ER Special Issue on Corridor Restoration - Call for Papers April 1, 2012
Ecological Restoration is planning a Special Issue for later this year on the "Ecological restoration of habitat corridors," at all scales. This Special Issue will have reviews of current approaches to corridor functioning and implementation, as well as papers on modern designs of corridors. We now seek examples from practitioners of designed and built habitat corridors that can express the current state of the art of habitat design and functioning. We are also interested in examples of older corridors, where performance monitoring has been conducted.

2012 Conference Listing on the Global Restoration Network (GRN)
 Check out our 2012 conference listing for a full year view of upcoming restoration related events.

Louisiana: Help Restore a Floodplain! -Jan 28 & Feb 24, 2012
The Nature Conservancy and US-Fish & Wildlife Service are looking for 50 volunteers (at least) per day to help them plant over 10,000 trees at the Upper Ouachita Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana.

California: San Geronimo Habitat Restoration November 30, 2011 through December 31, 2011

EcoSummit 2012 - Call for Abstracts Deadline January 20, 2012

Strategies of Landscape-Scale Restoration in the Tropics-New Haven, CT-January 26-28, 2012
The Yale Chapter of the International Society of Tropical Forests is holding their 18^th Annual Conference in New Haven, Connecticut. The conference is free and open to the public. Registration closes Jan 15^th.

Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration Course - Florida, USA - March 1-2, 2012

Nominations now open for 2012 Thiess International Riverprize - Application Closes March 16, 2012

CRCL Nominations for Coastal Stewardship Awards Now Open-Baton Rouge, MI-April 13, 2012
Nominations close February 3, 2012.

The 8th Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration - Europe- 9th - 14th September, 2012.

SER Members receive 25% off Island Press purchases. Contact caroline@ser.org for details!

Why is it so easy to save the banks, but so hard to save the Biosphere?
Agreements to bail out banks happen in days - but despite some good progress at Durban, we still don't have a legally binding deal to bail out the planet. Nicholas Stern estimated capping climate change would cost around 1% of the global GDP (or $630bn); doing nothing would cost us 5-20%. However, Bloomberg revealed that in March 2009 the US Federal Reserve has committed $7.7 trillion to banks, which amounts to 12 times the annual global climate change bill.

Can 'Climate-Smart' Agriculture Help Both Africa and the Planet?
 Promoted at the Durban talks, "climate-smart agriculture," could make crops less vulnerable to heat and drought and turn depleted soils into carbon sinks. The World Bank and African leaders are backing this new approach, but some critics are skeptical it will benefit small-scale African farmers.

Salvaging the Real Florida: Lost and Found in a State of Dreams
In late November, Salvaging the Real Florida, was named a winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for natural history writing. The book mixes personal experiences and reflection (Author Bill Belleville describes some of the essays as "transcendental") with occasional commentary about the poor growth-management practices that threaten Florida's remaining wilderness.

Israel: The Wadi Atir Project
 A farm for ecological agriculture and tourism has been built in the Negev region of Wadi Atir, Israel, by the Bedouin community, in cooperation with KKL-JNF.The farm will combine traditional Bedouin agriculture with modern technology. The farm's crops and produce will include traditional medicinal herbs, plants for health products and cosmetics, herds of sheep and cows for meat and milk, and organic vegetables that are indigenous to the area.

Indigenous Peoples Condemn Climate Talks Fiasco and Demand Moratorium on REDD+
 Indigenous Peoples have released a press release in response to the UN climate negotiations, COP17, in Durban. The statement came from The Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities against REDD+ and for Life, which was formed in Durban. The alliance includes indigenous peoples from both North and South. The statement is available in English and Spanish.

Oregon: Fuel Reduction Likely to Increase Carbon Emissions
 Forest thinning to help prevent or reduce severe wildfire will release more carbon to the atmosphere than any amount saved by successful fire prevention, a new study concludes. There may be valid reasons to thin forests - such as restoration of forest structure or health, wildlife enhancement or public safety - but increased carbon sequestration is not one of them, scientists say.

Canada: Rapid rise in wildfires in large parts of Canada?
 According to scientists large areas of Canada are approaching the threshold for wildfires and may exceed them in the future due to climate change, causing a rapid increase in their occurrences. Scientists believe the strategies for combating wildfires in large parts of the country should therefore be reconsidered. 

