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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 or can be subscribed to for only $20/year by visiting: www.ser.org/content/restoration_network.asp. Please send your news stories and articles to the RESTORE editor at info@ser.org. |
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Get Involved / Community-Based Restoration
Attention SER Members
Huge Discount on Wiley-Blackwell Products
Wiley-Blackwell has extended a discount to SER members for a limited time. You can now can receive a 25% discount on all of their product lines by using the following code: SDP18. Please visit their web site at: www.wiley.com to start shopping!
Get Involved/Community-based Restoration
New Jersey: Neshanic River Restoration Project- Public Meeting
The Neshanic River Restoration Project Team is hosting an important public meeting to discuss a project to restore the Neshanic River Watershed on Monday evening, March 30, 2009, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Raritan Township Police Building, 1 Municipal Drive, in Flemington. The project, "Developing a Watershed Restoration Plan for the Neshanic River Watershed" is being led by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), under a Clean Water Act 319(h) grant from the Division of Watershed Management of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090324/GETPUBLISHED/903240325
Florida: Swiftmud Recognizes South Shore Volunteers
Their work makes a difference - along the shoreline of Tampa Bay and further inland. Since 1991, volunteers have offered more than $1 million in hourly service to environmental projects in the region. On March 14, the Southwest Florida Water Management District recognized many of these helpers for their volunteer work in 2008. Several, including a number of children, are from the South Shore area.
http://southshore2.tbo.com/content/2009/mar/25/ss-swiftmud-recognizes-volunteers/
California: Volunteers Sought to Revive Angeles Forest
The Upper San Gabriel Water District will host a watershed restoration project at which volunteers will replant trees, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the San Gabriel Canyon Environmental Education Center, on Highway 39, past the East Fork bridge. The watershed restoration program helps reverse the impacts of fires, recreational vehicle use and non-native plants on the forest.
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_11979165
Maryland: AACC, Providence Center Team to Grow Wetlands Grasses
For hours Monday, greenhouses at the Providence Center in Arnold were abuzz with the work necessary to start off the latest order of plants: 75,000 plugs of wetlands grasses, Spartina patens and Spartina alterniflora. All told, that's 1,520 trays of grasses - all bound for the Poplar Island environmental-restoration site in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. It's a record order for the greenhouse program at the Providence Center, a nonprofit organization that helps adults with developmental disabilities.
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/env/2009/03/18-19/AACC-Providence-Center-team-to-grow-wetlands-grasses.html
Montana: Volunteers Needed For M Trail Restoration
The University of Montana's Society for Ecological Restoration Student Guild, working in conjunction with Missoula Restoration Volunteers, is looking for volunteers to spend a Saturday restoring the M Trail on Mount Sentinel. From 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 18, a group of volunteers will work to restore one of Montana's most frequented hiking trails. Refreshments will be provided at the M trailhead between 9:30 and 10 a.m., during which time volunteers will be registered.
http://news.umt.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5005&Itemid=9
Conferences & Workshops
SERCAL & CNGA 2009 Joint Conference April 29 - May 1, 2009
SERCAL is a non-profit membership based organization dedicated to the purpose of bringing about the recovery of damaged California ecosystems. To this end, the organization's activities are focused on the presentation of conferences, symposia, workshops, field trips and other educational activities dealing with the many different aspects involved in restoration of California native habitats.
http://www.sercal.org/
Awards Nominations for SER World Conference in Perth
There is no finer moment at an SER conference than its tribute to individuals and organizations whose exemplary work lead the Restoration movement forward to higher levels of achievement and cultural prominence. The SER Board of Directors, the SER Awards Committee, led by chair Al Unwin, and the SER staff will again be saluting 2009's recipients of the various awards during our Awards Banquet dinner on.... Please join us for a celebration of the excellent work these years recipients have undertaken. Deadline is April 21, 2009.
