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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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Attention SER Members
Get Involved / Community-Based Restoration
Hawaii: Leeward Haleakala Forest Restoration
Journey to the Auwahi dryland forest, on the leeward slopes of Haleakala, located from Ulupalakua to Kaupo, and work to preserve an area that once birthed the highest endemism on earth. The Leeward Haleakala Watershed Restoration Partnership (LHWRP)-a coalition of 11 public and private landowners, along with many supporting agencies-works to restore 43,175 acres of koa forests at an elevation of 3,500 to 6,500 feet.
http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i0in113117_Leeward_Haleakala_Forest_Restoration.html
Washington: Martin Luther King Day of Service: Cotton Hill Park Restoration Monday January 18
Volunteers will be working with UW students and the Highlands Neighborhood to remove invasive plants from the UW Restoration Ecology Network student project site.
http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/13318
California: Muir Beach Work on Flood Plain Aids Endangered Fish
More than two dozen volunteers turned out Saturday morning to work on a Muir Beach flood plain, a place where young endangered and threatened fish will be able to catch a breather, increasing their chances of survival. The North Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited, based in San Rafael, organized the volunteer effort, which saw native blackberry, hedge nettle and mugwort planted in the flood plain near the parking lot at Muir Beach.
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_14161557
UK: Dawpool Nature Reserve Grassland Restoration
Help the Rangers to improve the habitats of the rare Dingy Skipper Butterfly and the White-Letter Hairstreak Butterfly, by taking part in a grassland restoration project on this environmentally important site.
http://www.wirral.gov.uk/Events/events_0000710.html
Conferences & Workshops
5-day Shortcourse: "River Restoration: Fluvial Geomorphic and Ecological Tools" - June 7-11, 2010
This workshop provides training in fluvial geomorphic tools to assess the status of rivers, to identify on-going trends and their causes, and to develop programs of measures to reverse ecological decline and restore fluvial processes that can create habitats and improve water quality. We cover general principles and case studies from a wide range of environments, with specific applications and field visits to Mediterranean and mountain environments, and rivers where managers have undertaken innovative environmental management and restoration.
http://institutbeaumont.com/
2010 Conference Listing Now Available on the GRN
http://www.globalrestorationnetwork.org/conferences/ |
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People in the News
Virginia: VIMS a Partner in Coastal America Award
The Lynnhaven River Oyster Restoration Team's partnership between the College of William and Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the Army Corps of Engineers, the City of Virginia Beach, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, and Lynnhaven River NOW has been selected to receive a 2009 Coastal America Partnership Award for innovative efforts to restore the river's native oyster population.
http://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2010/vims-a-partner-in-coastal-america-award0inhp |
| New Books & Articles
Valuing Ecosystem Services from Wetland Restoration
How much are the ecosystem services from wetland restoration worth to society? Aaron Jenkins and fellow researchers from Duke University and USGS try to put a dollar figure on three ecosystem services from a program restoring forested wetlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The region represents the U.S.'s largest floodplain where 72% of the hisoric bottomland hardwood forests have been lost.
http://www.conservationmaven.com/frontpage/2010/1/12/valuing-ecosystem-services-from-wetland-restoration.html
World's Biodiversity 'Crisis' Needs Action, Says UN
The UN has launched the International Year of Biodiversity, warning that the ongoing loss of species around the world is affecting human well-being. Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), urged governments and their leaders to renew their commitment to curbing biodiversity loss even though the 2010 goal will be missed. "The urgency of the situation demands that as a global community we not only reverse the rate of loss, but that we stop the loss altogether and begin restoring the ecological infrastructure that has been damaged and degraded over the previous century or so," he said
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8449506.stm
Evaluation of Restoration Effectiveness: Community Response to the Removal of Alien Plants
Plant invasions are a key cause of biodiversity loss and motivate many restoration programs worldwide. We assessed restoration success of an invaded forest in the Azores using two complementary experimental designs: a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design compared a restored and a control (unmanipulated) site over three years, while a Control-Impact (CI) design evaluated the short-term effects of restoration on restored-control replicated pairs.
http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/09-1384
North American Native Orchid Journal 16(1) 2010
The current issue of the North American Native Orchid Journal is now available on-line. This is a special issue edited by our Associate Editor Scott L. Stewart and focuses on native orchid propagation, cultivation, and reintroduction. Back issues from volume 3 (1997) to present are now available on-line and you may read the both current and back issues at:
http://culturesheet.org/wiki:user:nanoj:start |
| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
Restoring Natural Capital in Arid and Semiarid Regions: Combining Ecosystem Health with Human Wellbeing
This CSFD special issue no. 7 presents major features of the "restoring natural capital" (RNC) concept applied to arid and semiarid regions for the purposes of facilitating communication, information sharing and discussion. Several sites in arid and semiarid regions throughout the world are discussed to illustrate the elementary concepts of natural capital restoration through virtual field visits.
