| Membership |
RESTORE is distributed to current SER members. Make sure you don't miss a single issue!
|
| Quick Links |
|
| |
|
|
 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. |
|
Get Involved / Community-Based Restoration
Cassette Recording made at the 1990 SER Conference held in Chicago
In 1990, SER made and distributed a cassette recording of a plenary speech made by Bob Betz. We would be eternally grateful if anyone out there was able to dig it up and send it to us. If you think you may be able to locate this recording, please email sasha@ser.org
New Jersey: River and Stream Restoration Shortcourse
Oct 20-21(2-day fundamentals) or Oct 20-24 (full 5-day course) at Duke Farms, Hillsborough, New Jersey. Sponsor: New Jersey Chapter of the American Water Resources Association Instructors: Matt Kondolf (University California Berkeley), Margaret Palmer (University of Maryland), Jack Schmidt (Utah State University), Mark Tompkins (CH2MHill), Peter Wilcock (Johns Hopkins University)
http://blogs.lib.berkeley.edu/wrca.php/2008/08/19/river-and-stream-restoration-shortcourse
Australia: Green Thumbs get Hands Dirty
Students from Albion North Primary School were getting their hands dirty last week, in an effort to save indigenous plants. About 720 plants including 33 separate species were planted during the school's planting day last Wednesday. Leanne Dumaresq, the organising teacher, said students from the junior school council committee had come up with the original idea for the garden and had raised the money to implement it. "It's really their garden. They've taken ownership of it and they're going to be the ones who are co-ordinating the watering and weeding."
http://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/62879
New Zealand Ecological Restoration Network 2008 National Conference
17 - 19 October 2008, Christchurch, New Zealand. The specific challenges of restoration in productive landscapes, ie; intensively managed farmland. Riparian restoration of degraded streams, successful protection of wetlands, use of native shelter belts, pest and weed control, protection of native remnants in highly modified landscapes, use of fencing, rating relief, legal mechanisms, winning hearts and minds, planning tools, information available, agency provided resources available, using native plants and animals as part of production (Mahinga kai, native farm forestry, native hawks protecting wine vineyards), farm costs, successful pastoral techniques, successful wilding pine control methods.
http://www.bush.org.nz/library/6801.html
California: Volunteers Work to Restore Soquel Creek
Volunteers worked with the Resource Conservation District Saturday to help beautify the forest around Soquel Creek by plucking invasive plants that had taken over the habitat. The conservation district started the volunteer cleanup in 2004, when volunteers helped restore native plant ecosystems by pulling invaders like ivy and reeds. They planted 50 native plant species in 2005. "[Volunteers] are really essential because we have very limited grant funding to get work done on these sites each year," restoration ecologist Jennifer Stern said. "So any help we get is really critical to the success of the project."
http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_10230742?nclick_check=1
UK: Volunteers put Plenty of Energy into Saving Wildlife in Petworth
Staff from one of Britain's biggest energy suppliers, EDF, took time off work and travelled to Petworth to help save dragonflies and snails. The six employees, from the energy company's offices in Worthing, spent the day clearing scrubland at Burton Pond, just south of Petworth, to make way for moss and heather that will encourage rare invertebrates like the Cone Dragonfly and mud snail.
http://www.midhurstandpetworth.co.uk/news/Volunteers-put-plenty-of-energy.4384381.jp |
|
People in the News
Karyn Phillips Talks about her Restoration Project in Turkey
Where in the world can you find an adoringly restored natural stone built house, with Laura Ashley interiors, surrounded by fruit orchards and olive groves? France? Spain? Croatia? The answer is Turkey in the local ecological village of Kirazli. We have spoken to Karyn Phillips, the lady who owns this beautiful property which is currently on the market with specialist Turkish agency, Spot Blue. Karyn's vision for property and building communities is something she has nurtured and developed throughout the years.
http://www.propertywire.com/news/company-news/karyn-restoration-project-turkey-200808131462.html
Port Clinton Native Named 2008 Land Manager of the Year
He has acquired more than $1.5 million dollars in grant funding for the Refuge's prairie restoration, invasive species and wetland restoration projects. He has recruited and trained volunteers for successfully releasing the endangered Kemps Ridley sea turtle on some of the last undeveloped Texas coastal beaches. Holbrook has mentored high school students helping them achieve academic success and capture a vision of their future. http://www.thebeacon.net/index.php/news/local-news/999-port-clinton-native-named-2008-land-manager-of-the-year |
| New Books & Articles
A Heideggerean Approach to Ecological Restoration
Ecological restoration has emerged in recent years as a powerful approach to conserving biodiversity. Questions have been raised about the effectiveness of restoration practice as a conservation strategy [does it achieve its stated conservation objectives?], about the policy consequences of endorsing this strategy [does the promise of restoration promote environmental irresponsible degradation?], and, perhaps more fruitful from a philosophical perspective, one can ask what gets revealed by ecological restoration regarding the relationship between people and both the entities of nature and ecological time.
