| Membership |
RESTORE is distributed to current SER members. Make sure you don't miss a single issue!
|
| Quick Links |
|
| |
|
|
 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. |
|
Attention SER Members
Discount on Wiley-Blackwell Products: Code is SDP18
http://www.wiley.com
Discount on Island Press/SER Book Series: Code is 2SER
http://www.islandpress.org/ser/index.html
Get Involved/Community-based Restoration
Tonga: Mangrove Restoration Project
The Vava'u Environmental Protection Association's (VEPA) Mangrove Restoration Project was run (in conjunction with Tonga Trust) to help reforest shoreline areas with mangroves. The village of Koloa accepted VEPA's proposal for the pilot project, and aided VEPA with the implementation and work.
http://www.tongaholiday.com/?p=4205
Montana: Ecology Project International Awarded Scott Foundation Grant: Billings Students Will Monitor Wildlife, Restore Habitat in Yellowstone
For the first time, Billings high school students will join conservation education nonprofit Ecology Project International (EPI), in wildlife monitoring and habitat restoration in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, thanks to a $1,000 grant from the Homer A. & Mildred S. Scott Foundation.
http://www.free-press-release-center.info/pr00000000000000068595_ecology-project-international-awarded-scott-foundation-grant-billings-students-will-monitor-wildlife-restore-habitat-in-yellowstone.html
Texas: Students Nurse Mini-marshlands in Project
More than 280 students in Galveston County are nursing mini-marshlands in a unique project teaching hands-on wetland restoration. The children, in 14 classes in four schools, will end their lessons by wading into shallow waters on Nassau Bay Peninsula this spring to transplant cultured marsh grass.
http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=2565903ebd9363be
Louisiana: Students Help Restore Coastline Over Spring Break
For 21 Viterbo students, spring break consisted of trudging through marsh water, harvesting spartina plants, planting on dredge for coastal restoration, and helping build homes.
http://www.viterbolumen.com/news/students-help-restore-coastline-over-spring-break-1.1275608
Idaho: Silver Creek Enhancement Plan Announced
For the past 35 years, Silver Creek has been a successful conservation project due to community support. The enhancement plan will likewise be driven by community involvement, with a series of public meetings to gather input from stakeholders. The public is invited and encouraged to attend and participate.
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/idaho/press/press4437.html
Washington: Volunteers Needed for Urban Forest Restoration
Volunteers who are interested improving the natural environment for fish, wildlife, and humans are needed to continue the work already started to remove non-native, invasive English ivy from trees and the forest floor along Walker Creek. This is a great opportunity for you, your family members and friends enjoy outdoor physical activity, meet people who share a similar interest and take pride in the result of this labor having improved growing conditions for the affected vegetation to support a thriving stream.
http://anglelakesc.blogspot.com/2010/03/volunteers-needed-for-urban-forest.html
Conferences & Workshops
A Joint Meeting of SE-EPPC and the SER Southeast Chapter - May 11-13, 2010
http://www.se-eppc.org/2010/
The National Native Seed Conference - May 17-21, 2010 - Snowbird, Utah
http://www.nativeseed.info/
San Francisco Wetland Restoration Monitoring Techniques - May 21, 2010
A one day course focusing on field based tools and techniques to properly monitor wetland restorations. This course will provide resources and methods for monitoring and assessing restoration success. In addition we will address restoration management all with an emphasis on salt marshes in the SF bay area.
http://www.sws.org/training/details.mgi?Session=2107
Workshop on "River Restoration: Fluvial Geomorphic and Ecological Tools" - June 7-11, 2010
http://institutbeaumont.com/
International Symposium on Sustainability Science - October 25-27, 2010
https://www.ser.org/pdf/ISSFlier.pdf
Ecological Society of Australia 2010 Annual Conference - December 5-10, 2010
This conference celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Ecological Society of Australia, and has been organized around the theme: 'Sustaining biodiversity - the next 50 years'.
http://www.esa2010.org.au/
Full 2010 Conference Listing Available on the GRN
http://www.globalrestorationnetwork.org/conferences/ |
| New Books & Articles
Restore a Nation Report Highlights Positive Economic Impact of National Parks
National parks are local economic drivers that create jobs and support families across the United States, according to a new report by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), the nation's leading voice for the national parks. The report, Restore a Nation: The Economic Benefits of Restoring the Lands and Waters of our National Parks, also notes the need for new investments in restoration projects to sustain these economies, maintain healthy ecosystems, address a changing climate, and create American jobs.