http://issuu.com/csfd/docs/dossier-7-eng |
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Brunei One Step Ahead In Forest Protection
Bandar Seri Begawan - Although 13 million hectares of deforestation occurs around the world each year, leaving damaged or even devastated ecosystems in its wake, Brunei Darussalam is "one step ahead" compared with Brazilian forests because the government's initiative in preservation and forest restoration have spared Brunei's ecosystems from damage, said a senior lecturer at the University of Ballarat in Australia yesterday.
http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2010010713535/First-Stories/brunei-one-step-ahead-in-forest-protection.html
Oregon: A Forestry Model for the Future?
Work started on the Glaze Meadow Forest Restoration Project this week, five years after a conservation group first started pitching the idea of bringing different groups and interests together to collaborate on a timber project. It's a project that organizers hope will become an example for forest restoration and timber production in the coming years - and one that demonstrates many principles from legislation U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., recently proposed to guide forestry work on the east side of the Cascades.
http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100109/NEWS0107/1090355/1001/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01 |
| Wetland Restoration
Wisconsin: Conservation Project May Be First of Many in Area
Gary Kremenauer knows from talking to his neighbors that many of them would not have made the choice he made. Then again, he is not as dependent on income from his land as his full-time farming friends. Kremenauer was thinking of the greater good when he agreed to take a few of his 200 acres in the town of LaFayette out of agricultural production for a conservation project. The Kremenauers agreed not only to the restoration of a wetland on part of a farm field they were leasing, but also to establish riparian buffers. They planted 1,850 trees and shrubs.
http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2010/01/07/news/doc4b45fce91fb13580645503.txt
Maine: Developers' Fees Will Help Wetlands Efforts ; A Total of $1.8 Million Was Collected through a New Conservation Program.
A state conservation fund that collects fees from developers has awarded $1.8 million to projects that help restore or preserve wetlands and other wildlife habitat. The Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program was created last year to let developers pay fees when projects require the filling of wetlands or other changes to habitat. Before the fund was created, developers sometimes had to compensate for unavoidable effects by doing individual restoration projects.
http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/139766761.html
Florida: Collier County's Grand Restoration Plan Unfolds
More than 200 people endured temperatures in the 40s to kick off the Picayune Strand restoration project, which will return 55,000 acres of a failed housing development to environmental health. "We are gathered here on this chilly morning to celebrate the next major step in restoring Mother Nature's river of grass as closely as we possibly can to the way Mother Nature intended," said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando. "Picayune Strand is going to be transformed from a raped and scraped housing development that had been hacked into plats to prime habitat for panthers and other endangered species."
http://www.news-press.com/article/20100108/GREEN/1080400/1075/Collier-County-s-grand-restoration-plan-unfolds |
River & Watershed Restoration
Utah: Organizers Break Ground for Ogden River Project
Officials broke ground Thursday on the Ogden River Restoration Project . The project is an attempt to clean up and beautify the area and attract people to the downtown Ogden area. The Project includes storm water and general water quality improvement, building fish habitats, restoring the river bed to its original condition thousands of years ago, as well as an economic developement opportunity for Ogden. http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-organizers-break-ground-for-ogden-river-proje,0,5245710.story |
| Lake Restoration
Michigan: Stimulus Funds Sought for White Lake Shoreline Restoration
Muskegon County commissioners have given the green light for conservation groups to pursue up to $2 million in federal stimulus funds for a shoreline restoration project for White Lake. Jeff Auch, executive director of the Muskegon Conservation District, said local officials could learn if money from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will be awarded in the spring. Auch said the mission of the White Lake program is to restore habitat that has been lost through filling of near-shore areas through industrial uses over decades.
http://greatlakesecho.org/2010/01/11/stimulus-funds-sought-for-white-lake-shoreline-restoration/
Maine: Mousam Lake Restoration Makes the Grade
As a passionate advocate for Mousam Lake, Pat Baldwin of Shapleigh has been outspoken by her own admission. At town meetings, before selectmen and during Mousam Lake Regional Association gatherings, she seldom has experienced any difficulty expressing her desire to improve the lake's water quality. So it may come as a surprise to learn Baldwin can be at a loss for words, even when it concerns the lake she loves.
