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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 |
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Get Involved / Community-Based Restoration
North Carolina: Kraut Creek Restoration Project Awaits Phase Approval
Four years ago, an Appalachian State University faculty member gave her students an assignment. Her students were to create a project outline of the restoration of Kraut Creek. "So many people took interest in the assignment," said Dr. Jana E. Carp, geography and planning assistant professor, "that the Kraut Creek Committee just seemed like the logical thing to form." The Kraut Creek Committee is a group of community members who are working to restore the creek.
http://theapp.appstate.edu/content/view/3744/42/
Canada: Restoring Island Forests Workshop August 3
Are you looking for alternatives to clear-cuts and plantations? Do you want other ideas on how to improve your woodland? This weekend's walk at the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project will help answer many of your questions. On Sunday, August 3, Gary Schneider will host a "Forest Restoration" slide show and walk on the grounds of the Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead in Orwell. Activities begin at 2pm in the Nature Centre.
http://macphailwoods.org/blog/node/315
California: Public Comment Sought for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Habitat Restoration
The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is seeking comments on a project to restore Lahontan Cutthroat Trout habitat in the Upper Truckee River. Fish crews from the LTBMU would remove brook trout from the Upper Truckee River from the bottom of Meiss Meadows to the natural fall structures 3,000 feet above the South Upper Truckee Road, along with associated year-round streams and lakes.
http://yubanet.com/regional/Public-Comment-Sought-for-Lahontan-Cutthroat-Trout-Habitat-Restoration.php
Colorado: Plant a Tree to Restore Wetland Area
Wood River Land Trust staff have been working hard for two weeks on the Croy Creek Restoration Project in Hailey, turning a former dump into a larger, more naturally functioning wetland and riparian area. Next week, the local community can get involved in the project.
http://www.sunvalleyonline.com/news/article.asp?ID_Article=5440
California: Public Comment Sought on Yellow-Legged Frog Habitat Restoration
The Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, in cooperation with California Department of Fish and Game and US Fish and Wildlife Service, is seeking public comment on a proposal to restore Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frog habitat in the Desolation Wilderness by removing brook and rainbow trout from seven high mountain lakes.
http://yubanet.com/regional/Public-Comment-Sought-on-Yellow-Legged-Frog-Habitat-Restoration.php
New Jersey: Comment Sought on Wildlife Plan
The greatest threats to natural resources in the state include habitat loss, destruction, alteration and fragmentation, the plan says. Other threats include invasive species, pollution and unsustainable land management practices, the plan says. Recommended conservation actions include the full recovery of populations of rare species through habitat restoration, land acquisition and landowner incentives.
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080724/NEWS03/807240311/1007/NEWS03
Restoring the Wetlands
Bolsa Chica and Mono Lake are evidence that environmental damage can be undone. It sometimes appears that the Earth is so damaged by human activity that there is nothing we can do to repair it. When something as seemingly innocent as switching on the lights or starting the car helps push the global climate off-kilter, what hope is there for redemption?
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-rebirth26-2008jul26,0,6555949.story
South Korea: Upo Wetland, Rich Habitat for Wild Life
Upo Wetlands in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang Province, is Korea's representative wetland. The nation's largest wetland is especially gaining attention now, as a conference on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, an international treaty for action and cooperation for the conservation of wetlands and their resources, will be held here late October.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/07/135_28174.html |
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People in the News
EPA Awards Grant to Kentucky Community for Wetlands Restoration
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the University of Kentucky Research Foundation with a new wetland conservation grant through the Five Star Wetlands Restoration Program. The $20,000 grant will be used to fund the Millcreek Stream and Wetland Restoration Project and Outdoor Classroom. The project goal is to develop a school-wide, interdisciplinary, water-focused education program at Millcreek Elementary School by restoring stream and wetlands habitats around the free-flowing, meandering creek on the school grounds.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/28bb2eec257f5637852574950067e482?OpenDocument
Australia: Dugong/Turtle Project Wins Award
The North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) has taken out the Indigenous category at the Banksia Awards ceremony in Melbourne. The award was presented by the Environment Minister Peter Garrett to NAILSMA Executive Officer Joe Morrison for the Alliance's Dugong and Marine Turtle Project. Mr Garret recognised the Indigenous people driving the project as the "front-line" managers of the North Australian coast's dugong and turtle population.