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/03/18-4
Protecting River Corridors
In their April 2010 JAWRA article, "Protecting River Corridors in Vermont," Michael Kline and Barry Cahoon describe river corridor planning in Vermont, whereby corridors are sized based on the meander belt width and assigned a sensitivity rating based on the likelihood of channel adjustment due to stressors. The approach is fundamentally based on restoring fluvial processes associated with dynamic equilibrium, and associated habitat features. The article gives examples of how "active" restoration projects to confine a river to a fixed channel have consumed program budgets and required continued investments to correct failures. So Vermont switched to a restoration program that embraces the concepts and practices associated with dynamic and deformable rivers.
http://awramedia.org/jawra/2010/03/22/protecting-river-corridors/ |
| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
Restoring Natural Capital in Degraded Landscapes
The interests of farmers are often perceived to be in conflict with those of both the ecosystems and the markets in which they operate, says Mark Chandler. In this week's Green Room, he argues that ongoing, directed efforts can create profitable, sustainable situations for everyone.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8583015.stm |
| Agro-Ecology
Video: Hope in a Changing Climate: Restoring Ecosystems to Support Sustainable Agriculture
'Hope in a Changing Climate' was screened at the COP 15 climate change summit in Copenhagen in December 2009. The 30-minute documentary, produced by the Environmental Education Media Project, demonstrates the enormous potential of activities to rehabilitate damaged ecosystems around the world. The film features interviews with world leaders and uses case studies from China, Ethiopia and Rwanda where ecosystem restoration efforts have helped to significantly improve the sustainable economic, social and agricultural activities of the community.
http://www.farmingfirst.org/2010/03/hope-in-a-changing-climate-restoring-ecosystems-to-support-sustainable-agriculture/
California: Habitat Restoration Will Benefit Trout and Salmon
Mike Brunson is an avid trout and salmon fisherman whose duties as winemaker and vineyard manager at Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate have put him on the front lines of river restoration. Using a $50,000 grant, Brunson and others took what had been an artificially straightened waterway and added pools to help slow the water, providing places for fish to rest, and placed native vegetation along the banks, providing shady areas to cool the stream. The work has paid off for both farm and fish, the winemaker said.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100318/ARTICLES/100319378/1033?tc=ar |
|
New Mexico: Forest Service Seeks Applicants for Restoration Program Panel
The Southwestern Region of the Forest Service is seeking applicants for the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program Technical Advisory Panel. This 12- to 15-member panel will evaluate proposals for federal grant funding to conduct forest restoration treatments on public land and use small-diameter trees.
http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_14715234
Louisiana: Over 2,000 Acres of Highly Threatened Louisiana Longleaf Pine Woods Saved by Ecosystem Investment Partners and The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana and Ecosystem Investment Partners announced today the permanent protection and restoration of 2,263 acres of wet longleaf pine savanna and associated habitats, which comprise one of the country's most threatened ecosystems. "This property is one of the largest restorable wet longleaf pine savannas in the region," said Latimore Smith, Director of Science and Stewardship for Louisiana office of The Nature Conservancy. "It represents a rare chance to turn back the ecological clock, to restore something to its natural state for the benefit of people and wildlife."
