December 17, 2008 
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Society for Ecological Restoration International
In This Issue
Get Involved
People in the News
New Books & Articles
Biodiversity & Climate
Forest Restoration
Wetland Restoration
River Restoration
Grassland Restoration
Lake Restoration
Coastal Restoration
Invasive Species
Urban Restoration
Funding Opportunities
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serlogoRESTORE 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

 

UK: Kids Keep Tabs on New Forest

Youngsters from two Merseyside schools are using space-age technology to keep track of the hundreds of trees they planted. As part of National Tree Week, pupils from English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, in Haydock, and Lyme Community Primary School, in Newton-le-Willows, got their hands dirty planting saplings at a local landfill site. The children will now chart the progress of their birch tree using Global Positioning System coordinates.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2008/12/12/kids-keep-tabs-on-new-forest-100252-22459918/

 

Virginia: In Search of Plants, Peace of Mind

Earth Sangha was founded in 1997 by husband and wife Chris and Lisa Bright. A Buddhist environmental group based in the City of Fairfax, the non-profit organization has environmental restoration projects both in and outside of the United States. Members spend their free time once or several times a week working with the ecosystem, stabilizing local streams and helping to restore meadows and forests.

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=323274&paper=61&cat=104

 

Vermont: The Stream Team

It has always taken "a village" to complete our annual restoration projects on the Kill. Lots of funders, lots of agencies, a variety of contractors, a number of willing landowners, and volunteers annually participate. This year, the population of our village grew to include the 10 students in teacher Dave Dence's forestry program.

People in the News

 

Canada: Niagara College Environmental Group, Professor Win Provincial Award

Martin Smith, professor and co-ordinator of the College's Environmental Technician program, and the Niagara Environmental Corps (NEC) were announced today as recipients of the Colleges Ontario Innovation Award. In 2007, the NEC joined with the College's Niagara Research department to gain experience in environmentally-focused applied research initiatives. These activities focus on protecting and restoring natural environments, including habitat restoration and monitoring, ecosystem restoration, site remediation, wetland conservation and solutions towards urban sustainability.

http://niagaracollegenews.niagaracollege.ca/2008/12/11/niagara-college-environmental-group-professor-win-provincial-award/

New Books & Articles
 

World Rivers Review, Vol. 23, No. 4 - Dec. 2008

We talked with some of the world's best experts and advocates for dam removal to find out what lessons they have learned on this complex topic, and what hopes they have for reviving the world's dammed rivers. This issue also has articles on wetlands restoration in Iraq, Europe and Florida; the latest on dam removals on the Klamath River (California), the Sandy River (Oregon), and throughout Spain; and profiles of inspiring river-revival advocates from around the globe.

Biodiversity & Climate Change
 

Climate Change: A Dark Future for Migratory Fish

In Europe, most migratory fish species completing their cycle between the sea and the river are currently in danger. Although restoration programmes have been set up, the future distribution of these species may be modified because of climate change. At the Bordeaux Cemagref, scientists have developed biogeographical models to predict their distribution on the 2100 horizon.

 

Arizona: Forest-Thinning Plan Would Clear Brush, Cut State's Fire Risk

The U.S. Forest Service could decide within the next 60 days whether to sign off on a landmark proposal that could allow as many as 1 million acres of ponderosa-pine forest in northern Arizona to be thinned over the next 20 years. "We really feel like this is a unique and groundbreaking agreement that we've been able to pull together," said Todd Schulke, senior policy analyst at the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity. "We need to get our forests back into a healthy balance."

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2008/12/12/20081212foresthealth1212.html

 

EDC Launches Project that Aims to Leave Behind Greener Philippines

Targeted to reforest 1,000 hectares of forestlands a year in the next 10 years, geothermal giant Energy Development Corp. (EDC) launched Thursday its Binhi project. Aquino said the Binhi project has four components: the tree for the future, tree for life, tree for food, and tree for leisure. "But among the four, the tree for the future is the project's flagship program," he added. The tree for the future aspect, according to Aquino, aims to recover the biodiversity of the country by establishing a tree park in every province and in selected cities and schools using prime endangered species.

http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3260:edc-launches-project-that-aims-to-leave-behind-greener-philippines&catid=26:nation&Itemid=63