http://www.ser.org/content/nominations_process.asp
For a complete listing of conferences related to ecological restoration, please visit:
http://www.globalrestorationnetwork.org/conferences/ |
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People in the News
Sebring Engineer Lauded For Role In River Project
An engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Sebring was recently recognized by her peers as a young woman "on the cutting edge" of her profession as a civil engineer. Erin Duffy, 30, of Sebring, was one of 61 engineers, age 30 or younger, nominated nationally by the National Engineers Week Foundation. It was co-chaired by the National Society of Professional Engineers and Intel Corporation. Duffy was selected for her contribution to the Kissimmee River Restoration Project, which is seeking to restore over 40 square miles of the Kissimmee River/floodplain ecosystem.
http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2009/mar/24/la-sebring-engineer-lauded-for-role-in-river-proje/
UK: Cumbria's Bog Restoration Project Commended by Wetlands Award
The huge effort Cumbria Wildlife Trust has put into restoring one of Cumbria's former wetlands has been commended in the national Living Wetlands Awards, run by the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM). The project to restore 350 hectares of lowland raised mire or peat bog at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve caught the eye of the judges, who appreciated that the restored bog will, once again, be home to a wide variety of wildlife for everyone to enjoy. Having been used in the 1950 and 60s as an experimental site for forestry, only a few fragments of its rare bog vegetation remained when the Trust purchased Foulshaw Moss in 1998.
http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/4218960.Cumbria_s_bog_restoration_project_commended_by_Wetlands_Award/
Fish and Wildlife Employee of the Year Baron Horiuchi
As the only horticulturist in the Fish and Wildlife Service, Baron Horiuchi has spent the last 13 years developing and implementing propagation and out-planting methods for endangered Hawaiian plants at the Hakalau Forest NWR in Hawaii. He has created a unique program that engages many conservation partners and volunteer groups in the management of the Hakalau Forest greenhouse operation. Through his exceptional effort and experience in plant propagation, Horiuchi has aided in the recovery of seven species of endangered plants, including two species with fewer than three individuals remaining in the wild. Horiuchi actively experiments with new ways to germinate, propagate, and out-plant endangered and common native plant species.
http://www.hawaii247.org/2009/03/20/fish-and-wildlife-employee-of-the-year-baron-horiuchi/ |
| New Books & Articles
New Book Describes 'Defarming' a Farm
In 1981, a few years out of graduate school, Steven I. Apfelbaum went shopping for a farm, though he had little interest in growing crops. Mr. Apfelbaum is an ecologist, and his intention was not to tame the land on Stone Prairie Farm, the 80-acre property in southern Wisconsin that he eventually bought, but to restore it to the wild prairie and wetland it once was. In "Nature's Second Chance" (Beacon, $25.95), he earnestly chronicles that process, from the initial baffled reactions of his corn-growing neighbors, to mishaps with rats and snakes that invite themselves into his house, and the seed-sowing that leads to the return of native creatures and wildflowers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/garden/26books.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
U.S. Birds Struggling to Survive Habitat Loss, Climate Change
Nearly one-third of the more than 800 bird species in the United States are endangered, threatened or in decline due to climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species, finds the first comprehensive report ever produced on U.S. bird populations. At a news conference in Washington today, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released the report, which was developed by a partnership among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, state government wildlife agencies and nongovernmental organizations.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2009/2009-03-19-01.asp
FAO Launches State of the World's Forests 2009 Report
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched the State of the World's Forests 2009. The report was released on the first day of the 19th session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO), which is taking place from 16-20 March 2009, in Rome, Italy. The report notes that the economic crisis and climate change raise the profile of forest management on the global agenda, as demand for products and environmental services is expected to increase in the coming decades.
