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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
Australasia Top 25 Restoration Projects Now Online
The Society for Restoration International and the Ecological Management and Restoration journal conducted an 18-month search for the top projects and an expert panel, including the journal's editor, selected the winners. The top 25 projects have been posted on a website that enables restoration scientists and managers to exchange information about their work.
http://www.globalrestorationnetwork.org/countries/australianew-zealand/
Setbacks and Surprises: Contributions Invited
The journal Restoration Ecology has initiated a new category of paper: "Setbacks and Surprises." This section aims to provide the opportunity to report the results of restoration projects that did not go as planned, projects that failed to meet the original goals or did not meet the goals without considerable changes to the original plans. If you have any queries contact the Managing Editor, Dr Susan Yates (restoration.ecology@uwa.edu.au).
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!
Discount on Island Press/SER Book Series
The discount code for SER members is 2SER.
http://www.islandpress.org/ser/index.html
Get Involved/Community-based Restoration
Armenia: ATP's Community Tree Planting Program
"This year, we decided to make it a priority to allocate trees to those communities which demonstrated exceptional motivation and a caring attitude towards these environmental restoration projects," stated ATP executive director Jeff Masarjian. "In these places where people were taking extra care in their orchards, we measured very high survival rates. In many communities the survival rate of trees was observed to be 98-99 percent."
http://www.hairenik.com/weekly/2009/06/08/atps-community-tree-planting-program-continues-greening-armenia/
Rhode Island Oyster Gardening for Restoration and Enhancement Program
"Oyster gardening benefits the overall ecology of the bay, along with conservation and commercial interests." The level of volunteerism has perpetuated the OGRE initiative, making it possible to go from a mere 50,000 oysters produced in 2006 to 750,000 oyster babies last year. Patterson said the level of local involvement is necessary and appreciated to keep the oysters growing. For more information or to volunteer a site, e-mail Steve Patterson at oysters@rwu.edu or call 254-3707.
Australia: Bushland Restoration Planting Day
In 2007, the Friends of Brixton Street Wetlands received funding through Threatened Species Network Community Grants - WWF Australia to grow seedlings for the restoration of native vegetation along the edges of the wetlands. This is an ongoing restoration project that started in 2004 that involves weed control, seed collection and planting.
http://wwf.org.au/act/events/bushland-restoration-planting-day-wa-20090620/
California: Habitat Restoration Volunteer Work Party June 27
Join habitat restoration volunteers to keep the hill at Corona Heights Park healthy for birds, insects and other native wildlife. Meet at Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, S.F. Register: 415-552-3542.
Michigan: Volunteers help create Learning Landscape in Blissfield
As part of a beautification and education effort in Blissfield, several people gathered Thursday to plant a Learning Landscape with species native to the area and also improve existing landscapes in the area. At about 3 p.m. several people were starting to arrive at the landscape project, off Walnut Street near the drive to Blissfield Community Schools. There they would plant native items such as sweet black-eyed Susans, greenheaded coneflowers, ironweed and red twig dogwood.
http://www.lenconnect.com/news/x726830071/Volunteers-help-create-Learning-Landscape-in-Blissfield
Kids will Restore Habitat at Zoo Camps
Woodland Park Zoo still has some room in its summer day camps. Campers will take part in a habitat restoration project in Lower Woodland Park during their week-long camp.
http://www.phinneywood.com/2009/06/03/kids-will-restore-habitat-at-zoo-camps/
Georgia: Volunteers Build an Oyster Reef at Hunting Island
Like fresh, local oysters? Well volunteers are doing some hard work at the Russ Point Landing on Hunting Island to make sure we all can continue to enjoy the local delicacy. A group of dedicated volunteers from Friends of Hunting Island and the Beaufort Marine Institute worked together in the rain, passing 600 hundreds of bags of oyster shells down the shoreline. Hunting Island and the Department of Natural Resources started the restoration project 4 years ago.