http://keepmecurrent.com/observer/news/article_e2db538a-fb05-11de-8a1f0in4c002e0.html |
| Coastal & Marine Restoration
Indonesia: Bringing the Reefs Back to Life
Imagine diving off one of the beautiful shores of the Gili islands in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, and finding yourself facing fishermen equipped with dynamite and destroying the coral reef. It would be far from picture perfect, but this was the reality before the Gili EcoTrust, a not-for-profit environmental organization, was set up in the area in 2002 and signed an agreement with fishermen a few years later in collaboration with the local Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA). Through the years, the Gili EcoTrust has expanded its activities that now include a range of actions focused on the protection of the environment in the islands as a whole.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/01/12/bringing-reefs-back-life.html
New Zealand: Popular Wellington Native Plant Voted as NZ's Plant of the Year
Pingao - it's been voted as plant of the year for 2009 in the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network's annual poll, but it's been one of Greater Wellington's favoured plants for many years. Greater Wellington is supporting groups from Otaki to Castlepoint to plant native species such as pingao and whangatara (spinifex). These plants are increasingly used in foredune restoration to stabilise and restore dune systems that protect our beaches and coastal areas from erosion and damage from storms and waves.
http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=18764
Florida: Wildlife, Nature Benefit from Stimulus Package
Can people using bulldozers and other heavy machinery create a salt marsh - a natural area with tall swaying grass, graceful wading birds and a variety of fish? It may sound difficult, but officials think an effort to restore 35 acres in North Peninsula State Park to the way it was 100 years ago has a very good chance at working.
http://www.myhometownnews.net/index.php?id=65490
Fiji: Resorts Restarts Coral Program
After the devastation caused by Cyclone Mick last month, an island resort in the Mamanuca Group has recommenced its coral restoration program. Mamanuca Environment Society project manager Betani Salusalu said with the damaging effects of Cyclone Mick, which devastated Viti Levu, Beqa, and the Mamanucas, the once flourishing replanted coral reefs were in ruins. He said the island resort sought immediate repopulation of their coral tables to get the restoration program under way.
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=137234 |
Wildlife Restoration
Arizona: Endangered U.S. Jaguars to Get Critical Habitat, Recovery Plan
After years of neglect and indifference, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it will designate critical habitat for endangered jaguars in the United States and develop a jaguar recovery plan. The Service will propose areas for critical habitat designation by January 2011, according to an announcement in the Federal Register. The reconsideration of the Bush-era policy was required by a court order in the last of three lawsuits brought since 2004 by the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit organization based in Tucson.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100112/ap_on_re_us/us_jaguar_recovery |
| Invasive Species
Australia: 42 Tons of Poison to Purge Island of Rats
Lord Howe, an idyllic island off the Australian mainland, carefully conserves its natural treasures. The World Heritage-listed chunk of rock has strict quarantine laws, and limits the number of tourists who may visit. But its unique birds, insects and plants are under threat from an implacable foe: the black rat. Now Lord Howe, 500 miles north-east of Sydney, has decided to rid itself of rats and mice - and has put together one of the most radical pest-eradication programmes ever attempted. If the plan is approved, the island will be blitzed with poison from the air.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/42-tons-of-poison-to-purge-island-of-rats0inhtml |
| Urban Restoration
New York: Paerdegat to Get Cash Infusion
Paerdegat Basin is about to be "stimulated" by the feds, city officials said last week. The city's Department of Environmental Protection announced the registration of a $15 million contract to restore 38 acres of wetlands and natural grasslands adjacent to the Paerdegat Basin combined sewer overflow facility, a project expected to create a stunning "ecology park" near the shores of Jamaica Bay.
http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2010/01/12/brooklyn/courier_frontpage_padclean.txt
California: Sutro Dunes Blooming Like New
On the wind-swept western side of The City, a 3.3-acre plot of sand dunes that was once destined to be housing has been meticulously planted with native plants in order to restore the site. Neighborhood groups have transformed the previously barren Outer Richmond site across from Ocean Beach into a parkgoers' destination - and city officials will be renaming the plot in the near future to reflect the changes.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Sutro-Dunes-blooming-like-new0inhtml |
| Funding Opportunities
Funding Opportunity for Students of Ecological Restoration! - Closes January 15, 2010
The Society of Ecological Restoration Northwest Chapter (a chapter of Society for Ecological Restoration International) is still accepting grant applications from students conducting research on the restoration of natural systems (e.g., forests, wetlands, shrub-steppe) within the Pacific Northwest eco-region (WA, OR, MT, ID, BC, Northern CA). Social or natural science graduate and upper-level undergraduate students are encouraged to apply. Three grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded. Application deadline is January 15, 2010. Preference will be given to applications from student members of SERNW (visit www.sernw.org) or a SERI student guild. Students can become a member of SERI for $10 and add SERNW membership for only $5, here: https://www.ser.org/member_registration.asp.