http://www.torresnews.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=903&Itemid=1
Russell Honored for Environmental Work
The environmental changes that the Copper Basin has seen over the last several decades are the result of the efforts of many people. Frank Russell, site manager for Glenn Springs Holdings' Copper Basin project, is one of those people responsible for the environmental changes. For his efforts, he was recently awarded the national "Reclamationist of the Year" award from the American Society for Mining and Reclamation.
http://www.thenewsobserver.com/articles/2008/07/25/features/feature01.txt
Southern Company and Environmental Partners Award Wetland Restoration Grants Through Five Star Program
Southern Company, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Association of Counties and Wildlife Habitat Council announced today that 10 new wetland, riparian and coastal conservation grants have been awarded in the Southeast through the Five Star Restoration Program. This year, Southern Company provided $246,000 in grants and, combined with partner matching funds, a total of nearly $532,000 will benefit projects in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. Since 2006, Southern Company has contributed $621,000 through 33 grants, resulting in an on-the-ground conservation impact of $1.89 million.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/southern-company-environmental-partners-award/story.aspx?guid=%7B6BE1B006-A6A0-46B4-B628-A417B1B51ECE%7D&dist=hppr |
| New Books & Articles
Mexican Mangroves 'Vital for Fishing Industry'
Researchers have shown that the abundance of Mexican mangroves has a direct effect on the health of the fishing industry and the local economy. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analysed 13 regions in four states - Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Sinaloa and Sonora - in Mexico's Gulf of California.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/37760
Wetlands of New Zealand: A Bitter-Sweet Story
This is at once a provocative, challenging and inspriring work of great scholarship and I thought the sub-title - a bitter-sweet story - so appropriate. At times I felt great despair at the enormous damage we have done to our precious wetlands, 90% of those that were here at the time of Cook's visit in the late 18th century have now gone, while at other times I experienced great hope reading of the restoration and protection work that is going on and of the formation of the National Wetland Trust and its work.
http://beattiesbookblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/wetlands-of-new-zealand-bitter-sweet.html
Valuable Seagrasses Face Global Warming Threat
Seagrass meadows, which are vital for the survival of much marine life and a source of household materials in Europe and Africa, face a mounting threat from global warming, a report said on Friday. The report, from the Swiss-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said the submerged meadows -- many around the Mediterranean -- could be saved through concerted action by governments and scientists.
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/49512/story.htm
Habitat Management for Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques
Habitat management is commonly used to maintain and enhance the biological interest of many areas of semi-natural habitat where natural processes no longer create suitable conditions for desired species. Habitat restoration and creation is increasingly being used to increase the extent of ecologically important habitats in order to mitigate the impacts of human development. The modification of past management techniques and the introduction of new ones can provide additional benefits.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/habitat-management-conservation-handbook-techniques/story.aspx?guid=%7BCFA52B10-92A5-4AE0-A6E4-5793940F831F%7D&dist=hppr
Newly Discovered Monkey Is Threatened With Extinction
Just three years after it was discovered, a new species of monkey is threatened with extinction according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which recently published the first-ever census of the endangered primate. Known as the "kipunji," the large, forest-dwelling primate hovers at 1,117 individuals, according to a study released in the July issue of the journal Oryx.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080728192930.htm |
| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
Washington: Study Puts Price on Puget Sound
How much is Puget Sound worth? At least $7 billion to $62 billion a year, according to a team of economists. Trying to put a price tag on the Sound's ecosystem, including the forests, wetlands and mountains surrounding it, might seem as fruitless as trying to sell the sun. But that's exactly what a small but growing cadre of economists and environmentalists is doing.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008072080_pugetsound25m0.html |
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)
Ancient Texts with Contemporary Sustainability Lessons: Narayan Desai
The destinations on the recent visit by Dr Narayan Desai, Executive Director of the Society for Ecological Restoration in India, to the US reflected the eclectic nature of his interests. These destinations included the Belin Blank Center for Gifted Education at the University of Iowa where Desai attended the Wallace Symposium on gifted education; DePaul University, Chicago, where he was a guest of the Institute for Nature and Culture and a visit to the University of Arizona in Tucson. At each place he presented on aspects of his work in and around Pune, India. Not only does Desai direct the activities of SER in India, he works at the Jnana Prabodhini Research Institute which investigates the application of the Vedas, the sacred books of the Hindu faith, to ecology. And in conjunction with his work with a local village school two hours outside of Pune, Desai leads a Mensa project that focuses on the identification, nurturing and ecological consciousness of gifted students.