http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10481093
Conferences & Workshops
Restoration Institute 2009: Ecological Restoration & Climate Change
Advanced Training in Ecological Restoration: Where Theory Meets Practice
The School of Environmental Studies and the Division of Continuing Studies at the University of Victoria invite you to participate in the 2009 Restoration Institute. It is scheduled for June 17 - 21, 2009 at the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC.
http://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/eco/
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
Clemson University Scientist has Role Restoring Part of Vital Ecosystem
A Clemson University scientist at the Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science is playing a key role in the restoration of one of America's most important and famous natural wonders. William Conner, a professor of forestry and natural resources, was invited by the South Florida Water Management District to participate in a workshop that examined restoration of the "ghost" tree islands of the Florida Everglades.
http://www.clemson.edu/newsroom/articles/2009/june/everglades_restoration.php5
American Society of Mining and Reclamation Honors Peabody's Roy Karo
Peabody Energy today announced that Roy Karo, Peabody's Reclamation Manager for Colorado, has been named 2009 Reclamationist of the Year by his peers at the American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR). During the course of his more than 30-year career in land restoration, Karo has pioneered best practices to establish thousands of acres of rangelands and pastures in a semi-arid climate in northwest Colorado.
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-05-2009/0005039403&EDATE=
US: EPA Appoints Czar for Great Lakes Clean Up
A Chicago-based environmentalist has been appointed to oversee President Barack Obama's initiative to clean up the Great Lakes. Cameron Davis, president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, will head the restoration program, which is expected to cost more than $20 billion.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iYRmHEooCEMt41Ii07wV4ZP3t7ywD98K4UTO0 |
| New Books & Articles
As Fences Cut Off Migration, Hoofed Species Decline
The researchers concluded that there have been 24 big migrations around the world. "Of those 24," says Harris, writing in the journal Endangered Species Research this month, "we've lost six species that do not migrate in large masses, in long distances, anymore."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105165068&ft=1&f=1025
US: Forest Projects Aimed at Wildfire Protection Misdirected
With the federal government spending nearly $3 billion trying to reduce the impact of fire in national forests, a new academic study suggests the bulk of the work is being done in precisely the wrong places. Researchers at the University of Colorado found that only 11% of so-called fuel-reduction projects in the last five years are undertaken where increasing numbers of Westerners are living: in that alluring landscape on the edge of suburbia that fire officials call the urban-wild land interface.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2009/06/embargoed-until-2-pm-pst-monday-june-8--with-the-federal-government-spending-nearly-3-billion-fireproofing-national-forest.html
Wetlands 'Exposé' Misses the Mark
The US government policy of 'no net loss' for wetlands is one of the most significant parts of the Clean Water Act, and so one of the key elements of our environmental law. Done right, it protects and restores some of the nation's most valuable ecosystems; done wrong, it can provide "green wash" cover to the decline of these same ecosystems. For these and other reasons, it's about time someone provided non-specialists with a detailed but jargon-free examination of this exciting field's successes and failures. Unfortunately, this isn't the agenda of Paving Paradise: Florida's Vanishing Wetlands and the Failure of No Net Loss.
http://ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/article.opinion.php?component_id=6796&component_version_id=10240&language_id=12
Managing Ecosystem Carbon Offers Cheap Solution
Ecosystem-carbon management can be used to reduce carbon emissions at a very low cost compared with carbon capture and storage. That's according to The Natural Fix? The Role of Ecosystems in Climate Mitigation, a report released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today to mark World Environment Day. According to the report, grassland management can reduce emissions for only $5 a ton compared with an estimated $20-70 for carbon-capture and storage systems.
http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/futures/39401
Radical Idealism: Come Home to Gaia
It is time to usher in the era of global ecological restoration and protection. Please join movement to achieve global ecological sustainability, the most epic battle ever of good vs. evil, to ensure continued being for all life. Together, we have one last chance to save being and learn to live with Gaia and each other justly, equitably, peacefully and sustainably. Working together, global ecological sustainability starts here now. What a gratifying way to live -- in pursuit of truth and working to support Gaia and family, by which I mean humanity and all creatures. Be strong, seek knowledge and prepare to act. Earth needs courage, wisdom and love. Be, one, with Gaia. Spread the word.
