January 14, 2009 
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Society for Ecological Restoration International
In This Issue
Get Involved
People in the News
New Books & Articles
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)
Agro-Ecology
Biodiversity & Climate
Forest Restoration
Wetland Restoration
River Restoration
Grassland Restoration
Lake Restoration
Coastal Restoration
Wildlife Restoration
Extractive Industries
Urban Restoration
Funding Opportunities
Sponsors
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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

 

California: National Day of Service Planting

Forest Aid is recruiting volunteers to help resort the local forest's hillsides charred by the 2003 Old Fire. A restoration workshop is set for Monday, Jan. 19. Martin Luther King Day has been named National Day of Service by the incoming Obama adminstration. The Big Bear community is invited to join the efforts at 10 a.m. at the Discovery Center for an introduction followed by a trip to the Big Bear Greenhouse to germinate seeds and transplant seedlings.

http://www.bigbeargrizzly.net/articles/2009/01/13/news/latest_news/jforestaidmlk.txt

 

Pennsylvania: Woods Restoration Workshop Planned

A workshop designed to help landowners reforest their properties will be held at the York County Annex Meeting Room 1 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, with a snow date of Feb. 19. James Finley, of Penn State University, will present "Woods in Your Backyard," and Tina Alban, of Pennsylvania DCNR, will speak on forest ecology and use of native plants in restoration.

http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_11392825

 

Conferences & Workshops

 

New York: Free Lecture on Restoring Oysters
The NYC Oyster Gardening Program announces a series of five lectures on the history, science and restoration of oysters in the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary. These free lectures are open to the public and will be held between February and June of 2009. This series will complement the gathering interest in oyster restoration in the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary and the upcoming conference Restoring the Urban Oyster to be held on Governors Island on April 24.

http://www.bayshorenews.com/publication/show/823

 

SER World Conference in Perth Australia: Call for Abstracts

For individuals interested in presenting a contributed oral or poster presentation, abstracts are now being called. Abstracts will need to address the themes listed on the conference website - please visit http://www.seri2009.com.au/pages/home.html. On-line abstract submission guidelines and the form can be located under the abstract submission link on the conference website - http://www.seri2009.com.au/pages/abstract.html.  Please follow the guidelines carefully, and follow the link to the abstract on-line form. Deadline for abstract submission is 4 March 2009. 

 

Germany: Welcome to SER Summer School June 29 - July 3, 2009

We invite PhD students who work in restoration ecology and related fields to come to Münster for the SER Summer School 2009. Together with many specialists from all over Europe, we will work on different aspects - biotic and abiotic - of "Species introduction and management of biodiversity in restoration projects". The course includes lectures of specialists to provide theoretical background and also field work and excursions to train practical research skills and learn about restoration projects on-site.

http://www.uni-muenster.de/Restorationsummerschool/index.html

 

I Congreso Colombiano de Restauración Ecológica

El comité organizador del I Congreso Colombiano de Restauración Ecológica y II Simposio Nacional de Experiencias en Restauración Ecológica, tienen el agrado de invitarlos a participar en este evento el cual se realizará en la ciudad de Bogotá del 27 al 31 de julio de 2009 en el Centro de Convenciones Alfonso López Pumarejo de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

http://www.redcre.org/congresore.html

 

10th International Congress of Ecology

The Congress, bringing together the knowledge and resources of the Ecological Society of Australia, New Zealand Ecological Society and INTECOL, will be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia from 16 to 21 August 2009. Be sure to register now to take advantage of the special early-bird registration rate! Register online via

http://www.intecol10.org

 

2010 IUFRO World Congress

The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) will hold its 23rd World Congress in Seoul, Republic of Korea from August 23-28, 2010. The title of the Congress is "Forests for the Future: Sustaining Society and the Environment".  The Congress Scientific Committee invites submission of technical session proposals until 15 January 2009. Session proposals are welcome from all organizations and individuals with an interest in the future of forests from all forest-related scientific disciplines.

http://www.iufro2010.com

People in the News

 

SEACC Hires New Executive Director

Ketchel is the new executive director at the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, an organization that has been through war in this community over timber and mines. But in the last several years, SEACC has been retooling itself as a body of listeners and compromisers.