http://dwellingexile.blogspot.com/2008/07/ancient-texts-with-contemporary.html
New Zealand Minister: We'll Help Pacific Protect Cultural Knowledge, Property Rights
New Zealand's Associate Minister of Commerce Judith Tizard says her government is prepared to offer resources and expertise to help Pacific Island countries and territories develop necessary programs and law to protect their rights of their culture and heritage. Tizard, who is also the country's Associate Minister of Arts, Culture & Heritage was the keynote speaker at yesterday's opening of the three-day Traditional Knowledge Symposium.
http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/07/26/new-zealand-minister-well-help-pacific-protect-cultural-knowledge-property-rights
Bangladesh: Indigenous People Should Get to Manage Forest
Over the years, flawed policies have destroyed a large part of the Modhupur forest instead of preserving it, speakers at a seminar said yesterday. The speakers urged the government to ensure forest dwellers' right to their native land and make them a party to manage natural forests on certain conditions. They said in the name of saving the forest the government has snatched the rights of forest dwellers who are living there for generations and turned it into shooting range, rubber plantations and gardens of alien species.
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=47329
India: Earthen Pot Offers a Bounty of Benefits for Kanyakumari Ryots
The farmers of Kozhikodupothai in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, have a traditional knowledge base regarding bio-pest repellent formations and also plant growth promotion formulations. One such traditional formulation called Manpannai sedi thailam in Tamil (Mud pot formulation) combines the effects of both fostering nutritional growth as well as being a pest repellent.
http://www.hindu.com/seta/2008/07/24/stories/2008072450361600.htm
Seeds,Climate Change and Food Security
Modern breeding, industrialised agriculture and legislations promoted by commercial trading companies, are bringing communities into non-sense production and living systems which are not longer sustainable for life in our planet. Bad agricultural practices, indiscriminate use of herbicide and pesticides and the non-equitable social benefit-share of the resources are causing serious damage to our living environments. For generations our ancestors have lived in a better harmony with nature, learning, observing and adapting their ways of farming and growing to new geographical, climatic and social circumstances. They accumulated thousands of years of knowledge that we are losing at gigantic steps.
http://greenreading.blogspot.com/2008/07/seedsclimate-change-and-food-security.html |
| Agro-Ecology
No-Tillage Plus
Tropical soils often behave differently than temperate soils when being farmed. In tropical regions, soils lose nutrients quickly when cultivated. With food shortages looming and soil quality declining rapidly, new farming techniques are needed to make tropical and sub-tropical farming more productive and sustainable. New research from Agronomy Journal shows that no-till management combined with a winter cover crop is most effective in retaining nutrients in tropical soils.
https://www.agronomy.org/press/releases/2008/0728/175/
Farmers Urged to Take Up Conservation Agriculture
Farmers have been advised to take up Conservation Agriculture to build up sustainable soil eco systems and reducing unnecessary soil disturbance wherever possible. Some 100 delegates from 36 countries who gathered at Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) headquarters recently called on farmers to join the ongoing "Greener" revolution represented by Conservation Agriculture which has been in vogue for the last thirty years.
http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Farmers-urged-to-take-up-Conservation-Agriculture-10728-3-1.html
Wicked Coffee's Rumble in the Jungle
Wicked Coffee worked in conjunction with Operation Wallacea on an initiative sponsored by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility. This involved the formation of contracts with local coffee producers whereby the Wicked Coffee Company agreed to purchase their crop directly and pay them a fair price; in return the farmers agreed to an embargo on logging and hunting in designated rainforest areas. The result was a protected environment for many rare species of indigenous wildlife.
