Creek Restoration Slowed to Answer Critics' Concerns
The proposed partial restoration of Mayo Creek, a project the selectmen approved with reservations in late May, is mired in the mud, going nowhere for the time being. But John Riehl, chair of the natural resources advisory board, who presented the plan to the selectmen along with Hillary Greenberg, health and conservation agent, said he is confident the project will move forward once those who object to it realize that the project will "do no harm."
http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellfleet/news/x1542094663/Creek-restoration-slowed-to-answer-critics-concerns |
| Grassland Restoration
New York: Camillus Unique Area to Undergo Habitat Restoration
The DEC's Division of Lands and Forests is embarking on a new endeavor at Camillus Unique Area that will improve the habitat for grassland breeding birds and other animals. Beginning this summer, 80 acres of grass lands at Camillus Unique Area (CUA) will undergo a conversion process which will change the habitat from one that supports cool season grasses to one that supports warm season grasses, such as little bluestem, switch grass and Indian grasses. These grasses will better support grassland breeding birds such as the eastern Meadowlark, upland sandpiper, bobolink, vespar sparrow and grasshopper sparrow.
http://outdoornewsdaily.com/index.php/archives/4513
Arkansas: Volunteers Spend Saturday Improving Wetland
The first step to re-establishing the land's native plant and animal species was removing cattle to re-establish the area's hydrology. Through adaptive management techniques, the prairie has continued to restore itself. Many native and rare species now call the area home again. Baby goslings, ducks, scissortailed flycatchers, turtles and coyotes are among the wildlife that roam the area.
http://nwanews.com/nwat/News/67292/ |
| Desertification & Arid Land Restoration
Arizona: Tucsonans Save Water; Funds Go to Restore our Rivers
"Conserve to Enhance" is a proposed program in which people who save water could set aside the money they saved by using less water to restore long-barren rivers or streams. It's been under study for some time by the UA's Water Resources Research Center.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/248507
Tree that Holds Solution to Fuel Crisis and Environmental Conservation
Seeds from the Jatropha produce oil, an important source of bio-fuel. As the global oil prices shoot through the roof, there have been frantic efforts at seeking alternative sources of energy, especially renewable ones. Jatropha has been identified as an important source of renewable energy. Apart from the fact that it does well in dry conditions, it also has an edge over other renewable sources of energy.
http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=127719 |
| Lake Restoration
Canada: Lake Simcoe Restoration Projects Being Announced
After decades of talk without results, a federal government is finally taking action for this critical gem. One project involves tree-planting along the badly degraded Holland River, to prevent erosion, take up phosphorus (slowing negative eutrophication effects in the lake), naturalizing river edge and providing shade to drop water temperatures, which will restore the cold water fishery habitat. Another project involves the shoreline naturalization and planting in Kitchener Park in Orillia.
http://www.innisfilscope.com/news/2008/0723/editorial/014.html
UK: Lakes Restoration Plan for Broads
Plans for the restoration of the lakes on the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads have been unveiled. The Broads Authority said the Lake Restoration Strategy had been put together to show which of the 64 Broads had recovery potential. Broads, separate from the main river system which can retain a freshwater habitat despite climate change, will be restored under the plans. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7504950.stm
Michigan: Muskegon Lake Project will Restore Shoreline
The effort to restore Muskegon Lake's natural shoreline, much of which was altered by the filling of wetlands over the past 150 years, is getting help from some high-powered officials in state and federal agencies. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Great Lakes Commission will assist efforts by the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership to restore wetlands, plant native vegetation and improve fish and wildlife habitat along the lake's south shoreline.
http://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-14/1215789314133420.xml&coll=8
Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration in Yosemite National Park
During the past century, trout were introduced to thousands of naturally fishless lakes and streams throughout California's Sierra Nevada to create recreational fisheries. These introductions profoundly changed these aquatic ecosystems, often resulting in the elimination of numerous native species, including amphibians and large-bodied invertebrates. Today there is hardly a single watershed in the Sierra Nevada that still remains in its historic fishless condition.
http://anuranblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/aquatic-ecosystem-restoration-in.html |
| Coastal & Marine Restoration
Washington: Making More Marsh at Nisqually Delta
A $12 million restoration effort in the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge begins Monday as crews work to re-establish more than 21 miles of sloughs and channels in the delta between Tacoma and Olympia. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Puget Sound watershed groups have pooled salmon recovery and restoration money for the project, which includes replacements for some dikes and restoration of tidal flow across more than 750 acres of former farmland. Nearly $4.5 million is needed to complete the project.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_nisqullyrestoration.html
Bangladesh: Rehabilitating the Sundarbans
The government is going to take up a strategic programme for the restoration of the Sundarbans. Experts have suggested some mid-term and long-term priorities including study of the natural regeneration process, impact of Sidr on the Sundarbans ecosystem and climate change effects. The rehabilitation programme would reportedly consist of immediate employment opportunities for the affected people, coastal areas plantation and education campaign.
http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/07/18/news0860.htm
Florida: Restoring the Beaches, but Harming the Seas?