http://www.climate-l.org/2009/03/fao-launches-state-of-the-worlds-forests-2009-report-.html
New Ecopsychology Journal will Premiere in Spring 2009
Ecopsychology will explore the relationship between environmental issues and mental health and well-being. The Journal will examine the psychological, spiritual, and therapeutic aspects of human-nature relationships; concern about environmental issues; and responsibility for protecting natural places and other species. The premier issue will include provocative articles such as "Mindfulness and Sustainable Behavior: It Isn't Effortless Being Green," "Nature and Self: An Ambivalent Attachment," "Too Many People: Psychology, Population, and the Environment," and "Cohabitating with the Wild."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/mali-nej032009.php |
| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
UN Spotlights Five Key Areas to Spur Sustainable Economic Recovery
The Policy Brief for a Global Green New Deal, developed by economists and the UN ahead of the G-20 meeting of world leaders in London in early April, highlights the benefits of investing a significant amount of the $3 trillion-worth of global stimulus packages in five areas. According to a news release issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), these areas include raising the energy efficiency of old and new buildings, as well as renewable energies including wind, solar, geothermal and biomass. The three other areas are sustainable transport including hybrid vehicles, high-speed rail and bus rapid transit systems; the planet's ecological infrastructure including freshwaters, forests, soils and coral reefs; and sustainable agriculture including organic production.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30232&Cr=Green&Cr1= |
| Agro-Ecology
A Quarter of the World's Population Depends on Degrading Land
A new study published in the journal Soil Use and Management attempts for the first time to measure the extent and severity of land degradation across the globe and concludes that 24% of the land area is degrading - often in very productive areas.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/w-aqo032009.php
Brazil: Soy Growers Fear Green Backlash, Plant Trees
Soybean farmer Clovis Cortezia has started replanting native rainforest trees on his farm to meet demands of international buyers keen to be environmentally responsible. Like other growers in Brazil's No. 1 soy-producing state Mato Grosso, Cortezia started replanting trees native to Brazil's center-west savanna in 2007 on 4.6 hectares of his 8,000-hectare farm in Lucas do Rio Verde. He said he needed to do so in order to obtain bank financing. "It's the right thing to do," said Cortezia especially if our clients are requiring that."
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN17252899 |
| Biodiversity & Climate Change
With Temperatures Rising, Here Comes 'Global Weirding'
They're calling it "global weirding" - the way in which rising temperatures are causing species to change their ranges, the timing of their migrations, and the way they interact with other living things. And the implications of all this are only beginning to be understood.
http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2132 |
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Oregon: Thinning Contracts Awarded with Stimulus Money
The U.S. Forest Service has awarded more contracts funded by federal economic stimulus funds to reduce wildfire danger in Oregon. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest announced Monday that $1.4 million is going to Lomakatsi Restoration Project to hire 35 people for forest thinning and brush removal around the community of Takilma starting in April.
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-30/1237838995187010.xml&storylist=orlocal
Namibia: Ten Dollars for a 200-Year-Old Tree
Despite the investment of millions of donor dollars, the permit system in Namibia's Community Forests has failed dismally, say biodiversity experts. Illegal logging in the inland Kavango is more alive than ever. Namibia is a pioneer in community-based natural resource management. These projects see communities managing wildlife, natural resources and tourism in their areas. Over 50 Community Conservancies have been gazetted, covering 120,000 square kilometres and involving 220,000 people. In addition 16 Community Forests were established in the Kavango and Caprivi Regions.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46184 |
| Wetland Restoration
Delaware Wetlands Conservation Strategy Team Targeting Wetland Loss
Armed with the Delaware Wetlands Conservation Strategy, scientists and volunteers across the state have increased efforts to slow wetland loss and help keep wetlands productive and healthy. The strategy, introduced in Oct. 2008, is being used to guide and coordinate efforts and maximize resources to best protect all wetlands in the state. "The Delaware Wetlands Conservation Strategy was instrumental in helping to secure a $300,000 federal wetlands grant," said Rebecca Rothweiler, wetland outreach specialist with the Division of Water Resources. "The grant is being used to help identify our most vulnerable wetlands and the causes of wetland loss. With this knowledge, we can effectively coordinate resources and engage scientists and volunteers in efforts to restore and protect wetlands and the valuable functions they provide to all Delawareans."