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/over-2000-acres-of-highly,1218296.shtml |
| Wetland Restoration
UK: The Fenland of East Anglia: Restoration Proposed For Ancient English Wetland
The ongoing Great Fen project, launched in 2001, has received substantial lottery and other funding to purchase and flood an area of almost 4,000 acres between Huntingdon and Peterborough, including the two small existing reserves at Woodwalton and Holme. Inevitably a long-term project, the plan is is already showing results: cranes and avocets have already arrived in the wetlands and, while plants are expected to take longer to colonise, previously absent insects have already appeared.
http://ecosystem-preservation.suite101.com/article.cfm/the-fenland-of-east-anglia
Australia: Wetlands Worry
It may be early days in Greater Taree City Council's investigation of re-flooding Coralville's 'Big Swamp', but already there are signs of uneasiness among the affected landholders, nearby residents and the wider community. Many of the landowners fear council's ambitious project would mean the end of their farms, their livelihoods and the lifestyles they enjoy today, with vast tracts of their land turned back into wetland and therefore under water for varying periods.
http://www.manningrivertimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/wetlands-worry/1780874.aspx
New York: UB's Ecosystem Experts to Discuss Why West Seneca Wetland Should Be Restored
An important 14-acre wetland and wildlife habitat that is being donated to the town of West Seneca this week is a unique and valuable ecosystem in an urban setting that should be preserved, according to University at Buffalo graduate students and researchers who have developed a restoration plan for it.
http://www.buffalo.edu/news/11131
Indiana: Area Project Moves Closer to Completion
The proposed 6,000-acre Wabashiki River Fish and Wildlife Area near Terre Haute moved a step closer to fruition with a March 10 announcement that the national Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved $1 million in federal funds toward the project. The money awarded is aimed at protecting and restoring 7,107 acres of wetlands and wildlife habitat in Indiana and Iowa under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).
http://www.thebraziltimes.com/story/1619473.html |
River & Watershed Restoration
California: Recovery Act Funding to Help Expand Cosumnes River Preserve
Today, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and The Nature Conservancy of California announced they have signed the conservation easement for a $2.2 million project in the Cosumnes River Watershed, funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). The federal funding will reconnect a section of the Cosumnes River with its historic floodplain, improving wildlife habitat in one of the biologically richest regions in California's Central Valley, while providing protection for agricultural and urban lands continually threatened by flooding.
http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=353680&Itemid=32
UK: Mussel Building in Rivers to Help Endangered Species
Scientists from Queen's University are helping to boost the endangered freshwater mussel population in County Tyrone. They have released three-hundred young mussels into the Ballinderry River to see if that can survive in the water.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8584005.stm |
| Grassland Restoration
Kentucky: Barrens Restoration Continues at Mammoth Cave
|
| Coastal & Marine Restoration
Florida: Cleaning Up Another Bay -- This Time, Estero
Florida Gulf Coast University scientists and local volunteers begin reef construction and restoration in Estero Bay, Saturday, April 3. FGCU scientists, Lee County and West Coast Inland Navigation District in collaboration with local, state and federal agencies are involved in a project that creates and restores oyster reefs in Estero Bay (200 square meters), thereby improving water quality, habitat availability, as well as protecting shoreline and mangrove erosion.
http://www.naplesnews.com/blogs/jefflytle/2010/mar/18/envrionment/
Guyana: Restoration of Mangrove Vital for Protecting Sea Defences
The Chairperson revealed, coastal belt of Guyana lies generally between 0.5 to 1.0 meters below high spring tide level, resulting in the coastal belt being vulnerable to flooding by sea water from the Atlantic Ocean. And more than 90 per cent of Guyana's population live on the coastal belt. All major industries, commercial centres, cities including the capital, Georgetown, are located on the coastal plain, and most export earnings are generated from this region. She explained the aim of the thesis is to develop a plan for the restoration of mangrove vegetation along the coastal region of Guyana as a means of improving protection and a support to the sea defence system.