Cities and counties in Florida have approved untold millions in spending that they knew literally would be washed away. For the first time, a court will hear arguments about whether that's a good idea. The issue is beach restoration, the expensive pumping of sand from offshore to eroded beaches. Governments do it in the name of protecting property and helping tourism. The cost is damage to marine life from sand that swirls and settles in the wrong places when the massive dredges operate - damage that does nothing for tourism. Then there's the general cost to taxpayers from work that won't last. Because so many coastal governments allowed construction that destroyed the natural dunes, beaches can't narrow and widen normally. The dredged sand never stays.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/21/a14a_leadedit_beach_0721.html
Louisiana: Coastal Restoration Sought
A major research symposium aims to guide coastal restoration efforts in the Chenier Plain that stretches across southwest Louisiana. The event, announced this month, will bring together research on an area that leaders in southwest Louisiana say has long been neglected in coastal restoration talks. "We thought the Chenier Plain is a place where there are a lot of unknowns and uncertainties," said Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana Science Director Natalie Snider, who is helping organize the symposium.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/acadiana/24286004.html
California: Rejuvenated Bolsa Chica Wetlands Flourishing
With every spawning grunion and nesting sparrow, the Bolsa Chica wetlands in Huntington Beach are springing back to life, fulfilling the dream of conservationists who fought for decades to save one of Southern California's most sensitive ecosystems. By blasting through part of a parking lot and a century-old barrier created by duck hunters, engineers reconnected the 367-acre tidal basin with the ocean. Since then, a steady parade of sea creatures have found their way to a revived saltwater home, bringing multitudes of hungry shorebirds with them.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-bolsa20-2008jul20,0,3398837.story
Second Oldest U.S. Wildlife Refuge in Danger of Being Lost
The nation's second oldest national wildlife refuge, a chain of barrier islands southeast of New Orleans, is in danger of being lost unless the islands are restored, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday. The Chandeleur and Breton islands have been battered by hurricanes in the past four years and they took a pounding from Hurricane Katrina, which "reduced the islands by one-half of their pre-storm size," the agency said in a new report.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,381142,00.html |
Wildlife Restoration
Illinois: Agencies to Restore Dragonfly Habitats
The last time a census of the Hines emerald dragonfly was taken in Illinois - in 2003 - the data illustrated just how rare the bug is in the state. Approximately 2,000 dragonflies were counted. "That is an incredibly small population size for an insect," said Dan Soluk, associate professor of aquatic ecology and conservation at the University of South Dakota.
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1069745,6_1_NA23_FOREST_S1.article
Thailand: Local Chiang Mai Village and Flight of the Gibbon Conservation Project
In an effort to save the dwindling primate population in and around the village of Mae On, the Flight of the Gibbon Conservation Project and local villagers have teamed up to form the Primate Habitat Restoration Project. Volunteers and employees of Flight of the Gibbon will plant 1500 fruit trees in a designated, protected habitat area and will act as a refuge and a food source for the primates. The inaugural planting will be on Sunday, July 11, 2008.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/Thailand-Conservation/Flight-of-the-Gibbon/prweb1093264.htm
California: Gains Made on Wildlife Corridor in Loma Linda
City officials have taken the first step toward converting San Timoteo Creek into a wildlife and recreation corridor. The City Council last week approved hiring a consultant to enhance wildlife and plant habitat next to the creek. FS Construction of Sylmar will be paid nearly $174,000 to plant native trees and shrubs and install irrigation systems on two city-owned parcels next to the Barton Road bridge crossing the creek.
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_9893116
Montana: Critical Habitat Finalized for Kootenai River White Sturgeon
Responding to a court order in a suit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity and WildWest Institute, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today finalized critical habitat for the Kootenai River white sturgeon, including an additional 7.1 miles of the river above Bonner's Ferry. "Finalization of critical habitat is welcome news for the Kootenai River white sturgeon," said Noah Greenwald, science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "The sturgeon is on the brink of extinction and desperately needs restoration of critical habitat to survive."