http://outdoornewsdaily.com/index.php/archives/6569
Australia: First Buyback Water Flows to SA Wetlands
The first release of Commonwealth water for the environment will start today at wetlands in South Australia, to be followed by further releases at other sites around the Basin over coming months. Federal Minister for Water, Senator Penny Wong, and South Australian Minister for the River Murray, Karlene Maywald, said the first watering events to commence today marked a new chapter in the restoration of the Murray-Darling Basin. "These releases of environmental water are the first dividends from the Australian Government's $3.1 billion water buyback program under its Water for the Future plan," Senator Wong said.
http://sj.farmonline.com.au/news/state/agribusiness-and-general/general/first-buyback-water-flows-to-sa-wetlands/1468221.aspx
California: Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Receives $425K for Wetlands Restoration
In addition to donating grant funding to the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, the California Waterfowl Association will also be managing the wetlands restoration project, which will begin this summer and be completed by fall. The restoration project will transform approximately 700 acres of agriculture land in the Yolo Bypass to seasonal and tidal wetlands habitat, which will benefit nearly 200 species of fish, waterfowl and other wildlife. The project will involve re-contouring agricultural fields to create tidal channels, islands and shallowly flooded areas, planting tules and installing new water control structures.
http://www.sacbee.com/latest/story/1709485.html |
River & Watershed Restoration
Utah: San Rafael River Restoration Project
Aquatics Biologist Kenny Breidinger reported to the Emery County Public Lands Council on the San Rafael River Restoration project. This project has been ongoing for the past two years and progress is being made. Nine native fish species have been identified in the drainage and one is a tier one sensitive species. "We are attempting to restore the San Rafael River to a more natural and functioning eco system for the benefit of all," said Breidinger. One of the worries associated with the project is the listing of the round tail chub. There is a good probability it could be petitioned for listing. This restoration project will help with the fish habitat so hopefully the chub will not be listed. There are problems associated with the listing of sensitive species and the DWR is working hard to avoid any listings.
http://www.ecprogress.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=7676
Arizona: Group to celebrate start of Watson Woods restoration
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the Arizona Water Protection Fund, the City of Prescott and the public have collectively contributed nearly $1.5 million in grants and donations toward the restoration. The 126-acre preserve is the remaining portion of what was once a 1,000-acre riparian gallery forest near Prescott. This project primarily will restore the stability of the Granite Creek channel while maintaining natural stream function. Volunteers with Prescott Creeks will relocate four reaches of the creek and create six ephemeral wetlands. They also will plant 15,000 cottonwood and willow trees and shrubs that community volunteers harvested in December and January.
http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=66070 |
| Coastal & Marine Restoration
Australia: Garrett Promises Great Barrier Reef Restoration
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett says the Government will take any necessary steps to restore parts of the Great Barrier Reef damaged by severe weather. Mr Garrett says cyclone Hamish caused significant damage when it moved down Queensland's east coast two weeks ago. The Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) wants the reef declared a disaster zone. Mr Garrett says the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is keeping a close eye on conditions.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/23/2523566.htm?section=australia |
| Extractive Industries
US: EPA Puts Mountaintop Mining Projects on Hold
Dozens of mountaintop coal-mining permits are being put on hold until the projects' impacts on streams and wetlands can be reviewed, the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday. Announced by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, the move targets a controversial practice by coal mining companies that blasts away whole peaks and sends mining waste into streams and wetlands. It does not apply to existing mines, but to requests for new permits, a number estimated to be as high as 250.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29862781/ |
| Invasive Species
Minnesota: Buckthorn Biomass to be Converted into Electricity
It was brought to the United States as a hedge and is now more of a nuisance. Buckthorn multiplies so fast it literally chokes native plants and trees, but the Department of Natural Resources has come up with a powerful pilot plan to make use of the plant. "Most of the material here that has grown up has only grown up in the last 25-30 years," said MN DNR's Mark Cleveland.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29767568/
Are Beetles Imported into the U.S. to Kill Invasive Trees Doing Too Good a Job?