http://www.ecoearth.info/blog/2009/06/earth_meanders_radical_idealis.asp
Defining Your 'Total Environmental Impact'
EVO's Total Environmental Impact (TEI) model draws from two well-regarded scientific models. The first is the Ecological Footprint developed by the Global Footprint Network and Redefining Progress. The second is the Union of Concerned Scientists Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices. The EVO model assimilates the data from these two sources and applies them to EVO's 8 consumption categories - Auto, Food, Home & Energy, Lifestyle, Body, Travel and Clothing.
http://www.mnn.com/technology/research-innovations/blogs/defining-your-total-environmental-impact |
| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
Canada: Paying For Wetland Conservation
A Ducks Unlimited survey shows Manitobans are willing to pay for wetland conservation. We'd also like the Provincial government to play a more pro-active role. 2-thousand Manitobans were surveyed in the January 2008 Ipsos-Reid poll. 90-percent of respondents displayed some level of concern about wetlands loss in Manitoba. They also felt the government should pay the largest portion of wetland restoration costs, but landowners and conservation groups should share in the financial responsibility. The results showed Manitobans are willing to pay 294-dollars per household per year, over five years to get the job done.
http://www.cjob.com/News/Local/Story.aspx?ID=1099627 |
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)
Philippines: Cordillera Forest Key to Having 'Carbon Sink'
Over the years, indigenous communities have practiced five traditional forest management practices: muyong in Ifugao, imong in Kalinga, batangan in Mt. Province, lapat in Apayao and Abra, and kidjuhan in Benguet. Bai said these traditional practices have a thing in common-that the indigenous communities are the stewards of their forest and land resources and that they should protect and use them wisely. "The use of forest resources is based on sustainable concept of development and therefore trees that were cut for housing or firewood must be reasonably replaced," he said.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20090605-208876/Cordillera-forest-key-to-having-carbon-sink |
| Biodiversity & Climate Change
Greening the Herds: A New Diet to Cap Gas
As of the last reading in mid-May, the methane output of Mr. Choiniere's herd had dropped 18 percent. Meanwhile, milk production has held its own. The program was initiated by Stonyfield Farm, the yogurt manufacturer, at the Vermont farms that supply it with organic milk. Mr. Choiniere, a third-generation dairy herder who went organic in 2003, said he had sensed that the outcome would be good even before he got the results.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/us/05cows.html?_r=1&em |
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Colorado: SF Area Logging Challenged
Two conservation groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging a massive logging project on National Forest lands in the Rio Grande Basin. Colorado Wild and WildEarth Guardians claim that a change of course is needed from the Obama Administration to protect Colorado's forests that are dangerously stressed by climate change, drought, and insect epidemics. They contend that, "Maintaining and restoring forests to a healthy and resilient state must be the new mantra of the Forest Service, which is vested with the management of more than 10 million acres of forests in Colorado, nearly half the state's forestlands."
http://www.southforktines.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=827 |
| Wetland Restoration
Canada: Celebrating the Taylor Creek Wetland
In 2003 the volunteer group Friends of the Don undertook the restoration of Taylor-Massey Creek to its natural heritage. Partnered with more than 20 organizations, the group has planted 3,550 trees and collected more than 1,300 bags of garbage over the past five years. The group has also initiated the regeneration of four wetland reaches along the creek, with the first having been completed this year. This has involved increasing the number of native plants and trees, building natural habitats and creating a viewing trail.
http://www.insidetoronto.com/article/70183
Washington: Nisqually Restoration
The Nisqually Wildlife Refuge - which is in between Tacoma and Olympia - is working with Ducks Unlimited, a wetland and waterfowl conservation group, and the Nisqually Native Tribe to restore the river delta. The Refuge now looks much different than it did a year ago, with lots of overturned dirt and construction trucks along its 5-mile dike trail. http://utopiaorbust.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/nisqually-restoration/ |
River & Watershed Restoration
Korea: W22tr Set Aside to Restore Rivers
The government will spend a combined 22.2 trillion won ($17.8 billion) to improve water quality and prevent natural disasters at the nation's four major rivers by 2012, officials said yesterday.