 

Georgia: Need for Seed Drives Fall Harvest of Native Grasses

Wiregrass is part of the longleaf pine ecosystem that once covered millions of acres in the Southeast yet now rates as one of the nation's most endangered habitats and a high priority in Georgia's Wildlife Action Plan. The perennial bunch grass (Aristida beyrichiana) is indicative of a biologically diverse ground cover and essential to the fires needed to maintain that diversity. Planting wiregrass is one facet in a growing effort to restore native grasses in Georgia and other states.

http://georgiafrontpage.blogspot.com/2008/12/need-for-seed-drives-fall-harvest-of.html

Wetland Restoration
 

Maryland: SHA Completes Project to Restore Wetlands

The State Highway Administration recently completed a $764,000 environmental project to restore more than six acres of forested wetlands at the Magness Farm in northern Harford County to help improve water quality from highway runoff as well as provide a vital habitat for native wildlife.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.harforddigest140dec14,0,3326524.story

 

Kansas: KAWS Teams Up with NRCS to Enhance Playa Lakes Wetlands

KAWS is using funds from a Playa Lakes Joint Venture Grant to hire the coordinator. The PLJV is a non-profit partnership of federal and state wildlife agencies, conservation groups, private industry, and landowners dedicated to conserving bird habitat in the Southern Great Plains. "We are excited about the opportunity this will provide to local landowners in southwest Kansas to restore and protect their valuable wetlands, such as the playa lakes," said Barth Crouch, PLJV Conservation Policy Director.

http://www.hpj.com/archives/2008/dec08/dec15/KAWSteamsupwithNRCStoenhanc.cfm?title=KAWS%20teams%20up%20with%20NRCS%20to%20enhance%20Playa%20Lakes%20Wetlands

River & Watershed Restoration

 

India: Mutha Waterway Will Be Ready in 3 Years

A beautiful Mutha with clean water flowing through it and rich flora and fauna on its banks. You take a boat ride through the river to reach office and dine at a floating restaurant in the evening. You go sailing or kayaking too on weekends. While all this might look like a distant dream for Punekars who have witnessed the deteriorating condition of the river, the civic body has drawn up ambitious plans to make it a reality in the next three years.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pune/Mutha_waterway_will_be_ready_in_3_years_PMC/articleshow/3821417.cms

 

California: Interagency Effort Restores Trinity River Salmon Habitat

The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), Trinity River Restoration Program Office; the U.S. Forest Service, Shasta-Trinity National Forest; and several other partner agencies of the Trinity Management Council recently completed a key salmon spawning and rearing habitat restoration project along the upper Trinity River in Northern California. This brings the total number of sites completed since 2005 to 16.

http://yubanet.com/regional/Interagency-Effort-Restores-Trinity-River-Salmon-Habitat.php

 

US: National Coalition Announces Push To Create A Forest Watershed Restoration Corps

The Legacy Roads Restoration Initiative today proposed a program to create a $500M Forest Watershed Restoration Corps within the National Forest Service. The Corps could be funded as part of the Economic Stimulus Package currently being planned by Congress and President-Elect Obama's Transition Team and would restore ecologically damaged forest watersheds while creating 3,500 high-skill, family-wage jobs per year in rural communities.

http://www.publicworks.com/article.mvc/National-Coalition-Announces-Push-To-Create-A-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO

Grassland Restoration
 

Connecticut: Schenck's Island Restoration Project Takes Next Step

An architectural firm seeded Schenck's Island last weekend as part of the meadow's restoration project. Larry Weaner Landscape Design Associates, Inc., which has offices in Wilton and Glenside, Pa., designed five seed mixes, which will grow and fight invasive plants that crop up near the meadow's river location.

http://wiltonvillager.com/story/461309

Lake Restoration 

 

California: Selling the Sea?

