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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
Indiana: Volunteers Sought for Suman Fen Project in Porter County
The DNR Division of Nature Preserves and Save the Dunes Council are seeking volunteers to help restore a rare wetland at Suman Fen Nature Preserve in northern Porter County. The preserve is located midway between Chesterton and Valparaiso and is one of Indiana's best examples of a fen - a type of wetland fed by ground water.
http://www.munciefreepress.com/node/20307
California: Volunteers Urged to Help Save Rare Coastal Habitat
Ocean Beach and Mission Bay residents have a rare coastal dune and intertidal wetlands habitat in their backyard. On Saturday, July 25, environmental enthusiasts will get the chance to help clean it up and preserve it.
http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-07-23/news/environment/volunteers-urged-to-help-save-rare-coastal-habitat
Minnesota: Big Island Restoration Project
Rollie Johnson Natural and Recreational Area volunteers, along with some WAPOA board members, have begun an extensive restoration project on 150 feet of shoreline on the east side of Big Island in Upper Whitefish Lake.
http://www.northlandpress.com/CLbigislandproject72809.html
Conferences & Workshops
Conference: Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, August 11-12
The Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council (MA-EPPC) provides regional leadership to effectively address the threat of invasive plants to the native flora, fauna, and natural habitats of the Mid-Atlantic. The council coordinates regional efforts to gather and share information on the identification, management and prevention of invasive species, provide training and volunteer opportunities and to identify research needs.
http://www.ma-eppc.org/
Canada: Welland River Wetland Site for Native Species Workshop - August 11, 2009
The E.C. Brown Wetland, less than two years old, was designed with the public education aspect in mind. The workshop is a good opportunity for people to see native plants in a natural environment, allowing a better hands-on experience to deciding what works best in what conditions. The workshop is Tuesday, Aug. 11 from 9 a.m. until noon at a cost of $30. E.C. Brown Wetland can be accessed by the Niagara Central Airport parking lot.
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1664343
Washington: 36th Natural Areas Conference - September 15-18, 2009
The 36th Annual Natural Areas Conference, hosted by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, will examine the many edges in conservation land management, including edges for species, habitats, human society and the earth.
http://www.naturalarea.org/09Conference/program.html
RIACRE: Latin American Network for Ecological Restoration - November 9-13, 2009
La Red Iberoamericana y del Caribe de Restauración Ecológica (RIACRE) en conjunto con la Sociedad Brasilera de Recuperación de Áreas Degradadas (SOBRADE y la Fundación de Investigaciones Forestales de Paraná (FUPEF), con apoyo de la Universidad Federal de Paraná (UFPR) y la Empresa Brasilera de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (EMBRAPA), programaron para el período del 9 al 13 de Noviembre de 2009, en Curitiba, Estado de Paraná, Brasil, el Congreso Iberoamericano y del Caribe sobre Restauración Ecológica.
http://www.sobrade.com.br/riacre/
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
NOAA Head Urges Changes in Ocean Management
Saying she wanted "to draw attention to the untold story of oceans in the climate dialogue," Dr. Jane Lubchenco, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, spoke in Boston on Monday, laying out what she called "a grand challenge for the nation." http://knox.villagesoup.com/Government/story.cfm?storyID=169373
Nirvana on a Backhoe
She's restored nearly one thousand miles of old logging roads and revived thousands of acres of wetland and forest across the West since 1996, working for federal and state agencies. A scant handful of people do great restorations, the kind that repair a site instead of just covering the damage, say several federal contracting officers. Erion, however, is in a class of her own. "She takes these big excavators into streams to create fish habitats and you can't tell she was there," says Lois Tate of Washington's Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
http://www.hcn.org/issues/41.13/nirvana-on-a-backhoe |
| New Books & Articles
Life in a Dead Culture
Even though predictions about the specifics of the trajectory are beyond our capabilities, we can know-if we choose to know-that we must solve problems for which there are no apparent solutions and face "questions that go beyond the available answers," to borrow Wes Jackson's phrase. These threats have been building for the past 10,000 years, intensifying in the past two centuries to levels that only the foolhardy would ignore. The bills for the two most destructive revolutions in human history-the agricultural and industrial revolutions-are coming due, sooner than we think.