http://www.harrogateadvertiser.net/business/Wicked-Coffee39s-Rumble-in-the.4331643.jp
Rising Demands Threaten Wetlands
The recent surge in demand for food and biofuel has increased the risks facing the world's wetlands, warn scientists. A declaration by 700 scientists said the habitats faced a growing risk of being converted into farmland. It also stated that the current knowledge of the extent of the world's wetlands was "unacceptable" and called for a global inventory to be set up.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7525613.stm |
| Biodiversity & Climate Change
Alaska Forests Hit with More Wildfires, Infestations as Climate Changes
Juday started his research 20 years ago to unlock the secrets of the boreal forest, as he says. He chose a site in the Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest that had recently burned so that he could track new trees from seedling to maturity. He learned a lot, published papers on his research, and could have stopped at any time. He didn't stop, and over the years climate change worked its way into his research and another finding emerged - things are not looking good for white spruce in the Interior.
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/jul/29/alaska-forests-hit-more-wildfires-infestations-cli/
Deporting Plants and Animals to Protect Them from Climate Change
As San Diego and Los Angeles have grown, the scrub land of southern California has been paved and built over. That has squeezed out the Quino checkerspot butterfly's habitat, and with the climate changes coming as a result of human greenhouse gas emissions, its listing as an endangered species by the U.S. government may not be enough to save the pretty little butterfly from extinction. But a group of biologists suggest in this week's Science that simply moving the butterfly into similar habitat in nearby mountain ranges might solve the problem by overcoming the unnatural barriers humans have erected in the path of any potential shift in its natural range to follow such changing conditions. They call the idea "assisted colonization."
http://www.climateshifts.org/?p=225
http://knowledgeandexperience.blogspot.com/2008/07/conservation-biology-and-intervention.html
Florida: Botanists Sound the Alarm as Rare Species Face Extinction
Six years ago, ecologists at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden painstakingly gathered the seeds of a vine found only in eight wild spots from Palm Beach County through Miami-Dade so they could be grown in a nursery and then reestablished in their natural habitat. But as seas rise with climate change, the beaches may be inundated and the dozen patches of beach jacquemontia, or clustervine, nourished with so much care may be lost.
http://www.miamiherald.com/163/story/615849.html |
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UK: Can Open Fields be Turned into Forest?
A patchwork of wheat and barley unfolds over gently undulating fields just north of St Albans. This pretty - and pretty unremarkable - 850 acres of Hertfordshire countryside looks just like the kind of peaceful greenbelt that is always the flick of a planner's pen away from being bricked over by developers or divided by a motorway. Instead, it is now the target of a much more beautiful project: to create from scratch the biggest continuous native forest in England.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/30/conservation.forests
Restored Forest can Resist Fire: Dennis Martinez
I share many of the concerns voiced by Jim Fattig (Feedback, July 9): lack of locals with dozers to jump on fires before they get out of hand; decommissioning strategic roads needed for fire and forest managing; brush, peckerwood poles, and ladder fuels choking our forests; litigation of every salvage sale regardless of site conditions; unemployed loggers watching good timber burning up while rural communities struggle to survive economically, culturally and socially.
http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/2008/0723/Opinion/019.html
Arkansas: Restoration Of Forests Noble Cause
There's something counter-intuitive about letting a forest burn, something even more shocking about starting a fire in a forest. But that doesn't make it wrong. In an attempt to restore health to the Ozark-St. Francis and Ouachita National forests, some experts are using some pretty counter-intuitive tools, including burning and logging.
http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2008/07/27/how_we_see_it/opinion01.txt |
| Wetland Restoration
Maryland: DNR, Partners Begin Wetlands and Forest Restoration Work
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with the Dorchester Soil Conservation District and Little Blackwater Advisory Committee, will begin wetland restoration and reforestation on state-owned property near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County. "Wetlands are critical to the health of our beloved Chesapeake Bay," said Governor Martin O'Malley. "These restoration efforts are essential to our future - for those who rely on waterways for their livelihoods, as well as those who enjoy them as a recreational resource."