"Times have changed," Ketchel said. "We don't necessarily need the intensity of the approach before. That's why I came here." SEACC was founded in 1970, and is a coalition of 13 Southeast conservation groups. It has 2,166 individual members, of whom 62 percent are Alaska residents. The membership has grown 63 percent since 2002.

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/010809/loc_375228212.shtml

 

2008 Restoration Organization of the Year

Pacific Watershed Associates Inc. received the 2008 Restoration Organization of the Year award from the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment. Founded in 1989, Pacific Watershed Associates, with offices in Petaluma and in McKinleyville, Humboldt County, has led watershed restoration efforts across Central and Northern California. The alliance is a coalition of environmentalists and unions involved in worker's rights and environmental protection.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090112/BUSINESS/901120304/1036/NEWS07?Title=People_on_the_move_at_Acur_it_Import_Service__Family_Service_Agency_and_more____

New Books & Articles
 

New SER/Island Press Book by Hobbs and Suding

New Models for Ecosystem Dynamics and Restoration

As scientific understanding about ecological processes has grown, the idea that ecosystem dynamics are complex, nonlinear, and often unpredictable has gained prominence. Of particular importance is the idea that rather than following an inevitable progression toward an ultimate endpoint, some ecosystems may occur in a number of states depending on past and present ecological conditions. The emerging idea of "restoration thresholds" also enables scientists to recognize when ecological systems are likely to recover on their own and when active restoration efforts are needed.

http://www.islandpress.org/bookstore/details.php?prod_id=1692

 

New Report Finds Environmental Threats Continue at Redwood National and State Parks
An assessment released today by the nation's leading voice for the national parks, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) indicates that while environmental restoration efforts continue at Redwood National and State Parks, more support is needed to protect the parks' forest habitats and waterways, and subsequently, the native fish and wildlife that park visitors enjoy.

http://yubanet.com/california/New-Report-Finds-Environmental-Threats-Continue-at-Redwood-National-and-State-Parks.php

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

 

Australia: Restoration Funding Rocks Nimbin

The Ngulingah Local Aboriginal Land Council will receive $1.78 million over the next five years to help restore biodiversity and traditional knowledge around Nimbin Rocks. The funding from the federal government's Caring for our Country program will see an Indigenous project officer and seven Indigenous rangers employed to carry out bush regeneration work.

http://www.echonews.com/index.php?page=News%20Article&article=24889&issue=381

 

Hawaii: Sacred, Scented Maile to be Planted at Auwahi

The sacred maile that adorns hula dancers and is woven into lei will be planted during Saturday's work trip to Auwahi on the southern slope of Haleakala by the Maui Restoration Group. The shrub/vine will supplement the maile planted previously by the group that is attempting to restore a native forest. Although maile lei are common in local floral shops and are worn at special occasions and celebrations, the plant was prized by ancient Hawaiians as the noblest of all lei materials and was cherished by all classes of people, according to Angela Kay Keplar in "Hawaiian Heritage Plants."

http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/513364.html?nav=15

Agro-Ecology
 

Restoring Soil Fertility

The Nutrition Security Institute today released a white paper detailing significant advances in restoring soil fertility through the use of biotic fertilizers. Biotic fertilizers increase infinitely sustainable natural fertility by accelerating the growth of soil microorganisms. These unique fertilizers, developed using the latest scientific understandings of the microbial nature of the soil, represent a major breakthrough in agriculture fertilizers. Biotic fertilizer can replicate 30-year restoration level of fertility within one year. Biotic fertilizers are able to reverse topsoil loss, erosion, and nutrient density decline in crops.

http://newswire.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/behold.pl?ascribeid=20090107.154036&time=08%2031%20PST&year=2009&public=0

 

New Soil Map for African Farmers

The first detailed digital soil map of sub-Saharan Africa is to be created. The Ł12.3m ($18m) project will offer farmers in 42 countries a "soil health diagnosis" and advice on crop yields. Scientists from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) will take soil samples from across the continent and analyse nutrient levels. These will be combined with satellite data to build a high-resolution map, to be disseminated freely to poor farmers by local extension workers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7826275.stm