Frustrated with state and federal inaction at the dying Salton Sea, local officials on Thursday discussed how to move forward toward a fix. Among the radical ideas gaining momentum is privatizing California's largest lake, with big-dollar investors paying the billions needed to restore it. In exchange for restoration efforts, the investors would be able to reap the profits through residential and commercial developments and geothermal energy production.

http://www.mydesert.com/article/20081212/NEWS0701/812120330/-1/newsfront

Coastal & Marine Restoration
 

New Jersey: Oyster Enhancement Project Seeks to Boost Shellfish Stocks

Continuing efforts to enhance shellfish stocks and promote environmental stewardship of Barnegat Bay, the Department of Environmental Protection on Saturday dropped 8,000 bushels of crushed shells into the bay to prepare for planting 350,000 juvenile oysters. Submerged off Good Luck Point near the mouth of the Toms River, the shells will serve as a foundation for the oyster-seed planting later this week and will improve the marine habitat in Barnegat Bay as well as raise public awareness about the bay's ecosystem.

http://blogs.courierpostonline.com/fishhead/2008/12/10/oyster-enhancement-project-seeks-to-boost-shellfish-stocks/

 

California: Wetlands Milestone Marked

The San Dieguito Wetlands Restoration Project celebrated a major milestone when another 60 acres of new marshland were opened to the ocean on Dec. 3. The 168-acre project is now two-thirds done, and the final components are expected to be completed by the end of 2009.

http://www.delmartimes.net/news/251478-wetlands-milestone-marked

 

New York: Groups Call for Protection of Clams

The Nature Conservancy on Long Island says that a four-year, $3 million clam reseeding effort on Great South Bay is showing signs of success. Now the conservancy and state, county and town officials say this is the time to revamp regulations and coordinate efforts to protect against future overharvesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/nyregion/long-island/14clamsli.html?_r=1

 

Louisiana: Coastal Degree Program among First in Southern U.S.

The state's flagship university, although largely situated in the Capital City, is expanding its reach in coastal processes, wetland ecology and hurricane research by offering one of the very few available undergraduate degrees nationwide in coastal environmental science. The new curriculum at LSU relies on the collective research and teaching expertise of more than 45 faculty members in marine and environmental sciences. It will be a Bachelor of Science degree beginning next year.

http://www.theind.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3576&Itemid=97

Invasive Species
 

Florida: Lagoon Resident Leads Fight for Mangroves

Amber Thompson has planted 17 trees over the years, but there's one species on her waterfront property that she's likened to a monster that just won't die. It's a Brazilian pepper-tree cluster and she's tried everything she knows to get rid of it. "Each time it seems to come back stronger," she said. "Instead of just being a single plant, now it's just spread. It is a monster."

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/EastVolusia/evlEAST05ENV121708.htm

Urban Restoration
 

Michigan: Going wild: Mitigation Transforms Campus

Calvin students Brian Schaap and Linda Van Andel see the benefit of their summer research every time they step foot on campus. The senior biology students spent this past summer on a mitigation project, which involved native plant restoration and re-creation of forest habitat in various locations on campus.

http://www.calvin.edu/news/2008-09/mitigation/

Funding Opportunities
 
Oregon: Nature in Neighborhoods Restoration and Enhancement Grants - Closes January 7, 2009

Metro (Portland, Oregon) is accepting grant applications for projects that connect citizens to their watershed through hands-on restoration activities and environmental education. Metro's restoration and enhancement grants support individual, non-profit and government sponsored restoration, enhancement and education and efforts in regional watersheds. These grassroots, community-minded projects create new connections and improvements to neighborhoods, natural areas, backyards and beyond.

http://www.graphicdesignbasics.com/2008/nature-in-neighborhoods-restoration-and-enhancement-grants.html

 

Oklahoma: Wetlands Reserve Program Applications Open

USDA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are currently accepting applications for the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) according to Kenneth Hitch, District Conservationist with NRCS. Landowners interested in restoring and protecting wetlands that have been impacted or converted are encouraged to make application at their local NRCS office. The Wetlands Reserve Program's primary objective is to restore former wetlands, re-establish native wetland wildlife habitat, and retire marginal land from agricultural production.

http://www.pryordailytimes.com/agriculture/local_story_323092011.html?keyword=topstory

 