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/pressrelease2008/072408b.html
Minnesota: Conservation Tour Given to Officials
On a short tour on Monday morning, Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) manager Jack Krech showed more than 500 acres in the county that has recently been improved with the help of his office and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), including third crop plantings, CRP and CREP, feedlot holding basins, wetland banking, terraced fields, sediment basins, living snow fences, and grass-lined waterways.
http://www.stjamesnews.com/articles/2008/07/23/news/news13.txt
Massachusetts: Property Owner and Contractor Ordered to Restore Filled Wetland
The owner of a 590-acre parcel of land located off of Lane Road in Barre, Massachusetts and his contractor have been ordered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to restore 2 acres of wetlands which they dredged and filled without a permit in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/033b7c29ddae9fa285257494004e4769?OpenDocument |
River & Watershed Restoration
Oregon's Sandy River Successfully Reinvents Itself after Dam Removal
"There's a global interest right now in river restoration," Grant said. "Marmot is certainly one of the best-documented and most spectacular examples of dam removal in the sense that the river was allowed to process the material itself." The river has so far removed about half the material backed up behind the dam. It's difficult to tell that a dam once blocked the popular salmon stream. The river shoves and piles gravel and cuts into the shore the way a healthy river should.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1217390121239080.xml&coll=7
Connecticut: Mill River Restoration Stays Afloat
The city's longtime vision to restore Mill River to a flowing stream teeming with native fish and plants may begin to happen soon. Today, the zoning board is likely to approve a plan to remove the concrete retaining walls and dam that restrict river flow. If the plan goes forward, the Army Corps of Engineers will pay about $5 million, or two-thirds of the cost of reconfiguring the banks, restoring aquatic plants, creating a larger flood plain, and removing structures from the river that block fish from swimming up and downstream.
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_10018157
Washington: New Watershed Restoration Video
Hey everyone, we are very excited to share our new, animated watershed video with our blog friends! Thanks to the creative team at Sandy Montana for being such fabulous partners. They were able to condense our 10-year model watershed restoration program down to a bite size 1 minute 30 second entertaining and educational video.
http://www.b-e-f.org/watersheds/index.shtm
New Hampshire: Studies Reveal Management Tools for Exeter River
The objective of the project is to study the fluvial geomorphology - the study of a drainage system's forms and functions, including impacts from human actions - of the watershed and develop a watershed-based management plan to address potential habitat management and restoration activities. A second study will develop the state's first long-range management plan for state-owned lands within the watershed.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080725/NEWS/807250388
Oregon: Wood River restoration efforts will help Klamath Lake rainbows
In August, biologists from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will begin restoring habitat in the headwaters of the Wood River where rainbow trout from Upper Klamath Lake migrate to spawn. "We believe that 100 percent of the rainbow trout that spawn in the Wood River use the mile and a half stretch below the headwaters," said Bill Tinniswood, assistant fish biologist for ODFW's Klamath Watershed District. "It's one of our key spawning habitats for rainbow trout that come out of Upper Klamath Lake."
http://www.katu.com/news/outdoors/news/25909834.html
Alaska: Creek Restoration Nearly Complete
Two years of hard work and lots of volunteering has come to an end. The Little Campbell Creek restoration project is about complete with some future monitoring planned to see just how the fish are recovering. The project has meant much for Meadow Park and Anchorage's urban fishery. The project was spearheaded by the Anchorage Waterways Council and benefited from the help of dozens of volunteers.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8733572
Canada: Millstream Restoration Nearing Completion
The path to self sustainability is clear in Millstream Creek. With yet another donation approved by Langford, rocks are being slowing chipped away to make room for the sixth and final fish ladder on the urban waterway. "This (removes) all barriers to Atkins Road," said Peter McCully, a consultant with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/goldstreamgazette/news/25876019.html
Ohio: River Restoration Flowing Along
Despite a stop-work order, efforts continue to restore an 8,700-foot-long stretch of the Chagrin River's East Branch in Kirtland Hills. These efforts are directed at determining what needs to be done because the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued its order a year ago to prevent further damage to the stream bank performed during a several-year period by Lake County developer Jerome T. Osborne Sr.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19877682&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21849&rfi=6 |
| Grassland Restoration
Wisconsin: State Groups Win USDA Conservation Innovation Grants
InterTribal Bison Cooperative: $425,787 for Grassland Restoration and Bison Management on American Indian Lands. The InterTribal Bison Cooperative has 57 member tribes in 18 states. The Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin will host one of five pilot projects in the nation to restore bison to tribal lands. The pilot project will be in Grant County on tribal lands.