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2010/03/23/restoration-of-mangrove-vital-for-protecting-sea-defences/ |
Wildlife Restoration
UK: The War of the Sea Eagles
Would you want a bird with an 8ft wingspan hovering over your back garden? Controversial plans to reintroduce the majestic sea eagle to England have locals up in arms.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/21/sea-eagles
US: Wolf Recovery vs. Ecosystem Health
The idea may be exotic to many wolf conservation advocates, but a group of researchers are floating a proposal to introduce very small groups of wolves to small pieces of habitat as a management tool. The goal has little, if nothing, to do with wolf recovery and everything to do with managing ecosystem health and services. It's an inversion of the logic that is often used to support wolf recovery.
http://sciencetrio.wordpress.com/2010/03/20/wolf-recovery-vs-ecosystem-health-2/ |
| Extractive Industries
Kentucky: Volunteers Reforesting Old Mine Sites
Decades of mining left abandoned land next to Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County too disturbed to grow trees. But after years of soil restoration, the ground is fertile once again. On Saturday morning, dozens of volunteers from colleges and organizations planted trees. "We're restoring it to its natural habitat but also providing food for the animals and habitat for the animals," Abagale Embry from Berea College said.
http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews/headlines/88786597.html |
| Invasive Species
Oregon: Natural Weed Killer
Hundreds of goats browse through a field, nibbling and foraging through the available fare. These aren't just any goats, though they are the work force of Lariat Ranch Ecological Services. The business, based in Powell Butte, owns nearly 400 head of Spanish Boer and San Clemente goats. The goats' job is to pursue their love of eating. Their tastes include noxious weeds found on the High Desert, such as medusahead, hemlock and Russian thistle.
http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2010/03/18/news/natural_weed_killer_de0.txt |
| Urban Restoration
California: Community Celebrates Beginning of Peck Park Restoration Project
More than a decade of planning finally paid dividends Monday as community leaders and city officials gathered to celebrate a canyon restoration project at Peck Park in San Pedro. The $4.8 million project, set to be finished in the summer of 2011, will clean up a natural stream of water runoff that courses through the bottom of the canyon, provide new hiking trails and foot bridges over the stream, replace weeds with native plants and vegetation, and offer educational signs.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_14735695?source=rss |
| Funding Opportunities
Montana: Funding for Conservation and Restoration projects - Closes April 2, 2010
After a one-year funding hiatus, nearly $1 million is available once again for restoration and conservation projects through the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust. Of that amount, $515,500 must be spent on projects between the Upper Missouri River basin and Holter Dam, according to the legislation that created the trust.
http://www.helenair.com/news/local/article_1982c29a-193a-11df-b2140in4c002e0.html
California: Watershed Restoration Grant Proposals Now Being Accepted - Closes April 8, 2010
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is accepting proposals for fisheries restoration projects in California's coastal watersheds through April 8, 2010. Approved projects will propose measures consistent with DFG's Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan for California and the Recovery Strategy for California Coho Salmon, and NOAA's Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan Public Review; Draft Version.
http://yubanet.com/california/Watershed-Restoration-Grant-Proposals-Now-Being-Accepted.php
Montana: Applications Available for Clark Fork Restoration Grants - Closes April 9, 2010
Applications for grant proposals to restore the Upper Clark Fork River Basin are now available. We are starting the eleventh year of the grant program aimed at returning the Basin to a healthy ecosystem. This year, $7.5 million is available to fund grant projects approved by the governor. Grant applications for over $25,000 must be received by Friday, April 9, 2010. Grant applications for $25,000 or less may be submitted on a continuous basis throughout the year. Applicants requesting more than $25,000 must use a long-form application, and there is a short-form application for applicants requesting $25,000 or less.
http://www.clarkforkchronicle.com/article.php/20100212214329156
New Zealand: Environmental Enhancement Fund - Closes April 12, 2010
Local community groups looking for funding for an environmental project still have time to apply to Environment Bay of Plenty's Environmental Enhancement Fund. This year the fund, with $300,000 available for community groups, opened early to fit in better with planting seasons, and closes on Monday 12 April 2010. Decisions will be made in July so that projects can get underway during the winter and spring planting seasons.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/still-time-apply-environmental-enhancement-fund/5/41676
Australia: River Prize - Closes May 14, 2010
Nominations are sought from individuals and organisations engaged in best practice river
and catchment management and restoration from across Australia. (Australian river and
catchment management groups may enter both the national and international Riverprize
awards). Previous entrants are encouraged to apply again.
http://www.riverfoundation.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=47 | |
|
|
|
|
|