Biodiversity & Climate Change
 

Modifying Urban Rivers to Increase Biodiversity

Urban rivers are typically heavily-engineered and polluted with degraded habitats. They are therefore a priority for biodiversity restoration. Research suggests that relatively simple modifications to river walls may potentially encourage biodiversity by significantly improving habitats for plants and animals. The EU's Water Framework Directive requires good ecological status in surface waters by 2015, and as such it is important to encourage biodiversity in rivers and waterways. One way of achieving this is to alter the structure of a river. Naturalistic landscape features, such as meanders, are not usually an option in high-density, urban settings, where flow regulating structures are needed for flood protection.

http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachArticle.aspx?cid=8819&codi=43157&idproducttype=8&level=2§ion=5

 

Rainforest Loss May Have Been Overstated

Satellite data to be debated by top scientists show huge tracts of abandoned tropical forests that were once logged or farmed are regrowing. Some researchers contend that this process has been inadequately factored into estimates of future species loss - but others maintain that only 50 to 80 per cent of plant species may return to logged or altered forests. Scientists meeting at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington are debating extinction rates in the tropics.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/forests/4217675/Rainforest-loss-may-have-been-overstated-scientists.html

 

Massachusetts: Emergency Ecological Restoration Project for Correllus State Forest

It's always fascinating when ecological restoration becomes such a dire emergency that there is no longer time for a deliberative and thoughtful long-term scientifically peer-reviewed planning process. And instead in just a matter of a month or two big plans with little ecological merit are approved. This particular plan is not about allowing the forest to be restored to a natural ecologic balance of all ages and classes of trees both living and dead. Rather this fake-eco-think is akin to an urban landscaper removing all the unsightly dead wood because it just doesn't look pretty enough. In truth the more standing deadwood you remove, the more unhealthy the forest will become!

http://forestpolicyresearch.org/2009/01/10/massachusetts-emergency-ecological-restoration-project-correllus-state-forest/

Wetland Restoration
 

UK: Restoration Plan for East Lancashire's Peat Bogs

Restoring peat bogs in East Lancashire could do more to reduce the county's carbon footprint than 100 wind turbines. That's the thinking behind an environmentally-friendly scheme to give a fresh lease of life to the the South and West Pennine Moors and parts of the Forest of Bowland.

If the moors can be 'rewetted' or revegetated, they can act as a natural carbon storage device, and could dispense with the need for controversial 'windmills' dotted across the countryside.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/4042694.Restoration_plan_for_East_Lancashire_s_peat_bogs/

 

Florida: 'First Mondays' Discusses Obstacles Facing Everglades Restoration

During the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation's "First Mondays: Policy at SCCF" presentation for the month of January, SCCF Natural Resource Policy Director Rae Ann Wessel continued her series on the essentials for the restoration of South Florida's rivers, lakes and the Everglades by focusing the discussion how to remove obstacles in order to restore flow in the Everglades and how the U.S. Sugar land purchase will be essential in restoration.

http://www.island-reporter.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=5571

 

Colorado: EPA Orders Restoration of Sage Creek near Cody

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a compliance order to John A. Porter for violations of the Clean Water Act in a section of Sage Creek near Cody, Wyo. Porter allegedly violated the Act in April of 2008 by excavating and placing fill material in the creek and adjacent wetlands without a permit. These unauthorized activities occurred in Park County, approximately nine river miles upstream from Sage Creek's confluence with the Shoshone River.

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/53a251a43f7a9be2852575370070b13f?OpenDocument

River & Watershed Restoration

 

Pennsylvania: $25 Million is Awarded for Delaware River Cleanup

More than four years after the oil tanker Athos 1 hit an anchor just off Paulsboro and spilled nearly 265,000 gallons of oil into the Delaware River, federal and state officials have released a draft document outlining nearly $25 million in restoration projects. With the massive cleanup completed - at a cost of $177 million, U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Britt Henderson said - the proposed restoration plan is the government's latest attempt to address the injuries to the river and devise ways to compensate for them.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20090108__25_million_is_awarded_for_Delaware_River_cleanup.html

 

UK: Restoration Scheme for River Brent

For decades it has been hidden in a network of unsightly concrete channels. but over the coming years the potential of one of the borough's greatest ecological assets, the River Brent, could once again be realised. An Environment Agency initiative, announced last week, will see stretches of the river exposed and recovered as a living, breathing home to plants and wildlife. The agency believes the restoration project will benefit the community and also encourage kingfishers, birds, and the water vole, among others, back to parts of the Brent and its tributaries.