For more scholarship details and application procedures, see: https://www.ser.org/sernw/studentgrants.asp.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Accepting Proposals for Great Lakes Restoration Funding - Closes January 22, 2010
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is requesting project pre-proposals that focus on the restoration of fish and/or wildlife resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin. Supported in part by President Obama's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a total of $8 million will be available to support projects this fiscal year. This represents the largest amount appropriated for this effort since the grants program began in 1998.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Fisheries/glfwra-grants.html
NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program - Closes January 29, 2010
The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program is now recruiting candidates for the 2010-2012 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. This two-year opportunity offers a competitive salary, medical benefits, and travel and relocation expense reimbursement. The fellowship positions start in August 2010 and are available in Maine, Michigan, New York, Puerto Rico, Washington, and Wisconsin. For more information on eligibility requirements, descriptions of the state projects, and guidance on how to apply please visit the fellowship website http://csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html.
New Hampshire: Coastal Program Announces Grant Funding Opportunity - Closes February 1, 2010
The New Hampshire Coastal Program (NHCP) at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services is currently accepting applications for its 2010 competitive grant round. The deadline is February 1, 2010 by 4 p.m. Through federal funding, NHCP enables projects that address coastal resources, like water quality protection, habitat restoration and climate change adaptation. Grants are offered on a competitive basis to eligible applicants, and at least a one to one match is required.
http://savegreatbay.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/coastal-program-announces-grant-funding-opportunity/
Landowners Urged to Apply for Funds - Closes February 1, 2010
Landowners with eligible acreage are encouraged to apply for technical and funding assistance available through the Wetlands Reserve Program. The program is voluntary and seeks to provide the opportunity to create, restore, and enhance wetlands for long-term conservation and wildlife habitat protection. The deadline to apply is Feb. 1. Landowners who choose to participate may sell a conservation easement or enter into a cost-share restoration agreement with the USDA.
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/dec/20/landowners-urged-apply-funds/
The Five Star Restoration Program - Closes February 11, 2010
A new funding opportunity exists for the Five Star/NRT Restoration Program. Applications are due via Easygrants (www.nfwf.org/easygrants) by Thursday, February 11, 2010. 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 Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), National Association of Counties (NACo), Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), in cooperation with the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA), Southern Company, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), are pleased to solicit applications for the 2010 Five Star Restoration Pro-gram and Nature Restoration Trust (www.nfwf.org/nrt). The 2010 RFP and proposal narrative are available for viewing on our website at http://www.nfwf.org/fivestar
California: Bureau of Reclamation Seeks Klamath River Watershed Restoration Projects - Closes February 22, 2010
The Bureau of Reclamation's Klamath Basin Area Office, working in partnership with other Federal and State agencies, announces the availability of approximately $750,000 in Reclamation funds for the Klamath Basin Restoration Project in 2010. The goal of the program is to identify and provide funding for projects that will improve conditions for fish species listed under the Endangered Species Act that may be affected by the Klamath Reclamation Project including threatened coho salmon, endangered shortnose, and Lost River suckers. Reclamation will consider funding potential projects that specifically and convincingly show they will protect or improve conditions for these fish species. Proposals should address habitat for coho salmon in the Klamath River, associated side channels, sloughs, and the Klamath River estuary or endangered suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Link River, Lake Ewuana/Keno Impoundment, and the Lost River watershed including Tule Lake, Clear Lake, and Gerber Reservoir.
http://yubanet.com/california/Bureau-of-Reclamation-Seeks-Klamath-River-Watershed-Restoration-Projects.php
New Mexico: Forest Service Seeks Collaborative Forest Restoration Grant Proposals - Closes March 1, 2010
The U.S. Forest Service is seeking grant proposals for forest restoration projects on public and tribal lands in New Mexico by 5 p.m., MST, Monday, March 1, 2010. "Approximately $3.5 million will be awarded under the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program this year in New Mexico," said Southwestern Regional Forester Corbin Newman. "The Forest Service will provide grants of up to $360,000 for projects that will be implemented in 4 years or less." The program encourages different organizations to collaborate on the design, implementation and monitoring of restoration projects on public and tribal lands. Grant money is available for projects on federal, tribal, state, county or municipal lands in New Mexico. By working together to apply for these grants, small business owners, conservation and environmental groups, community groups, tribes, universities and other organizations can help reduce the threat of wildfire, improve forest and watershed conditions and bring jobs and job training to local communities.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/news/releases/2010/100108-cfrp-grantproposals.shtml | |
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