http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=913&yr=2008 |
| Desertification & Arid Land Restoration
Greening the Sahel
The Sahel region in Africa, spanning the entire continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, receives, in the main, the World's attention in cases of drought, famine or political crisis. The Sahel is a dynamic ecosystem that responds not only to climatic variability bu to human exploitation of biospheric resources. Over the long-term, changes in rainfall may have resulted in changes in land use patterns. While there has been a tendency to refer such changes as the desertification of the Sahel, results from analysis of different types of satellite- and ground-based data have not resulted in consensus on the direction of changes.
http://www.earthportal.org/?page_id=70 |
| Lake Restoration
California: A Mono Lake Success Story
Now, 14 years after the city was ordered to reduce the quantity of tributary water it had been diverting into the Los Angeles aqueduct since 1941, Rush Creek has among the highest concentrations of yellow warblers in California -- roughly three pairs per 2 1/2 acres. "Restrict grazing and bring back the water and things really start hopping," McCreedy said. That's the good news. Orchestrating the restoration continues to be a challenging process for the Mono Lake Committee, a nonprofit group of environmentalists and concerned citizens organized in 1978 to save and protect a bowl-shaped ecosystem roughly half the size of Rhode Island.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mono24-2008jul24,0,5819920.story |
| Coastal & Marine Restoration
South Carolina: Port Royal Set to Reconnect Wetland Areas to Flow to River
The town of Port Royal is considering a wetland restoration project that would reconnect approximately 12 acres of the ecosystem that has been separated from itself. The project would use underground pipes to link isolated islands of wetland, including cypress wetland that once was part of a continuous system that flowed into the Beaufort River before the area was developed, said Van Willis, town manager.
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/story/534071.html
Tabu Waters: Protecting Fiji's Great Sea Reef
Fiji is leading the pack of coastal nations by committing to the establishment of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2020. The area, covering 30 per cent of its territorial waters or 39 million hectares, will be the largest system of underwater sanctuaries in the world. "Protecting the reef will ensure that one of our greatest assets remains intact and continues to be an important part of the traditions, culture and livelihoods of the people of Fiji," said Etika Rupeni of WWF's South Pacific Office in Fiji.
http://scubadivingfiji.blogspot.com/2008/07/wwf-tabu-waters-protecting-fijis-great.html |
Wildlife Restoration
California: Birds Make Comeback in Valley Wetlands
It isn't often we move forward by going backward, but that seems to be what's happening to the Central Valley's natural history. While social, economic and political news remains mostly negative, the good news is that many of the valley's native residents, long thought to be on a decline toward the point of no return, are making dramatic comebacks. Consider the case of the white-faced ibis.
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/community/story/369954.html
Canada: Captive Loggerhead Shrikes Released on Carden Alvar
Nineteen captive Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes have been released into the wild on the Carden Alvar near Kirkfield since last weekend. Wildlife Preservation Canada officials say 10 of the 'butcher birds' were released last Sunday and the other nine followed on Wednesday. The birds, so named because they impale their prey on thorns and barbed wire, were endangered before a species recovery program began in 1997, when their numbers had reached an all-time low of just 18 breeding pairs.
http://www.mykawartha.com/news/article/31466 |
| Extractive Industries
Montana: Ninemile Valley Creek Work Called a Model
For years, Trout Unlimited has had a program for restoring Eastern streams damaged by hardrock mining, but no similar program existed for dredge mining in the West until 2004 when the group created its abandoned mine reclamation program. Trout Unlimited teamed up with the U.S. Forest Service to look for new and affordable ways to restore streams that had been poisoned, straightened and muddied by mining and the tons of tailings piles left behind in the headwaters of the Ninemile Valley.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/07/29/news/local/news03.txt
Florida: Environmental Groups Sue to Stop Phosphate Mining
Local environmental groups are suing the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers. Tuesday they joined together to announce a lawsuit. They claim the Corps violated federal laws when it gave the Mosaic Phosphate Company a permit to mine and dredge more than 2300 acres in Manatee County.