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/4033548.Restoration_scheme_for_River_Brent/

 

Virginia: 5 to Pay $1 Million to Restore Streams

Five companies will fund more than $1 million in stream restoration for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act during construction of a Lynchburg housing development. The U.S. Justice Department said the defendants also will pay a $300,000 penalty under a settlement that was part of a consent decree filed Wednesday.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--housing-penalty0107jan07,0,7017218.story

 

Korea to Launch 'Green New Deal'

The government's number one priority among these 36 projects is the restoration of four major rivers - the Han, Geum, Nakdong and Yeongsan Rivers. The project aims to prevent disasters from flood and drought, secure water resources, enhance water purity and expand the number of environmentally-friendly spots.

http://www.enn.com/press_releases/2788

Grassland Restoration
 

Iowa: Brome-to-Prairie Project

During the last few weeks of 2008, our flagship acres of the "Brome-to-Prairie" Project were seeded to tall and mixed-grass prairies by Jon Judson of Diversity Farms. Of the 240 acres total, nearly 160 acres of Whiterock Conservancy-managed properties were seeded with a 50+ species mix after being newly enrolled in the SAFE Initiative (State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement). Another 80 acres are left to plant, but snow, ice, sleet, and rain kept us from continuing. The rest of the planting will take place over the next few weeks--we're just waiting for a day or two with low winds.

http://whiterockconservancy.blogspot.com/2009/01/brome-to-prairie-transition.html

 

Effect of Natural Drought Cycle and Climate Change is Restoration

The American Southwest may be drying, one of the predicted consequences of human-induced global climate change. Less water in an already semiarid region will affect how, and for what, people use water. Allen also suspects that tree dieback here may be part of a worldwide phenomenon. As temperature extremes have inched higher in semiarid regions globally, forests have succumbed to heat stress. But, at least in the Southwest, the news isn't all bad. Over the past century, fire suppression and grazing pressure have let trees reach a greater density than in times past. But now drought and higher temperatures have, in a sense, prompted the system to reset itself.

http://www.sedona.biz/heat-sends-southwest-back-in-time0109.htm

Lake Restoration 

 

Michigan Seeks $3 Billion in New Federal Aid for Great Lakes

Calling past efforts inadequate and ineffective, Lt. Gov. John D. Cherry Jr. on Tuesday announced a new Michigan Plan for the Great Lakes that could transform the state to a "blue economy" based on the lure of living and playing in an area dominated by the world's largest and cleanest freshwater lakes. The effort includes recommendations for $3 billion in new annual federal spending and counts on the cooperation of President-elect Barack Obama. The incoming president has the perspective of a Great Lakes state resident and is expected to bring to the White House a vastly different philosophy about the environment and economy than President Bush.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090113/METRO/901130436/1361

Coastal & Marine Restoration
 

California: The Transformation of Elkhorn Slough

One of the earliest restoration projects was performed by the Department of Fish and Game on diked pastures that are now part of the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. The department bought 1,000 acres in 1980. The dried lands had subsided below the level of the natural marsh, so engineers devised a series of islands and channels. In 1983, they broke the dikes to return tidal action, and over 400 acres of marsh were reconnected to the main channel. Today, the area hosts tens of thousands of migratory birds and is a breeding ground for leopard and smoothhound sharks. But an unintended effect was an increase in ebb-tide currents: work is under way to ameliorate their erosive power.