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/22082
Author of Nature's Second Chance to Appear in Seattle, Washington
Wednesday, August 12th, at 7:30 p.m. the Elliot Bay Book Company and Jones & Jones will host a reading and book signing by internationally recognized restoration ecologist, Steven Apfelbaum, author of NATURE'S SECOND CHANCE: Restoring the Ecology of Stone Prairie Farm.
http://www.jonesandjones.com/news/publications_pdf/Press_Release_071009.pdf |
| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
The Planet's Price Tag
Says Pavan Sukhdev, founder of the Green Indian States Trust (GIST) and pioneer of the Green GDP concept in India, "The traditional GDP simply does not measure the value of forests in national economy. In that sense, it is not a true reflection of wealth at all. The GDP must be made to take into account the value of natural capital that is being destroyed - forest losses, degradation, declining water quality, etc. - and the creation of human capital in terms of education."
http://www.tehelka.com/story_main42.asp?filename=Ne010809the_planet.asp |
| Agro-Ecology
Australia: Rotational Grazing Can Boost Tree Regeneration
Joern Fischer of the Australian National University and colleagues have found that scattered paddock trees in the southeast of the country were up to four times more likely to regenerate naturally under new types of rotational grazing than under conventional, continuous grazing.
http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/futures/39886 |
| Biodiversity & Climate Change
Fund Promotes African Adaptation to Climate Change
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Pakistan: Model 'Forest Park' to be Developed near Rawal Lake
The first-ever model forestry park, spread over an area of 350 acres, will be developed near Rawal Lake. Sources in the Capital Development Authority (CDA) told 'The News' that the park will be developed in five years at a cost of Rs239 million. The park will be divided into blocks of 4 to 10 acres. These blocks will be given to government and private sector institutions in addition to academic institutions for afforestation. Plantation will be carried out by institutions and departments. Boards will be displayed in every block, mentioning the name of the institution or department, whatever the case may be. These boards will also mention the total number of saplings planted, their species and other details, sources said.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=189381
Kenya: Raila in tough battle over Mau forest
As with everything else in Kenya, the conservation and destruction of the Mau forest is proving an intractable matter for one simple reason: too many vested political interests will ensure that nothing will change despite ongoing destruction of the forest and which can only be described as a looting spree.
http://nairobichronicle.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/raila-in-tough-battle-over-mau-forest/
Washington: Old Growth Forest Experiment in Willapa Hills
As part of their wide-ranging forest restoration efforts, Kollasch and his Ellsworth Creek team are conducting an experiment on this 8,000-acre preserve in the Willapa Hills. Rather, they believe the best way to return a forest to its original, old-growth state may be by using a more calculated form of logging. They believe it's necessary to thin out cramped stands of hemlocks or replanted Douglas firs to create a more balanced mix of species that resembles what an old-growth forest looks like.
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_old_growth_experiment.html
India: Green Light to Restore Delhi Ridge
Now the Forest department, in consultation with the Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE), has started work on an action plan to turn the Ridge into an ecological forest - with grassland, dry deciduous and mixed deciduous forest communities and its own water check dams. This was done after the action plan found that large parts of the Ridge are just open scrub land with a low density of trees.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/green-light-to-restore-delhi-ridge/493830/
Illinois: Deer Grove East Restoration Project to Begin
A large-scale, five-year project about to get underway may not revert the county's oldest forest preserve to Illinois' early settlement era, but conservationists are going to try.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=308968&src=1
UK: Lottery Boost for Wyre Forest Restoration Project
Over 72,000 square kilometres of the Wyre Forest area landscape in Worcestershire will be restored as part of the 'Grow with Wyre' scheme set up by the Forestry Commission and the Wyre Forest Study Group.
http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/news/national-news/12427-lottery-boost-for-wyre-forest-restoration-project.html |
| Wetland Restoration
Iraq: Surviving, but Hardly Thriving
Water has begun flowing again through southern Iraq's fabled marshes, a vast reservoir in this arid region that had all but vanished by the time the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 gave it a lifeline. But six years later, the revival of the marshes, which some believe to be the site of the original Garden of Eden, remains uncertain.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/07/23/ST2009072303928.html
Indiana: Kankakee Marsh Well Worth Saving
In 1855, roughly 39 years after Indiana was granted statehood, the days of the Kankakee Marsh were numbered. Pioneer developers got the idea to do as others were doing nationwide - drain the water and sell the land. The goal was to quickly dredge, rechannel and dry up as much as possible.