http://www.mysuncoast.com/Global/story.asp?S=8755659&nav=menu577_2_1
Tar Sands and Oil Shale will Destroy the Climate to Save a Couple Bucks at the Pump
A new report from WWF-UK warns exploitation of North America's tar sands and oil shale could increase atmospheric CO2 levels by up to 15%. They release as much as eight times as much carbon as petroleum. Over-reaction to gasoline prices going up a couple bucks in the rich world may lead to the catastrophic embrace of these unconventional and highly-polluting fossil fuels.
http://www.climateark.org/blog/2008/07/tar-sands-and-oil_shale-will-d.asp |
| Invasive Species
Oregon: Lemolo - A Lake Woebegone
With the first catch, Scott Lamb netted a few thousand tui chub and thought he could ward off an oncoming blue-green algae bloom. Public health advisories had been issued for blooms on Lemolo Lake the previous two summers, and tui chub were a suspected culprit. Twenty-three days and nearly 40,000 tui (pronounced "too-ee") chub later, multiple state and federal agencies issued a public health advisory July 10 for blue-green algae on Lemolo Lake.
http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080727/NEWS/749040555/1063/NEWS&ParentProfile=1055
China: Biodiversity Restoration in Lake Dianchi
Perhaps the lake's most famous invasive alien is the pretty, purple-flowered Water Hyacinth from Brazil which once covered vast areas of the lake and which the authorities worked hard to (almost entirely) eradicate. Interestingly, the project team found that the roots hanging beneath these floating plants are major resting and feeding places for aquatic invertebrates (aka fish food) which would normally graze on the algae found on the surface of submerged macrophytes. The conclusion must be that totally eradicating the Water Hyacinth before restoring the native macrophytes could cause problems of its own. http://eapblog.worldbank.org/content/biodiversity-restoration-in-lake-dianchi-china-part-3-alien-invaders-both-hold-back-and-supp |
| Urban Restoration
Texas: Johnson Creek's Restoration Could Begin Soon
Construction could begin soon on a $13 million project to restore Johnson Creek, which flows through the city's entertainment district. The bond-funded project will address creek-bank erosion and sediment buildup between Sanford Street and Randol Mill Road. Plans also include building walking trails and a pedestrian bridge over the creek near the Dallas Cowboys stadium and enhancing wildlife habitat with thousands of trees and native plants and grasses.
http://www.star-telegram.com/arlington_news/story/783375.html |
| Recreation & Tourism
Washington: Chelan River Gorge Ecosystem will be Restored
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://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080728/NEWS03/954470637/-1/news03#Chelan.River.Gorge.ecosystem.will.be.restored
Colorado: Forest Service Plans to Restore Piney River
The U.S. Forest Service plans to restore a two-mile stretch of Piney River north of Vail that's popular with hikers, campers and anglers. Over the years, campers have carved out about 22 campsites within 100 feet of the water. Forest Service fisheries biologist Brian Healy says campsites that close can cause erosion. Campers also have been using trees for firewood.
http://www.kjct8.com/Global/story.asp?S=8745980 |
| Funding Opportunities
US Fish & Wildlife Service Seeks Proposals for 2009 Endangered Species Grants
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking proposals from States and U.S. Territories interested in obtaining federal grant assistance to acquire land or conduct planning for endangered species conservation efforts. For fiscal year 2009, the President's budget request for the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (the Fund) would provide approximately $75.5 million in grant funding for conservation planning activities and habitat acquisition for federally protected species. Proposals must be submitted to the California and Nevada Regional Office by September 22, 2008. They can be sent to: USFWS Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-2606, Sacramento, Calif., 95825.
http://www.outdoorcentral.com/outdoor_recreation/other/service-seeks-proposals-for-2009-endangered-species-grants
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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