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_11427017?source=rss

 

Florida: Tampa Bay Rays to Restore Terra Ceia Coast

The Tampa Bay Rays have partnered with Tampa Bay Watch to assist in a salt marsh restoration project. The Terra Ceia Ecosystem Restoration Project is located in northern Manatee County. Volunteers from the Rays Employee Community Outreach Team will be scattered throughout restored estuarine wetlands helping plant plugs of salt marsh on Jan. 10. The project is another step in the Rays green initiative, Teaming Up for the Environment, which was launched during the 2008 season. The sustainable business program focuses on green procurement, practices and advocacy.

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2009/01/05/daily33.html

 

California: Dredging of $148 Million Wetland is Right on Schedule

One of Orange County's largest and costliest habitat restoration projects - the Bolsa Chica wetlands - gets its first overhaul starting this week: the dredging of a 200-acre tidal basin to remove silt that has built up since the project's completion in 2006.

http://greenoc.freedomblogging.com/2009/01/09/big-scoop-dredging-of-148-million-wetland-is-right-on-schedule/2980/

 

Christmas Trees get New Life Helping Restore LA's Coastline
Some Louisiana parishes plan to plant marsh grass this spring in soil captured by Christmas trees stacked in coastal wetlands to retard erosion. "When we started the project, we didn't make any judgments whether it would work. I was surprised to see the soil actually did build up," said Jacques Privat, coastal restoration coordinator for St. Martin Parish.

http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=9658303&nav=0RY5

Wildlife Restoration

 

Rabbits Devastate Island Wildlife

The removal of cats in 2000 caused "catastrophic" damage to the ecology of a sub-Antarctic island, a study says. Since cats were removed from Macquarie Island, rabbit numbers have soared, and the animals are now devastating plants. Cats previously kept a check on rabbits but were eradicated because they were also eating seabirds, scientists relate in the Journal of Applied Ecology. The Australian government plans to eradicate rabbits, rats and mice from the island, a World Heritage Site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7824153.stm

Extractive Industries
 

Peru: Open-Pit Mine Continues to Swallow City
An immense open-pit mine located 4380 metres above sea level is swallowing up the centre of the city of Cerro de Pasco in Peru's central highlands, while the damages, in the form of toxic waste, spread to nearby villages. The government just signed a new law to relocate part of the local population, who for decades have suffered from the lead dust, dynamite explosions and toxic gases generated by the mining of zinc, lead and silver.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45293

 

Indigenous to Obama: Halt Oil Sands Demands and Development

The Indigenous Environmental Network and Rainforest Action Network produced this statement in response to a lobby effort in Washington DC by Treaty One Chiefs of Manitoba regarding the Enbridge Alberta Clipper and the TransCanada Keystone Project. In this communication you will find our press statement that focuses on providing an Alberta First Nations perspective on the issue, as well as the advisory that was sent out by Treaty One Chiefs of Manitoba on December 31, 2008.

http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2009/01/indigenous-to-obama-halt-oil-sands.html

 

Canada: Compton Funds Research to Restore Hardy Grass

For more than four years, Compton Petroleum--an energy company that made headlines in 2005 by clashing with Calgarians over sour gas development --has funded research it says could revolutionize the way regrowth of Alberta's official grass is considered. The labour-intensive process being developed involves growing the grass in a greenhouse and then transplanting mature plugs of vegetation into affected soil. Compton government relations and media manager Duane Monea said the project started before a major controversy erupted over the company's plan to drill sour gas wells less than five kilometres southeast of the city.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Energy+company+sows+seeds+redemption/1146541/story.html

Urban Restoration
 

UK: Restoration will Bring Life Flooding Back to Rivers

Almost 10 miles of London's rivers will be restored to pristine condition to encourage wildlife and reduce flood risks, according to plans launched today. Many tributaries of the Thames have been affected by the building of heavily engineered concrete channels to combat flooding and allow urban development.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23614367-details/Restoration+will+bring+life+flooding+back+to+rivers/article.do

Funding Opportunities
 

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

 

NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program - Closes January 26, 2009

The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program is now recruiting candidates for the 2009-2011 fellowship program. This program was established in 1996 to provide on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students and to provide project assistance to state coastal zone management programs. The program matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on projects proposed by the state and selected by the fellowship sponsor, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center.

http://csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html

 

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

 

Louisiana: Doctoral Fellowship in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology - Closes February 1, 2009