India: 90% of 'freshwater' in India carries waste
In a report slamming the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), and State Governments, the CAG on Friday observed that 90% of freshwater in India is still untreated, containing sewage and industrial waste which is reaching our homes. The report stated that despite more than 26 years of programs to control pollution, the water in our rivers remains critically polluted. In its report on water pollution tabled in Parliament, it recommended immediate measures to prevent water pollution besides the ecological restoration of integrated water bodies.

Bangladesh: Saving Rivers around Dhaka City
Government efforts to save the four rivers - Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Turag and Balu - flowing around Dhaka by restoring their navigability are yet to make any headway. Two years ago, the government announced restoration of water flow in the rivers, a halt to encroachment and pollution and eviction of illegal structures. At a time when the country is facing the adverse impact of climate change, the prime minister's announcement of restoring rivers' navigability is a welcome step. But, in reality, the work on restoring navigability of the rivers, which started last year, has failed to achieve its target.

Colorado: Native minnows return to Arkansas River
 After some pioneering research by the John Mumma Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility, Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists have been able to bolster populations of rare, native, minnows in the Arkansas River. Plains minnows (Hybognathus placitus) and suckermouth minnows (Phenacobius mirabilis), on the Colorado threatened and endangered list, haven't been seen in the Arkansas River since the 1960s.

Massachusetts: Group Details Top Nyanza Restoration Proposal
The group charged with restoring natural resources after years of pollution from the defunct Nyanza dye works presented a shortlist of proposals to bring the Sudbury River back to life. For years, up until the 1970s, the Ashland Company dumped 45- 57 tons of mercury into the river, polluting more than 25 miles of riverbed. A 1998 settlement set aside $3.7 million to restore, replace or acquire the equivalent of natural resources harmed by the mercury and other contaminants.

AUDIO: New York: Reconstruction work begins on Ausable River and its tributaries
State and federal agencies have begun an effort to restore the Ausable and some its tributaries that were damaged by the storm and by the dredging efforts that followed.

Iowa: ISU student prairie restoration project earns national conservation fellowship
 An Iowa State University doctoral candidate is one of 40 students nationwide selected as a TogetherGreen fellow from The National Audubon Society and Toyota earning $10,000.Lauren Sullivan earned the fellowship through her work restoring a four-acre corn plot (located west of the corner of Ontario and Hyland in Ames) back to native prairie.

Algeria: Celebrity musicians mark UN Decade with performances in the middle of the Sahara Desert
 To draw attention to the importance of the drylands and desert ecosystems and the growing threats to their long-term sustainability, the United Nations declared 2010-2020 the Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification.On 15-16 December 2011, Algeria hosted a global observance event of the Decade, with musical performances in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The performances were followed by a round-table focusing on the theme: "Land restoration initiatives leading to a land degradation neutral world."

Africa: Map Pinpoints Sahel's Climate 'Hotspots'
According to a report, average temperatures across the Sahel have risen by around 1˚C over the past 40 years. The report, published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), analyzed historical climate trends across the Sahel, and aimed to identify potential hotspots and the impact on livelihoods in the region. A total of 19 areas, which saw the biggest changes in each climate indicator, were identified as potential climate 'hotspots'.  

New Mexico: Does our desert city have the right to drink from the Rio Grande?
 In order to decrease the stress on Albuquerque's dwindling aquifer, the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project has been using taking water from the Rio Grande. Although the project seems to be working, the New Mexico Court of Appeals just ruled that the Water Utility Authority doesn't have the rights for the Rio Grande. Environmental groups, such as Rio Grande Restoration, are concerned about a lack of accounting for what was being taken out of the Rio Grande and what was put back in.

Cook Islands: Deep-sea mining drives Cook Islands' huge marine park
 Cook Islands Prime Minister, Henry Puna, disclosed that his plan to turn half of the Pacific island state and its waters into the largest marine park in the world will be launched in August 2012.The park will cover around 1 million square km - approximately 2.5% of the entire Pacific Ocean, according to the IUCN. However, he admitted that a reason behind the marine park declaration was the prospect of deep-sea mining of rare minerals.

Florida: Damaged Florida Keys coral reefs make amazing recovery
A coral reef damaged when a boat ran aground in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 2002 has made an encouraging recovery after a nearly decade-long restoration effort. A boat hitting the reef can topple coral heads or grind coral colonies into tiny fragments, damaging and killing coral that may have taken centuries to grow.