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2008/kootenai-river-white-sturgeon-07-09-2008.htm
California: Birds Find Home at Disputed Site in Bahia
Work has started to turn the dried-out Bahia property - once pegged for a slew of homes - back into a thriving wetland that will host varying species, including the endangered clapper rail. By October, there are plans to breach a levee along the Petaluma River and let water flow over 260 acres in the northeast corner of Novato, returning the tract to a rich, productive marshland. More than 120 species of birds have been observed on the site along with 10 special-status bird species, including the black rail and San Pablo song sparrow.
http://origin.marinij.com/novato/ci_9953090
Massachusetts: Public-Private Partnership to Protect Blanding's Turtle
Efforts by state and federal wildlife agencies to restore the commonwealth's population of rare Blanding's turtles got a boost this spring when employees of Bristol-Myers Squibb volunteered to repair fencing along a two-mile stretch of busy roads. Native to areas of eastern and central Massachusetts, Blanding's turtles are imperiled by roads and vehicles across their range. The turtles typically travel to several wetlands throughout a single year -- including migration by females to nesting sites -- crossing roads in the process. Devens project partners will work together to increase and enhance nesting habitat to encourage females to nest in large, unfragmented areas away from roads.
http://www.nashobapublishing.com/ci_9921014
Judge Returns Gray Wolf to Endangered-Species List
A federal judge in Montana has restored protection to gray wolves in Northern Rockies. They were taken off the endangered-species list March 28 after federal officials said the species - once hunted, poisoned or trapped to the verge of extinction - was "thriving."
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/07/judge-returns-g.html |
| Extractive Industries
India: Tribe Takes on Global Mining Firm
High in the monsoon mists in eastern India there is place called Golgola where witchdoctors still make sacrifices to the gods and where the tribes believe the hills are sacred, but where they fear their way of life is under threat. No roads lead to Golgola, only a muddy track through a lush, green valley. On either side rise the Niyamgiri hills, thick with forests - wisps of cloud wreath their slopes and a light, misty drizzle coats everything.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7486252.stm
UK: Accolade as Quarry goes Back to Nature
A nature reserve created from former quarry workings has received a national award for restoration and sustainable practice. The transformation into an ecological site has been ongoing since Otley sand and gravel quarry closed in 1996.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/businessnews/Accolade-as-quarry-goes-back.4305311.jp |
| Invasive Species
Alien Fish Creates Three-way Hybrid
A genetic takeover on a scale never seen before among vertebrates is taking place in the western US. An alien fish is not only hybridising with the locals, but also breaking down the genetic barriers between once-distinct species. Such multi-way hybridisation could turn out to be much more common than we thought.
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn14373-alien-fish-creates-threeway-hybrid.html
Missouri Landowners Asked to Beat Back Invasive Species
To stretch its financial resources, the Missouri Conservation Department now fills the job of invasive species coordinator with staff members on one-year leaves of absence from their regular assignments. The current coordinator, fisheries biologist Tim Banek, who started in February, is making use of his year in the rotating assignment by working with landowners to advise them on trying to eradicate invasives on their lands.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2008/2008-07-22-092.asp
New Zealand: $1m Plan to Bring Birdsong Back to Mauao
Tauranga's iconic landmark Mauao could once again ring to the dawn chorus, thanks to a bold plan hatched by the Forest and Bird Protection Society. The $1 million construction of a predator-proof fence from Mount Main Beach to Pilot Bay has been proposed by Tauranga branch members Ann Graeme and Marlene Ware. Their vision for native birds to once again thrive and breed on the historic volcanic outcrop was outlined to a recent Mauao project steering group meeting.
http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3778411&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=
Hawaii: Restoring Lehua's Birds means Getting Rid of Rats
Officials say native plants, wildlife and seabirds will be restored by ridding the nonnative rats roaming Lehua, an uninhabited 290-acre, crescent-shaped island located less than a mile north of Ni'ihau. "Rat eradication will clear the way for native species to come back to Lehua on their own or be reintroduced as part of the restoration plan," said Chris Swenson, Pacific Islands Coastal Program Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080711/BREAKING01/80711060/-1/LOCALNEWSFRONT
Conservation Group Trying to Restore Tidal Action to Medouie Creek
Common reeds are gradually taking over the south side of Medouie Creek, so its owner, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, is trying to restore tidal flow into this part of the marsh.