Doctoral (or MS) Graduate Students needed to conduct dissertation research on the restoration ecology of barrier island plant communities in Louisiana.  Although doctoral students are preferred, exceptional, well-qualified students interested in pursuing a Masters degree in Biology are also encouraged to apply.  The successful applicant must be enthusiastic and self-motivated, have a strong interest in plant restoration ecology.

http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~pll6743/biogradstudies.htm

 

Wisconsin: Habitat Projects on Ontonagon River Watershed - Closes February 1, 2009

Beginning Jan. 1, Upper Peninsula Power Co., a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, will accept applications for grants to fund habitat improvement projects and studies in the Ontonagon River watershed. Grant requests must be less than $10,000. All grants would need to be matched by a 25 percent contribution from in-kind or other sources. The deadline for applications is Feb. 1. The grants will be funded by a portion of the Mitigation Enhancement Fund, which UPPCO maintains for the Bond Falls Project as part of the Bond Falls Settlement Agreement. The goal of the MEF is to provide tangible, measurable improvements to the aquatic and terrestrial environments in the Ontonagon River watershed.

http://www.uppco.com/info/ontonagon_guidelines.asp

 

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/

 

Pennsylvania: Sinnemahoning Creek Watershed Restoration Grant Program - Closes

February 14, 2009

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has announced that approximately $3.6 million is available to develop and implement projects that benefit fishing, boating, and aquatic resources in Cameron, Elk, Potter and McKean counties, with primary emphasis on projects within the Sinnemahoning Creek Watershed upstream from the confluence of the First Fork of Sinnemahoning Creek.

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/promo/grants/sinn/00sinn.htm

 

National Ecosystem Services Research Partnership Opportunity - Closes February 15, 2009

Ecosystem services are vital for public health and the well-being of human communities. Improved understanding of ecosystem services across institutional, spatial, and temporal scales is crucial for designing management strategies and institutional and governmental policies intended to increase and sustain the value of ecosystem services. The ESRP is focused on understanding the present and future ecological dynamics of ecosystem services to create a solid scientific foundation for environmental decision-making. Approximately 200 EPA scientists with an annual in-house budget of $62 million are associated with this program and will participate in the Partnership; EPA funding will primarily support this in-house research effort. http://www.epa.gov/ord/esrp/pdfs/ESRP-CRADA-Brochure.pdf

 

NSF Postdoctoral Scholar in Tropical Ecosystem & Global Change Science - Closes February 15, 2009

The NSF-funded Partnership for International Research and Education (PIRE) at the University of Arizona invites applications for the Amazon-PIRE Postdoctoral Scholar in tropical ecosystem and global change science. We seek outstanding candidates interested in investigating tropical ecosystem structure, physiology, and biogeochemistry, how these respond to climatic variability and change, or how such responses scale from individual to landscape to region. Candidate backgrounds within a broad range of scientific disciplines, including ecology, plant physiology, remote sensing, hydrology, atmospheric science, geosciences, meteorology or climate dynamics, or an interdisciplinary combination of these, are welcome.  

http://www.b2science.org/

 

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

 

Restoration Ecology and Conservation Biology Paid Internships - Closes February 17, 2009

The Institute for Applied Ecology will be hiring up to nine interns this summer for field work and related activities.  Our paid positions are intended to provide field experience to individuals considering conservation biology or restoration ecology as a career. Internships are partially supported by the Native Plant Society of Oregon, and interns are encouraged to write short articles for the NPSO Bulletin. We encourage you to visit our website, www.appliedeco.org for more information on these projects.

 

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

 

Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship - Closes March 31, 2009

The Wilderness Society is now accepting applications for the 2009 Gloria Barron Wilderness Society Scholarship. This $10,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a graduate student in natural resources management, law or policy programs. The scholarship seeks to encourage individuals who have the potential to make a significant positive difference in the long-term protection of wilderness in North America.

http://wilderness.org/content/gloria-barron-scholarship-guidelines
 

If you're interested in sponsoring RESTORE and receiving recognition and a link to your website, please contact us at restore@ser.org  RESTORE is distributed to more than 2,000 subscribers in the field of ecological restoration.

 

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.