http://dwellingexile.blogspot.com/2008/08/heideggerean-approach-to-ecological.html
IU Law Professor Co-authors EPA Report on Adapting to Climate Change
Rising global temperatures are already affecting sensitive ecosystems in the United States, but improved management strategies can make those areas more resilient to climate change, according to a report co-authored by an environmental law expert at Indiana University. The report, titled Preliminary Review of Adaptation Options for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources, was released this summer by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Robert L. Fischman, professor of law at the IU School of Law--Bloomington, was a contributing author for the 100-page chapter on national wildlife refuges.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/8672.html |
| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
Stanford Biologist Sees Money in Preservation
Gretchen Daily wants to protect the planet by convincing governments and big investors there's money to be made - or at least saved - in preserving nature instead of exploiting it. It's a fresh approach to conservation that is drawing international attention to this unpretentious Stanford biologist who has garnered some of the world's most prestigious scientific honors. At its most basic, Daily is figuring out how to put a price tag on the natural world. And colleagues say she has done what many scientists have not: connected theory to practice.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/18/MNH31227HE.DTL |
| Agro-Ecology
UK: Livestock Scheme to Preserve Grassland
A new brokerage service has been started to link wildlife rich grassland in Dorset with livestock. Dorset Wildlife Trust has launched the scheme as part of the Pastures New project, which is a grassland restoration project aimed at ensuring sustainable wildlife-rich grasslands are part of the working landscape. It is hoped that the new service will help farmers and wildlife as wildlife-rich grassland depends on grazing for its survival.
http://www.thisisdorset.net/display.var.2428871.0.livestock_scheme_to_preserve_grassland.php
Successful Partnerships Bring Huge Benefits for Our Wildlife
As both a landowner and operator, Northumbrian Water is committed to conserving and enhancing wildlife in the region. It works in partnership with wildlife trusts, Natural England, local authorities and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to protect and enhance the environment. Its involvement as one of the principal partners of the regional Northern Kites project, which is managed by the RSPB and English Nature, working in partnership with Gateshead Council, the National Trust and the Forestry Commission, with additional funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Sita Trust, is one example of how it is helping to improve the conservation status of birds. Northern Kites was formed to reintroduce and ultimately re- establish the red kite as a breeding bird in North East England.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1526643/successful_partnerships_bring_huge_benefits_for_our_wildlife__in/ |
| Biodiversity & Climate Change
David Suzuki: New Science Looks at Big Picture for Global Future
If we want to protect an endangered animal such as the woodland caribou, we have to do more than just study the animal in isolation. We must understand how it interacts with its total environment, including its habitat and other animals, as well as humans. We must then try to determine the best possible conditions for it to live in healthy numbers and study the threats that could undermine its persistence. It's no different with humans, except that the problems we have created for ourselves--on a global scale--are even more complex.
http://www.straight.com/article-158307/david-suzuki-new-science-looks-big-picture-global-future
Carbon Farming Tested in California Delta
Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of California, Davis, are exploring a new style of farming in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that produces not crops but soils that store carbon dioxide. The research team has won a three-year, $12.3 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources to test the concept on 400 acres in the Delta beginning next spring.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2008/2008-08-18-094.asp
Uganda: 100,000 Trees Planted Countrywide
A total of 100,000 species of tree seedlings have been planted in six districts countrywide in a move to mitigate the impact of climate change.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200808150464.html |
|
Oregon: Tribes Object to Fighting Fire in Sacred Places
Indian tribes from the Klamath River canyon are worried that the U.S. Forest Service is violating some of their sacred lands by fighting a remote wilderness wildfire rather than letting it burn naturally. The area is home to many prayer seats or vision quest sites shared by three tribes, where tribal members have fasted, prayed and sought spiritual guidance for thousands of years. The area is also used to gather grasses for baskets and Port Orford cedar for ceremonial buildings, such as sweat lodges.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5grsq3fN5uJUCp-D2y-OM-JEEHfpAD92HUFB82 |
| Wetland Restoration
Video: O'Dell Creek Headwaters Restoration Documentary
A small spring-fed creek near Ennis, Mont., is having a big impact in wildlife habitat recovery. A new HD documentary about the O'Dell Creek Headwaters Restoration Project is set to show the world how a wetland drained for over 50 years can make a remarkable comeback. The combination of a 40:1 zoom range (for a portable EFP lens), Canon Optical Shift Image Stabilizer ("Shift-IS") technology, and superb HD imagery from the Canon HJ40x10B telephoto EFP lens empowered veteran filmmaker Dickson Sorensen to capture the story of an extraordinary group of people working to help restore one of nature's creations.