Of that total 16.9 trillion won will go to the main projects -- dredging operations, building dams and reservoirs -- on the Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan rivers. Officials said another 5.3 trillion won will be spent to enhance water flow and quality on smaller waterways. The four-river restoration is a core project of the "Green New Deal" policy pushed by the Lee Myung-bak government since late last year. The government plans to achieve eco-friendly economic growth with a massive injection of public funds.
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/06/09/200906090035.asp
Alcoa & Greening Australia - Protecting WA's Rivers
A significant partnership between industry, environmental groups and local communities is working to protect our rivers and waterways that flow into the internationally significant Peel Harvey Ramsar wetlands near Mandurah. The Peel Harvey wetlands are renowned for their waterbirds, culture, commercial and recreation values and are listed under the Ramsar convention, the first modern international treaty designed to conserve natural resources. The convention aims to halt the worldwide loss of wetlands and to conserve those that remain.
http://www.alcoa.com/australia/en/news/releases/ga_peel_river_recovery.asp |
| Lake Restoration
US/Canada: Lake Sturgeon are Spawning on Constructed Reef
Lake sturgeon have spawned four times on a reef constructed late last year at the head of Fighting Island in the Detroit River. The spawning of the lake sturgeon, a threatened species in Michigan and Ontario, is the first time in 30 years it was confirmed on the Canadian side of the Detroit River, environmentalists said. Building the spawning reef in October was touted as the first fish habitat restoration project funded in the Great Lakes by Canada and the United States.
http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2009/06/07/news/doc4a2ab65f47c0c198097320.txt
Tennessee: Fish Killed in Oak Ridge Pond Restoration Project
Department of Energy contractors have poisoned some 30,000 fish at three ponds near the former K-25 uranium-enrichment plant in East Tennessee as part of a restoration project. A team from Alabama-based Aqua Services Inc. on Thursday distributed Rotenone at the ponds. The chemical is lethal to fish but has no long-term environmental effects.
http://www.wztv.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.tn/27ba1031-www.fox17.com.shtml |
| Coastal & Marine Restoration
Vegetation May Not Slow Wave Erosion
Rusty Feagin of Texas A&M University in College Station and his team devised some experiments that he expected would demonstrate one way in which wetland plants could do this - by resisting the erosion caused by waves beating at the land's edge. He was surprised to find no such effect. It turned out that soil type is much more important, and that the presence or absence of vegetation doesn't make much difference.
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090608/full/news.2009.552.html
California: Economic Tide Turns Against Kelp Foresters
Southern California's kelp forests, essential to the health of the marine ecosystem in California, have taken a beating in recent decades. Natural cycles of growth and decline have been skewed toward decline by El Nino events, algal blooms, polluted water, and populations of kelp-eating urchins unchecked by predators, among other things. Nevertheless, a small number of scientists have invested personal time, money and effort to gain the scientific know how to revive healthy local kelp beds. Several beds off Laguna Beach dotted with transplants and nearing maturity now face a different threat, as the grant money they survive on is nearly spent and their stewards run out of options.
http://www.lagunabeachindependent.com/news/2009/0605/front_page/003.html
Louisiana: WLAE to Debut New Series Dedicated to Wetlands Restoration
WLAE-Channel 32 will launch a new monthly series dedicated to wetlands restoration at 8 tonight (June 5). According to Jonathan Evans, producer of "Category Five/Wetlands Watch," the series is underwritten and hosted by Bruno Steiner, of the Anatomical Works Manual Physical Therapy Clinic, and a regular on WLAE's airwaves.
http://blog.nola.com/davewalker/2009/06/wlae_to_debut_new_series_dedic.html |
| Extractive Industries
UK: Opencast Site to be Restored Back to Nature
An opencast mine in south east Northumberland is to be transformed into an area of natural beauty featuring a host of environmental measures. A detailed planning application for the restoration of Stobswood opencast site has been approved and welcomed by Northumberland County Council. The proposals are to restore, landscape and manage the 631 hectares, which are to the west of Widdrington Station.