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/jul/26/kankakee-marsh-well-worth-saving/ |
River & Watershed Restoration
Pennsylvania: Center for Watershed Stewardship Focuses on Spruce Creek
More than 30 graduate students from five Penn State graduate programs over the last six years worked to restore and improve parts of the Spruce Creek watershed in central Pennsylvania. The efforts were part of an intercollege program through the university's Center for Watershed Stewardship, explained Lysle Sherwin, head of the center, which is based in the colleges of Agricultural Sciences and Arts and Architecture. "A fundamental value of watersheds that people overlook is that healthy watersheds reflect healthy communities," he said.
http://www.gantdaily.com/news/43/ARTICLE/57532/2009-07-23.html
Colorado: Dolores River Restoration Underway
With an eight-year effort to rid the San Miguel River of invasive tamarisk declared successful last October, a coalition of organizations being led by the Nature Conservancy will soon embark upon a project to restore the Dolores River to its natural riparian state. In addition to the tamarisk removal done exclusively on the free-flowing San Miguel River, the project will also reseed native vegetation along parts of dam-controlled Dolores River where heavier infestation and more extensive damage requires a broader treatment.
http://www.telluridewatch.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Dolores+River+Restoration+Underway%20&id=3018873-Dolores+River+Restoration+Underway&instance=special_coverage_bullets_right_column
Iowa: River Restoration Nearly Done
State environmental officials say a $3 million project to restore historic backwaters and side channels of the Missouri River is nearly complete.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20090727/NEWS01/707279942/0/SPORTS01 |
| Grassland Restoration
Ohio: Park District Eyes Farmland to Form Prairie
Turning the one-time muck farms into grasslands is ''the ideal thing to do . . . and a unique opportunity,'' said Michael Johnson, chief of natural resource management for the park district. The site is large enough to provide habitat for grassland species and might be the best site in Summit County for such a project, he told park commissioners Wednesday.
http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/51549167.html |
| Desertification & Arid Land Restoration
Nigeria: Fighting Desertification: FG Approves Increased Budgetary Allocation
The federal government has resolved to increase funding for desertification control programmes and projects in its future budgetary allocations, the minister of environment, housing and urban development, Mr. John Odey has disclosed. Mr. Odey who made the disclosure in an interview with Daily Triumph, Friday, after launching this year's World Desertification Day in Jigawa state, added that this will promote the attainment of sustainable and productive environment.
http://www.triumphnewspapers.com/FIGHT2772009.html |
| Lake Restoration
Virginia: Pictures of Forest Hill Lake Restoration VIII
Crews are beginning to cut a channel up the east side of the lake. It is noteworthy to see the care the contractors are taking with their work. They have a mud/silt barrier up, they are working steadily to keep all the work area clean and safe. At the end of the day, we will have a restored lake, with a healthy environment, and a great resource for the city
http://hillsandheights.org/2009/07/22/pictures-of-forest-hill-lake-restoration-viii/
Indiana: Great Lakes Projects Will Soon Be Funded
The EPA is holding informational meetings in the eight states that border the Great Lakes, and Gulezian spent much of the meeting discussing the type of projects that the EPA wants to fund. The program aims to tackle common problems on the Great Lakes, such as toxic substances, invasive species, near-shore health and nonpoint source pollution, and habitat and wildlife protection.
http://www.post-trib.com/news/1682864,epa0724.article |
| Coastal & Marine Restoration
South Carolina: Rebuilding of Oyster Beds Under Way
Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina is well aware of the all-important role oyster beds play along the coast. As part of the grassroots organization's Topwater Action Campaign, CCA South Carolina is helping to create and enhance oyster beds in the state's estuaries in a coordinated effort with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources' Oyster Recycling and Restoration Program.
http://www.thesunnews.com/sports/story/994096.html
Video: Post Tsunami Mangrove Restoration in Sri Lanka
The video is part of the Global Nature Fund's project to restore mangrove forests and livelihoods in Sri Lanka after the Tsunami of 2004.
http://bailaman.blogspot.com/2009/07/video-post-tsunami-mangrove-restoration.html
Bahamas: A Marine Park for Southwest New Providence
"The next 50 years must be a time of restoration not preservation," Ray told BNT members. "And the best way is to get key marine areas protected. There are huge numbers of reefs and flats in the Bahamas. If only 10 per cent of these could be spared, we could see recovery of our marine resources within a decade."
http://www.bahamapundit.com/2009/07/a-marine-park-for-southwest-new-providence.html
Louisiana: Volunteers from Across the Nation Help Restore Louisiana coast
Six coastal-restoration projects, including one each in Terrebonne and Lafourche, have now been completed with help from volunteers from across the country. "These projects, funded in the aftermath of these hurricanes, have contributed not only to habitat restoration but also to the protection of coastal communities," said Jim Balsiger, acting assistant administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20090724/ARTICLES/907249923?Title=Volunteers-from-across-the-nation-help-restore-Louisiana-coast |
Wildlife Restoration
Fiji: Back to the Wild
But in order to keep hold of this wildlife, we need to work closely with other island nations to share knowledge and skills that have already been used to bring species back from the brink of being lost forever from this world. Earlier this month, conservation workers from across the Pacific region came together to discuss the best ways to tackle the challenges facing island plants and animals.