A foreign beetle imported to attack invasive trees in the U.S. Southwest may have brought its own culinary agenda. Researchers in Utah and Arizona are sounding the alarm about salt cedar leaf beetles, which were imported from Kazakhstan several years ago to control invasive tamarisk trees. "Now that the beetle is spreading to large areas, we need to start looking for unexpected consequences of defoliation and death of the tamarisk," says Philip Dennison, a geographer at The University of Utah and lead author of a study warning of the unintended risks published this month in the online edition of the journal Remote Sensing of Environment.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=beetles-kill-invasive-trees
Federal Report Highlights Threat to Hawaii Birds
Hawaii's native birds are threatened by the destruction of their habitats by invasive plant species and feral animals like pigs, goats and sheep. Diseases, especially those borne by mosquitoes, are another killer. One of those in trouble is the palila, a bird that lives on the upper slopes of Mauna Kea. Its population plunged by more than 60 percent from 6,600 in 2002 to 2,200 last year. Habitat loss and predators are part of the problem, said Holly Freifeld, a vertebrate recovery coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Honolulu. Another is that grazing feral sheep ruin mamane trees, which provide palila birds with their preferred food: mamane seed pods. The trees are also being killed by disease.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/20/america/NA-US-Birds-Hawaii.php |
| Urban Restoration
London's Lost Rivers Rise Again
Fleet Street, London's famed newspaper row, sits atop the hidden River Fleet. The Tyburn and Strand have similarly been covered and incorporated into the city's sewer system. Altogether, 70 percent of London's 375 miles of river waterways are now substantially altered, with 30 percent encased in concrete channels and 10 percent entirely underground, according to the British Environment Agency. But that is changing as officials-spurred by improving water quality, growing flood risk and surging community interest in old rivers-push to free London's lost rivers.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-london-rivers_goeringmar22,0,7941881.story
Illinois: Restoring Chicago from the Floor of the Forest
A group of high school students and veteran forest preserve volunteers watched the blaze as part of the day's effort to clear the woods of an invasive shrub. This restoration work aims to create hospitable conditions for native species of oak and wildflowers, said Joseph Walsh, an ecologist on faculty with Northwestern University. Walsh spends every weekend morning possible at sites like this one throughout the Chicago area.
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=124773 |
| Funding Opportunities
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
Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Projects Funding Announcement - Closes April 6, 2009
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking applications for projects that will restore coastal and marine habitats under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, in an unprecedented effort to jumpstart the economy, create save several thousand jobs, and restore valuable coastal and marine habitat. Congress has entrusted NOAA with up to $170 million for habitat restoration in coastal areas including the Great Lakes. NOAA is accepting applications for a variety of habitat restoration projects - including wetlands restoration, dam removals, shellfish restoration, and coral reef restoration.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/recovery/
World Bank Grant - Closes April 6, 2009
The Development Marketplace is a competitive grant program administered by the World Bank. The 2009 global competition is funded by various partners and it aims to identify 20 to 25 innovative, early-stage projects addressing climate adaptation. The DM is a unique opportunity to turn your idea into reality; if selected your project could receive up to US$200,000 in grant funding for implementation over two years.
http://pgpblog.worldbank.org/development-marketplace-grant-competition-2009-climate-adaptation
Washington: Watershed Mini-Grants - Closes April 10, 2009
The Kitsap County Department of Community Development announced this week the availability of the Watershed Mini-Grant Program for 2009. This year, the Watershed Mini-Grant program will offer grants up to $1,500 to local groups for local environmental education, habitat restoration and monitoring projects. A total of $6,000 is available for 2009.
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/kitsap/ckr/news/41693022.html
New Jersey: Assistance Available for Wetland Restoration - Closes June 1, 2009
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced that applications will be accepted through Monday, June 1 for 2009 funding of wetland restoration projects on active or previously-farmed lands in New Jersey.
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090221/NEWS/90219061/1010/newsfront
National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program - Closes June 26, 2009
The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program provides States with a means of protecting and restoring these valuable resources. Projects can include (1) acquisition of a real property interest (e.g., easement or fee title) in coastal lands or waters from willing sellers or partners (coastal wetlands ecosystems) for long-term conservation or (2) restoration, enhancement, or management of coastal wetlands ecosystems for long-term conservation.
http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=44928 | |
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