http://digitalproducer.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=488331
California: Restoring Watsonville Wetlands
A group of workers, picks and shovels in hand, was busy Monday in the wetlands of Watsonville, engaged in an epic battle with a host of well-entrenched invaders. The enemies - stands of hearty, invasive weeds - provided little fight. A little digging and pulling typically freed their roots from the ground. The true battle came in the sheer numbers of the invader plants pampas grass, fennel and about two dozen others have firmly established themselves in many areas of the wetlands. In this, the California Conservation Corps workers had their hands full. http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=5368&page=72 |
River & Watershed Restoration
Watershed Study Solidifies Science behind Ecosystem Restoration Projects
Working with The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin and the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), a pair of University of Wisconsin-Madison hydroecologists is evaluating the efficacy of an ecosystem restoration project along a stretch of the Pecatonica River near the small town of Barneveld in southwest Wisconsin. Results of their research could apply to similar watershed restoration initiatives around the country.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/15480
Kansas Group, Federal Agency Work to Restore Spring River
A group hoping to restore Spring River and its tributaries in Cherokee County is trying to decide among potential demonstration projects as a way to educate the public about the river's condition and ways to improve it. On a separate track, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has developed a draft plan to restore terrestrial and aquatic habitat in the Superfund site in Cherokee County that was damaged by decades of mining.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/neo_sek/local_story_226153854.html?keyword=secondarystory
Wisconsin: Restoring Rivers
In Wisconsin, non-governmental conservation organizations like Trout Unlimited, local sportsmens' clubs and the River Alliance of Wisconsin work closely with the Department of Natural Resources in conducting river restoration projects. Around here, habitat improvement projects have been constructed on the Willow, Kinnickinnic and Rush rivers, the South Fork, Isabelle Creek, Lost Creek, and Plum Creek. Trout Unlimited members are currently working with the DNR on a habitat project on Pine Creek near Maiden Rock.
http://www.riverfallsjournal.com/articles/index.cfm?id=88289§ion=Outdoors&freebie_check&CFID=70173611&CFTOKEN=53585582&jsessionid=883019c513a8733b7429 |
| Lake Restoration
Can the Dead Sea Be Brought to Life?
The Dead Sea has been a religious and cultural landmark of the Middle East for thousands of years. Saltier than the oceans, the lake is like none other in the world. But in the past 30 years, the Dead Sea has lost about a third of its surface area. As much as 95 percent of the flow of its main tributary, the Jordan River, has been diverted for agriculture and domestic use. Excessive mineral mining for potash and magnesium chloride is removing water at a rate of 150 million cubic meters per year. As water levels drop by as much as one meter per year, the combination of diversion and evaporation is threatening both economic development and the natural oases that support the Dead Sea's unique ecosystem.
http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/37955 |
| Coastal & Marine Restoration
Vietnam: Restored Mangrove Forest Needs Attention
Restoration of 30,000 hectares of Can Gio Mangrove Forest in Can Gio District, Ho Chi Minh City has been completed since the project began 30 years ago, a conference has heard in the southern hub. Nearly 19,000 of the restored hectares in the important wildlife sanctuary are artificial forests, according to the conference that reviewed the restoration held by the municipal administration last Saturday.
http://www.thanhniennews.com/education/?catid=4&newsid=41254
Restoring Alabama's coast
Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Dauphin Island Sea Lab Initiate Historic Partnership
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Lands Division and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab have partnered to conduct extensive habitat restoration, monitoring and research along the Alabama coast. This historic partnership will provide $1.5 million to the DISL over the next three years for research and conservation activities. "The Department is truly excited about this partnership," stated Carl Ferraro, a Natural Resource Planner with the ADCNR, State Lands Division, Coastal Section in Spanish Fort. "By partnering with the DISL, we are tapping into a wealth of expertise and experience to obtain the best science available on shoreline restoration efficacy and cost effectiveness. This knowledge will serve us well as we plan future restoration efforts".
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/disl-rac081808.php
UAE: Mangroves are Growing Again after 100 years
The mangrove specie rhizophora mucronata has, after nearly 100 years, resurfaced in the UAE waters, said an official from the Department of the Presidential Affairs. The plantations are surviving in natural conditions and have even begun flowering. Mubarak Saad Al Ahbabi, Director of Department of Presidential Affairs, said, 'The Gulf has a strong historical linkage with Al Qurm (mangroves). They are unique and precious ecosystems in the UAE, representing extremes in both environmental and geographical distribution of mangroves on the global scale.'