At today's Conservation Commission meeting, Nantucket Conservation Foundation Ecologist Karen Beattie is going to pitch the Foundation's plan to clean out a ditch connecting the southern end of the salt marsh of Medouie Creek to Polpis Harbor and install a culvert to allow unrestricted tidal flow.
http://www.nantucketindependent.com/news/2008/0716/Other_news/013.html
Native Fish Species Under Siege
One can argue whether the dehydration of the normally rain-soaked Central South provides additional evidence of human-induced climate change, but among biologists studying the region's aquatic wildlife there is no argument about its impact. Changes in weather patterns are affecting the breeding behavior of some native fish species, with spawnings occurring earlier than usual. Spawning behavior in many native freshwater fish species is regulated by temperature, daylength, or a combination.
http://microcosmaqx.typepad.com/john_tullock/2008/07/native-fish-spe.html |
| Urban Restoration
Louisiana: Jeff Parish Receives Wetlands-Restoration Grant
The Jefferson Parish Department of Environmental Affairs will receive a $23,800 federal grant to restore and protect 10,560 feet of riparian buffer along the Bayou Segnette waterway. The National Association of Counties, which awarded the grant, said Jefferson Parish is one of 10 counties to receive a total of $246,100 in grants for wetlands restoration.
http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/UpToTheMinute.cfm?recID=18709
India: More on Adyar Creek and Park
The Government has announced that the first phase of the Adyar Poonga restoration will be completed by December 2010. This will comprise 58 acres of the total 358 acres designated as the Adyar Creek. The work is being carried out by the Pitchandikulam Forest Consultants, Auroville, an organisation involved in eco-restoration projects. The Government has also declared that this will be an "environment education" centre. The planned park has come in for a lot of praise in sections of the media recently, but Madras Musings learns that all's not as smooth as it is being made out to be. In fact, there are serious concerns.
http://sriramv.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/more-on-adyar-creek-and-park/
Arizona: The Rio Salado Project
The Rio Salado Project is located in a five-mile section of the Salt River within the city of Phoenix. The site totals 595 acres and extends from just west of the Interstate-10 crossing on the eastern upstream end to 19th Avenue on the western or downstream end. The Project site includes the overbanks, typically within 50 feet of the top of bank, slopes of the banks to the terrace level, terrace level, and Low Flow Channel.
http://phoenix.gov/RIOSALADO/habitat.html |
| Recreation & Tourism
South Carolina: Beach Fully Restored at Wild Dunes Resort
Guests visiting Wild Dunes Resort -- a Destination Hotels & Resorts property -- can now enjoy miles of spacious beaches and oceanfront accommodations after an extensive restoration project led by the City of Isle of Palms wrapped up one month ahead of schedule. The completion of the project marks an end to the 20-month erosion cycle, which had affected the two-mile strand along Wild Dunes Resort. The beach restoration project replenished the shoreline, which had been gradually receding for a decade due to natural causes, to recreate expansive beaches that now extend nearly 300 feet in width in all locations.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/beach-fully-restored-wild-dunes/story.aspx?guid=%7B09FEC96E-891D-4027-914C-6248A7268D90%7D&dist=hppr
Washington: New Life for a Thirsty Gorge
The Chelan County PUD is at work on a $13.8 million project to restore a year-round flow to the Chelan River and retool its lowest reach to lure spawning steelhead and chinook salmon to areas where they may never have spawned before. Plans include a nature trail and picnic area in the river's upper reach and four yearly whitewater events in the gorge for expert kayakers.
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080719/NEWS04/992028410/1002 |
| Funding Opportunities
Iowa: Watershed Restoration Funding Closes August 22
Under this program, $4.2 million is available to support the protection and restoration of the country's water resources through a holistic watershed approach. This program is designed to encourage successful community-based approaches and techniques to protect water resources throughout the country. Governor Culver can nominate an unlimited number of meritorious projects for funding consideration by EPA. Successful applicants will be eligible for funding of $100,000 to $1 million.
http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=209602
Grant Workshops Scheduled For Nearshore Restoration Project Sponsors
A series of six workshops will be held this month and next for individuals and organizations interested in sponsoring nearshore habitat restoration and preservation projects in the Puget Sound area. The workshops, hosted by the Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), will be held at various sites throughout the region.
http://outdoornewsdaily.com/index.php/archives/4222
New Zealand: Apply Now for an Environment Enhancement Grant
Landowners or groups working to protect and enhance native biodiversity in Canterbury have until the end of August to apply for contestable grants of up to $5,000 through Environment Canterbury's Environment Enhancement Fund. Financial assistance can be granted for any project that contributes to the region's indigenous biodiversity and usually involves the protection or enhancement of waterways, wetlands, coastal dunes and native vegetation. Applicants may apply more than once.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0806/S00102.htm
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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