North Carolina: Oysters Thriving in Dick's Bay
Seven of the eight thriving reefs sprinkled throughout the shallow bay were created four years ago by the federation in conjunction with the state Division of Marine Fisheries. The bay is one part of a large-scale, $6 million oyster-habitat restoration and rehabilitation project. Funded entirely by grant money, from organizations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Restore America's Estuaries, the project encompasses 22 sites spanning 90 acres up and down the coast.

Massachusetts: Wider Yarmouth Parkers River Bridge seen to boost coastal health
The Yarmouth Board of Selectmen approved the continued study and work to restore the Parkers River Estuary. If the project continues, it would be the largest coast restoration project in Massachusetts.

Maryland: Dead zones decline in bay
 In a new study it was found that statewide measures to reduce the flow of fertilizers, animal waste and other bay watershed pollutants have worked to reduce the size of mid- to late-summer oxygen-starved "dead zones."

Louisiana: Once Near Extinction, La. alligators Thrive
The alligator hunters of the History Channel's "Swamp People" are just one part of a surprising sustainable harvest success story that has brought Louisiana's alligators back from the brink of extinction. Once unregulated, Alligator hunting was banned in 1963 due to dwindling populations. However, under the Marsh to Market program, launched in 1972, property owners were able to apply with the Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries to get assigned harvest tags allowing hunters to take a set amount of gators from their land. By all accounts, the program has been a success. Alligator populations have rebounded, and the industry brings in millions of dollars to Louisiana every year.

Oregon: Watershed Council Wants to Bring Back Beavers
The sparsely settled Coast Range valleys of Lincoln County's Five Rivers country ought to be a highly productive breeding ground for coho salmon, but logging, road-building and other human activities have left threatened fish runs in a precarious state. Now the MidCoast Watersheds Council is working to enlist the aid of area residents in shoring up salmon numbers by reintroducing beaver colonies in some of the places where they've disappeared - even if that means some inconvenience for rural property owners.

Colorado: Sanctioned wolf shooting illustrates reintroduction woes
This week's sanctioned shooting of an endangered Mexican gray wolf - at the direction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - highlights some of the major problems with the stuttering effort to restore a viable self-sustaining population of the predators in the Southwest desert. Politics, not science, is guiding decisions on additional wolf releases, as the livestock industry continues knee jerk opposition.

UK: Devon's rare reptiles and amphibians get £50k habitat boost
 A wildlife charity has received almost £50,000 for habitat restoration work to increase the number of rare reptiles and amphibians in Devon, England. Lowland heath will be restored at four sites in the county to help species including great crested newts and adders. The three-year project will be undertaken by the Devon Wildlife Trust.

North Carolina: Master Stewardship on the ground
 A North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) press release from Dec. 9 announced that work was underway, "... to restore habitat by promoting new forest growth for wildlife," on the Catpen project in North Carolina.The Catpen project is the first project to be implemented via the master stewardship agreement between the USDA Forest Service and the NCWRC.

Mongolia: Peabody Energy's Ereen Restoration Project Honored as the Best Eco Mine in 2011
 The Mongolian Mining Journal has honored Peabody Energy's Ereen restoration project with the 2011 Best Eco Mine Award for environmental protection. The award recognizes Peabody-Winsway Resources for its role in restoring the former coal mine site near Bulgan to healthy grasslands.

Xinergy Corp. honored by Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources
 he Company's Straight Creek mining operations, located in Bell, Harlan and Leslie Counties, KY, were given the "2011 Southeast Region Kentucky Business Conservation Partner of the Year" award for assisting the wildlife restoration efforts of quail and elk on Boone Forestlands.

Great Lakes: What to Do About Asian Carp? Great Lakes States Can't Agree
 Asian carp, a nonnative, voracious fish with the potential to upend the lakes' ecosystem, discovered in major waterway systems leading to Lake Michigan, has split Great Lake states. Some follow Michigan aiming to end access from tributaries of the Mississippi to the Great Lakes, and some like Illinois object to closing tributary access which would affect commercial barges. The fierce debate has shouldered out discussion of other pressing concerns on the Great Lakes: pollution, repair of harbors, and restoration of wetlands.