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2008/August/theuae_August311.xml§ion=theuae&col=
Ecological Sea Defence for the Netherlands
The creation of tidal marshes on the mud-flat side of the Dutch Closure Dyke (Afsluitdijk) will provide the Netherlands with a sea defence, a new nature area as well as recreation opportunities. That is the thrust of the advice given to the Dutch Department of Public Works by the consortium consisting of engineering consultancy DHV, knowledge institute Wageningen IMARES, and the design firm Alle Hosper. The department had called on experts to present their plans for the Afsluitdijk market consultation.
http://www.engineerlive.com/news/20533/ecological-sea-defence-for-the-netherlands.thtml
Massachusetts: Homeowners Leery of Wellfleet Tidal Restoration
Private property owners along the Herring River were the most outspoken at a public meeting yesterday about government plans to allow tidal flows to the 1,100-acre estuary to return to levels dating from the early 1900s. Members of the riverfront Chequessett Yacht & Country Club encouraged government officials to offer help if the plans forced the club to move golf holes to higher ground. Nearby homeowners wondered whether encouraging higher tides would hurt their water wells, septic tanks, property lines and property values.
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080815/NEWS/808150323 |
Wildlife Restoration
California: Gearing Up for Restoration in San Pablo Bay
Audubon California and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are gearing up to begin a much-needed wildlife habitat restoration project in the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The area is critical breeding ground for a number of threatened and endangered bird species, including the California Clapper Rail and the California Black Rail. Thousands of migratory and wintering shorebirds and waterfowl rely on the area for breeding as well, which is why the area has been designated an Important Bird Area. Ultimately, the plan is to conduct ecological restoration of 89 acres, and enhancement of an additional 668 acres of leveed marsh to improve tidal circulation within the Tubbs Island and Tolay Creek units of the refuge.
http://www.audublog.org/?p=232
Pennsylvania: Dam Removal Project gives Native Trout Free Reign on the Water
A first-of-its-kind dam removal went off without a hitch on Bear Run in Fayette County earlier this month, restoring one of the state's most prized wild brook trout fisheries to its natural configuration. In a partnership involving the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and American Rivers, about a dozen ecologists used jackhammers, pick axes, pry bars and sheer muscle power to dismantle two dams near the headwaters of Bear Run, designated an Exceptional Value Coldwater Fishery in the Youghiogheny River watershed.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08230/904653-358.stm |
| Extractive Industries
Conservation Group, Mining Company Work Together
Idaho Conservation League director Rick Johnson said the group won't lose its vigilance over Idaho watershed quality, but that working with Formation Capital to plan a mining operation has been better than being antagonists. Formation Capital Corp. is a Canadian mining company planning a cobalt mining operation in the Upper Salmon River region. There is abundant cobalt in the area, and Formation Capital plans to mine about 1,500 tons a year using underground mining techniques. The company and the ICL announced an agreement and "ongoing working relationship" Monday at a press conference in Boise.
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/conservation_group_mining_company_work_together/C559/L559/ |
| Invasive Species
Florida hasn't Done Enough to Stop Exotic Species
A few years back, the public was treated to a widely published photo showing the icky results of a python's ill-advised attempt to eat a 6-foot alligator in the Florida Everglades. A few months ago, we followed efforts to nab a scary-looking Nile monitor lizard on the loose in Edgewood. A few days ago came the alarming news that the venomous lionfish is tearing through the native Caribbean fish population like it was a Chinese buffet. These critters all have something in common: They don't belong here.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed18108aug18,0,1189882.story |
| Urban Restoration
Bringing 'Green Collar' Jobs to the South Bronx
In response, SSBx launched the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training in 2003. A 10-week intensive job-training program, it confronts environmental, health, poverty and quality of life problems by equipping urban residents to work in "green collar" jobs such as ecological restoration, hazardous waste cleanup, green roof installation and maintenance, urban forestry and landscaping.
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/communitydevelopment/20080819/20/2616/
New York: Renewal Plan Praised As Model
As Harbor Committee chairman Bruce Tait listened to consultant Stephen Handel explain an ecological restoration plan for a Long Point Road, Sag Harbor homeowner, there were a number of moments where he glanced at fellow committee members George Pharoah and Dr. Tom Halton in disbelief. For a committee that has recently engaged in several battles to simply ensure a minimum 25-foot vegetative buffer to wetland areas in the village, hearing a restoration plan that includes the addition of 65 native trees, 220 native shrubs and 7000 square feet of native grasses and wildflowers, with nary a fertilized lawn in sight, seemed to take the board aback.
http://sagharborexpress.sagharborpublishing.com/shexpress/government/renewal-plan-praised-as-model/ |
| Funding Opportunities
US: New Forest-Health Grant Cycle Begins - Closes October 10, 2008
With $1 million federal funding boost, the Colorado State Forest Service has up to $2 million available for forest restoration proposals that protect critical water supplies and address related forest health challenges such as wildfire risk reduction, community protection, ecological restoration and woody biomass utilization. Grant applications are due by 4 p.m., Oct. 10 and awards will be announced in early November.
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20080810/NEWS/372732661/1078&ParentProfile=1055
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. | |
|
|
|
|
|