http://www.newspostleader.co.uk/latest/Opencast-site-to-be-restored.5338195.jp |
| Invasive Species
Island Conservation in California and Mexico
Along California and Mexico's Baja peninsula, about one-third of nearly 300 islands face the same stewardship issue: how to stop rare or endemic plants and animals from being wiped out by introduced animals running rampant over a landscape where they don't belong.
http://marine-conservation.suite101.com/article.cfm/island_conservation_in_california_and_mexico
Rabbits Gone Wild on Canadian Campus
The school's environmental studies students created a stir in March when their newsletter, Essence, published a semi-tongue-in-cheek recipe for "Rabbit Restoration Stew," aimed at drawing attention to how the rabbits were damaging the landscape. The piece also noted that the local source of meat was a low-carbon alternative to industrial agriculture. The editor, Heike Lettrari, explained in local papers that the rabbit recipe was designed to provoke, not actually get students out stalking and killing rabbits.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/08/rabbits-gone-wild-on-canadian-campus/?em |
| Urban Restoration
Video: Urban Creeks 2.0
In San Francisco's East Bay, activists try to reconnect impoverished communities with their local waterways.
http://www.hcn.org/articles/Urban-Creeks-2.0
New Jersey: Millburn Environmental Commission Hikes Cora Hartshorn Arboretum
He warned, "Landscapers will sell you anything," adding, "Garlic Mustard is our number one threat. It flowers every other year, and has to be hand-pulled." He cited the efforts of volunteers who "kicked butt" removing the plant. Additional goals include preventing invasives at Fox Hill reserve and removing Japanese Knotwood from township properties. The 17-acre restoration at the arboretum is sought to be, "a showcase for urban forest management," upon its completion.
http://thealternativepress.com/article.asp?news=3982 |
| Funding Opportunities
FishAmerica Foundation Request for Proposals - Closes June 22, 2009
FishAmerica Foundation annually requests proposals from public and private organizations and local, state and tribal governments to fund projects that result in on-the-ground habitat restoration and clearly demonstrate significant benefits to marine, estuarine or anadromous fisheries resources. Projects must involve community participation through an educational or volunteer component tied to the restoration activities. FishAmerica also requests that applicants strive for a 1:1 non-federal match (cash or in-kind) on project proposals.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/projects_programs/crp/partners/fishamerica.html
Australia: $900,000 Foreshore Restoration Funding Announced - Closes June 26, 2009
Environment Minister Donna Faragher today announced $900,000 for shoreline protection and rehabilitation projects in the Swan Canning Riverpark. The Swan River Trust's annual Riverbank Grants Scheme provided funding for community and local government partnership projects that improved the condition of, and access to, the Swan and Canning shorelines. Since 2002, more than $5.4million has funded 124 Riverbank projects, restoring kilometres of previously degraded shorelines along the rivers.
http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=55683
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
Nebraska: USDA Offers Grassland Reserve Program Sign-up - Closes July 1, 2009
Nebraska landowners wishing to maintain grazing land in grass, including range and pasture land, can apply for funds through the Grassland Reserve Program by July 1, 2009 at any USDA Service Center according to a USDA official. "Applying for GRP is continuous however, ranking dates are established to evaluate and select applications for funding," said Steve Chick, State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. GRP is implemented jointly by the NRCS and the USDA Farm Service Agency. Landowners can start their applications at either USDA office.
http://www.chadrad.com/newsstory.cfm?story=14278
Pennsylvania: DEP Accepting Applications for Watershed and Flood Protection Grants - Closes July 17, 2009
Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger today announced that DEP is now accepting grant applications for watershed protection and restoration and flood protection projects under the Growing Greener Plus program, which allows applicants to seek funding for a variety of projects through a single application process.
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-19-2009/0005029275&EDATE= | |
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