Wisconsin: Beautification/Restoration Projects - Closes January 15, 2009

The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin is accepting applications for the 2009 C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant Cycle.  Named after former Department of Natural Resources Secretary, "Buzz" Besadny, this grant program provides matching grants of up to $1,500 to private and public organizations and government agencies in support of small scale conservation projects that promote the responsible stewardwhip of Wisconsin's natural resources at the local level.  Since the program's inception, the Natural Resources Foundation has contributed over $290,000 to 390 projects throughout every county in Wisconsin.

http://www.mainstreetoshkosh.com/2008/11/beautificationrestoration-projects.html

 

Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act - Closes January 23, 2009

This program provides federal grants on a competitive basis to states, tribes and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of fish and wildlife resources and their habitat in the Great Lakes basin. The projects are funded under authority of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006. The amount of funding available this year is subject to final Congressional appropriations for Fiscal Year 2009. Funds may be used for approved Tribal and State sponsored projects which benefit Great Lakes fish and wildlife restoration.

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=44170

 

California: Land Grant Opportunities Available - Closes January 30, 2009

Land funding opportunities exist for property owners, and public workshops will be held about land-related topics. Applications are being accepted through Jan. 30 for funding riparian restoration projects. Highest ranking is given to projects along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers. Land must be privately owned and there is no cost-share requirement. The voluntary program provides funding to restore marginal or flood-prone farmland to riparian buffers. The program provides annual incentive funding to help with the cost of habitat management and the loss of income due to idling farmland. Technical assistance is also provided.

http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_11047564

 

New York: Doctoral Program in Ecosystem Restoration - Closes February 1, 2009

The State University of New York at Buffalo (UB) encourages recent graduates of undergraduate or masters programs to apply to its new doctoral degree concentration in Ecosystem Restoration through Interdisciplinary Exchange (ERIE). The ERIE program provides Ph.D. students with the technical, professional and personal skills needed to become leaders in the emerging field of ecosystem restoration through its focus on innovative and interdisciplinary research in environmental science, engineering, and policy. The research at UB's ERIE program is rooted in a number of nationally-recognized Great Lakes watershed and stream restoration efforts occurring in western New York State.

http://www.erie.buffalo.edu/

 

Maine: Pollution Fine to Fund Gulf of Maine Restoration - Closes February 15, 2009

Funding for environmental restoration projects along the Maine coast will be awarded on a competitive basis, with individual grants expected to range between $35,000 and $300,000. The deadline for applications is Feb. 15, and the first grants are to be awarded this summer, according to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by Congress to distribute such grants.

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/036926.html

 

US: Five Star Restoration Program - Closes February 16, 2009

The Five Star Restoration Program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships for wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration. The National Association of Counties, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the Wildlife Habitat Council, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Southern Company, and our newest partner Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), are pleased to solicit applications for the Five Star Restoration Program.

http://www.nfwf.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=10936

 

New Mexico: Collaborative Forest Restoration Program - Closes March 2, 2009

The Community Forest Restoration Act of 2000 (Title VI, Public Law 106-393) established a cooperative forest restoration program in New Mexico to provide cost-share grants to stakeholders for forest restoration projects on public land to be designed through a collaborative process (the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program). Projects must include a diversity of stakeholders in their design and implementation, and address specified objectives, including: wildfire threat reduction; ecosystem restoration, including non-native tree species reduction; reestablishment of historic fire regimes; reforestation; preservation of old and large trees; increased utilization of small diameter trees; and the creation of forest- related local employment.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/spf/cfrp/rfp/index.shtml

 

Ph.D. Opportunities in Plant Community Ecology, Grassland / Savanna Restoration at the University of Kansas

Graduate Research Assistantships in Plant Ecology (Ph.D. level) are available in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas. We are seeking highly motivated students interested in plant community ecology, grassland/savanna biodiversity, experimental ecology and restoration. Research opportunities exist within the context of NSF- and Forest Service-funded projects evaluating alternative models of community assembly and restoration in Tall-grass Prairie and Pine-savanna Ecosystems.

http://www2.ku.edu/~eeb/admission/opportunities.shtml
 

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This issue of RESTORE is sponsored by:

 
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Biohabitats, Inc., a company that provides ecological restoration, conservation planning and regenerative design services to clients throughout the world. Biohabitats' mission is to "Restore the Earth and Inspire Ecological Stewardship." Visit them at www.biohabitats.com.