Canada: Restoring Eden on the Edge of a Modern City
 The federal government has announced an exciting NIMBY project. It will put nature in millions of backyards by establishing Canada's first urban National Park in the country's largest urban area. Nestled in the east end of the Greater Toronto Area, Rouge National Park will be unlike any other. It will help connect urban dwellers with nature and ultimately protect and restore a once great forest.

USDA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative-Closes Jan 15, 2012
 The USDA Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. A task force of 11 federal agencies developed an action plan to implement the initiative. This action plan covers fiscal years 2010 through 2014. Funded topics include: cleaning up toxics and areas of concern; combating invasive; promoting watershed protection; wetland & habitat restoration; tracking progress and working with strategic partners. The next submission dates for funding recipients are from January 1-15, 2012.

US: WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant Funding Opportunity, Closes: Jan 19, 2012
 The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking proposals from states, Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts and other organizations with water or power delivery authority to partner with Reclamation on projects that increase water conservation or result in other improvements that address water supply sustainability in the West.

Arkansas Landowners Wetlands Reserve Program - Closes Jan 27, 2012
State Conservationist Mike Sullivan with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service says Arkansas is second in the nation in the program's wetland restoration, with more than 200,000 acres restored.

Australia: New South Wales (NWS) Environmental Trust Grants-Closes Jan 31, 2012
The NSW Environmental Trust is an independent statutory body established by the NSW government to support exceptional environmental projects that do not receive funds from the usual government sources. Community groups are now invited to apply for funding for large-scale bush re-generation projects. The Community Bush Regeneration Large Project Stream is offering grants of between $200,000 and $250,000 for projects which will run for up to six years.

US: NFWF Five Star Restoration Grant Program- Closes Feb 15, 2012
 The national Fish and Wildlife Federation (NFWF) Five Star Restoration Program provides modest financial assistance to support community-based wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration projects that build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach, and training activities.

US: Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife- Closes Fab 29, 2012
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting grant applications for the Aquatic Land Enhancement Account. The agency expects to award about $180,000 in grants from the program in the coming year. Five types of projects are funded through the program - habitat restoration, research, education and outreach, facility development and artificial production. Applications must be received or postmarked by Feb. 29.

US: Minnesota State Funding Available for Environmental Project-Closes April 6, 2012
The Legislative Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) has issued its 2012-2013 Request for Proposal (RFP) for funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund beginning July 1, 2013. Approximately $31 million is expected to be available for projects being sought in environment and natural resource areas that will provide multiple ecological and other public benefits. Proposals responding to the 2012-2013 RFP are due Friday, April 6, 2012.

US: Emergency Forest Restoration Program
USDA Farm Service Agency's (FSA) Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) provides payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land in order to carry out emergency measures to restore land damaged by a natural disaster.

Earth Island Institute: Supporting community-based wetland restoration initiatives
Through the Small Grants Program, Earth Island Institute has been able to support locally based restoration efforts to do just that. Small grassroots efforts to restore the coastal habitats of Southern California, which have been depleted by an astounding 98%, have been slowly working to bring our wetlands back from the brink of extinction. By supporting and empowering the new restoration leaders, we ensure our collective success in restoring some of the earth's most fragile ecosystems.

The Gulf of Mexico Foundation's Community-based Restoration Partnershiphas reached a milestone by providing grants for now more than 75 different projects in coastal areas throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Restoring a total of about 15,000 acres over the past decade, these CRP projects have improved a wide variety of habitat types, including coastal dunes, coral reefs, oyster reefs, marshes, seagrass beds, mangrove forests and artificial reefs. Funding from NOAA and EPA make it possible for the GMF to provided more than $3 million to projects. Other partners have contributed an additional $5.5 million in funding.  The GMF is offering a new round of CRP funding for 2012.

 Terra Viva Grants develops and manages information about grants for agriculture, energy, environment, and natural resources in the world's developing countries. 

 California: Ecosystem Restoration on Agricultural Lands (ERAL)
Grant funding applications are accepted on a year-round basis. The WCB meets four times each year, normally in February, May, August, and November to consider approval of funding for projects.

 Tamarisk Related Grant Opportunities
The Tamarisk Coalition has developed a list of available Grant Opportunities to address tamarisk issues and riparian restoration. This list was revised as part of the Colorado River Basin Tamarisk and Russian Olive Assessment.