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=125992
California: Wild Populations of Endangered Frog Found in Southern California
For the first time in nearly 50 years, a population of a nearly extinct frog has been rediscovered in the San Bernardino National Forest's San Jacinto Wilderness.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090726093404.htm |
| Extractive Industries
Mountaintop Mining Legacy: Destroying Appalachian Streams
The White House is betting that mountaintop mining can be managed and the damage ultimately repaired. But the science indicates that such an incremental approach may never be effective. Mountaintop removal does damage on both vast and microscopic scales, from hydrological changes over hundreds of square miles to effects on the life cycles of the tiniest stream microbes. Overseeing the repair of such damage is beyond the capabilities of any government agency; the most serious impacts - to streams - may be all but impossible to fix.
http://chrisy58.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/mountaintop-mining-legacy-destroying-appalachian/
Canada: Halting Contamination: The Saga of Saving the Tsolum River
There is a strong sense of hope and genuine anticipation in the Comox Valley as Quantum Environmental Group - teaming up with SRK Consulting, and CE Jones and Associates - prepares to place an engineered full cover on the old Mount Washington open pit mine site, a mine site that has been polluting the Tsolum River for 45 years, a form of copper pollution that remained undetected until a few years ago.
http://gregoryhartnell.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/charles-brandt-we-may-never-again-see-runs-of-200000-pink-salmon-in-the-tsolum/ |
| Invasive Species
Invasive Species Threaten Critical Marine Habitats, Oyster Among Victims
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| Urban Restoration
California: Bicknell Avenue Becomes a "Green Street"
On rainy days, water enters the storm drains of Santa Monica and runs out to the ocean, taking with it the debris that settles in the drains. Storm water runoff has been a critical issue in the attempt to improve the quality of water in Santa Monica Bay. Now, the 100 block of Bicknell Avenue can boast of the first "green" water runoff demonstration project in the City.
http://www.smmirror.com/MainPages/DisplayArticleDetails.asp?eid=10617 |
| Funding Opportunities
New Mexico: State Seeks River Restoration Proposals - Closes August 10, 2009
Potential projects that could be initiated because of the latest round of funding include: physical habitat restoration within a stream; enhancement of environmental flow; improvement of riparian vegetative cover for the purpose of river restoration; reduction of pollutants to rivers; promoting the hydrologic interaction between the river channel and floodplain and restoring dynamic channel processes such as accretion on new banks, bar building, channel widening, and channel sinuosity. The removal of non-native phreatophytes - including salt cedar and Russian olive trees - will be funded as part of a more comprehensive river restoration project. Entities that can manage the technical and financial aspects of the proposed projects are eligible to receive the funding.
http://www.dchieftain.com/news/90077-07-04-09.html
California Coastal Restoration Fund - Closes August 24, 2009.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, together with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is requesting proposals for projects located within the Northern or Central Districts of California that benefit fish and wildlife species and the habitats upon which they depend. Types of project activities may include, but are not limited to, on-the-ground habitat conservation, improvement of public access areas, and projects that encourage collaboration and support local communities.
http://www.epa.gov/watershed/news.html
Shell Marina Habitat Program - Closes September 1, 2009
The Shell Marine Habitat Program is a partnership between the Shell Oil Company and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The purpose of this partnership is to provide grants for projects that benefit marine and coastal habitats in and around the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the North Aleutian Basin, North Slope Borough, and Northwest Arctic Borough areas of Alaska.
http://www.epa.gov/watershed/news.html
2010 St. Andrews Prize for the Environment - Closes October 31, 2009
Applications are invited from individuals, multi-disciplinary teams or community groups for the 2010 annual prize, consisting of an award of $75,000 USD for the winner and $25,000 USD for each of the two runners-up. Aimed at helping ordinary people find solutions to environmental problems, the Prize was launched 11 years ago and is recognized as a prestigious international initiative by the University of St Andrews, Scotland and ConocoPhillips, one of the world's leading energy companies, attracting entries from around the world. The focus is on environmental initiatives, but of course the most innovative and important usually come with gains to people in their locality.
http://www.thestandrewsprize.com/ | |
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