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

6^th Annual Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration - Call for Abstracts Feb 1, 2012

History and Values in Ecological Restoration Workshop--Call for Papers- Due Feb 20, 2012
This workshop focuses on restoration in landscapes with complex histories, shaped by the ongoing interaction between humans and nature.

EC12 Annual Conference & Expo of the International Erosion Control Association-
February 26-29, 2012

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

SER-Midwest-Great Lakes 4th Annual Meeting-Call for Abstracts- Due March 9, 2012
 The SER-MWGL chapter is holding their 4^th annual meeting May 4-6, 2012 at the University of Michigan. Oral and poster presentation submission are due by March 9, 2012.

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

20th High Altitude Revegetation Workshop - Ft Collins, CO - March 6 - 8, 2012

ER Special Issue on Corridor Restoration - Call for Papers- April 1, 2012

Urban Wetland Restoration Course- Halifax, Nova Scotia: April 30-May 2, 2012
This three day Urban Wetland Restoration course will teach participants how to begin to reverse this trend. A day of classroom lecture and discussion with wetland guru, Kevin Erwin, and local ecologists will instill the theory and practice of wetland restoration.

EcoSummit 2012-Ecological Sustainability- September 30- October 5, 2012

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

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

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

VIDEOS: Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition Highlights Need for Conservation Efforts
The Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition kicked off Jan. 17, sending the four Floridian explorers -- a biologist, a conservationist, a photojournalist and a filmmaker -- on a race of their own across 1,000 miles of dwindling wilderness. The 100-day journey aims to publicize the need for linked habitats in Florida, and ultimately for "a viable corridor from the Everglades to Georgia."

VIDEO: Washington: A landscape-scale experiment in restoring Ozark glades
A giant experiment is under way at the Tyson Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis' 2,000-acre outdoor laboratory for ecosystem studies. The experiment, led by Tiffany Knight, PhD, will test three different variables in 32 glades with the goal of establishing best practices for restoring not just degraded glade habitats but degraded ecosystems in general.

UW-Madison professor awarded highest honor for environmental work in South Korea
Jae "Jim" Park, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UW-Madison and a native of South Korea, received the Order of Service Merit (red stripes medal) this month in Seoul, for his contributions to the multibillion-dollar Four Major Rivers Restoration Project.

A Vast Canadian Wilderness Poised for a Uranium Boom
Canada's Nunavut Territory is the largest undisturbed wilderness in the Northern Hemisphere. It also contains large deposits of uranium, generating intense interest from mining companies and raising concerns that a mining boom could harm the caribou at the center of Inuit life.

Global Warming: How Will Arctic Ecosystems Change?
The increase in hunting territories available to killer whales in the Arctic due to climate change and melting sea ice could seriously affect the marine ecosystem balance. Some new research, recently published in BioMed Central's re-launched open access journal Aquatic Biosystems, has combined scientific observations with Canadian Inuit traditional knowledge to start answering some of those questions by determing killer whale behaviour and diet in the Arctic.

UK needs scientific research into agroecology not GM
The greatest challenge facing agricultural scientists is how to work with farmers producing more ecological and healthier food - not GM, argues Patrick Mulvany, chair of the UK Food Group and advisor to Practical Action. There is a rising tide of support, backed by the IAASTD, for more ecological, environmentally-friendly and health-enhancing approaches to food production that will enhance agricultural biodiversity, soils, water and climate.

Canada: Ancient Bison DNA holds clues to climate change adaptation
Thirty-thousand-year-old bison bones discovered in permafrost at a Canadian goldmine are helping scientists unravel the mystery about how animals adapt to rapid environmental change.

Philippines struggles to preserve marine biodiversity
In a presentation at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) conference yesterday, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) lamented that efforts to restore the biodiversity of the coastal and marine ecosystem are dispersed and uncoordinated.

UK: Dales trees project to off-set carbon footprint
EcoPoint works by allowing companies with business vehicles to fund green initiatives by paying an additional 50p a month on their fuel cards. The intention is to create more habitats for wildlife and absorb carbon dioxide. In 2011 the EcoPoint scheme raised £2,700 for the scheme, which will fund the creation of just over an acre of additional native woodland.

Prescribed Fires Promote Long-term Preservation of Texas Grasslands
The current issue of the journal Rangeland Ecology & Management describes a 12-year study of a semiarid live oak savanna in Texas. The study found that fire can reduce woody plant species without having a long-term, negative effect on desired grasses.

Israel: Biodiversity enhances ecosystems global drylands 
An international team of researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev suggest in a new study that plant biodiversity preservation is crucial to buffer negative effects of climate change and desertification in drylands.

New Zealand: Council Welcomes Rena Environmental Recovery Plan
 Environment Minister Nick Smith yesterday launched the environmental recovery plan, to address the long term effects of the Rena disaster on the wider Bay of Plenty region. The plan identifies the environmental issues for the beaches, seabed, water, fisheries, wildlife and management of waste and sets out who is responsible for the recovery and monitoring of each.

Peru's Vanishing Fish Stocks 'Devastated' by Corruption and Growing Fishmeal Demand
 The fish stocks of the southern Pacific and in particular Peru are being plundered by widespread cheating and overfishing, according to a new investigation. Peru is the world's second largest fishing nation after China, with the majority of its catch converted into fishmeal, a feed for farmed fish and pigs. More than a million tons a year are exported mostly to Asia, in a trade worth $1.6 billion.

Maryland: Legislation Keeps Flush Tax Money At Intended Source
With a proposal on the table to double, or even triple, the state's "flush tax," a tax on septic systems put in place several years ago to preserve and protect the coastal bays and the Chesapeake Bay, a handful of bills have been introduced in the General Assembly to ensure the revenue collected remains dedicated to its intended purpose. Over the years, legislators have continually raided the bay restoration for other purposes, for example, in 2011 state lawmakers approved a $290 million transfer from the Bay Restoration Fund and the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010 Trust Fund into Maryland's general fund for other purposes.

California: Final plan emerges for steelhead's return
After years of study, workshops, and hearings -and delays - the National Marine Fisheries Service has completed a plan for returning the steelhead to rivers in several counties, including San Diego, Riverside and Orange.

Oregon: Beavers' Comeback Helps Restore Ecosystems
Biologist Chris Jordan of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle is studying a willing, able, and cheap restoration labor force: beavers. As research by Jordan and others reveals beavers' benefits for streams, some conservationists and land managers are encouraging the rodents to get to work, both to restore fish habitat and to slow the flow of precious spring snowmelt.

UK: A Wildlife habitat in north Durham is set to be restored to its former glory
Durham Wildlife Trust has bought around 7.5 hectares of land at its Stanley Moss nature reserve, near Sunniside, for a nominal £1. The trust plans to extend Stanley Moss and re-hydrate the area by blocking up old forestry drains and drainage grips, and to then restore the rare habitat as well as protect the existing neighbouring peat bog.

Canada: Peter Kent Announces Plans for Bison in Banff
Parks Canada says it believes bison can be successfully reintroduced into Banff National Park. The minister responsible for national parks was in Banff today to announce the start of consultations.

U.S. to Open up Remaining Gulf Oil Leases
The federal government Thursday announced plans to sell off oil and gas leases on 38 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico seafloor in a new domestic energy push by the Obama administration. Supporters say more energy exploration will bring more jobs, but others remain wary of the risks illuminated when the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon blew up and sank in April 2010.

Washington: DuPont Approves Watershed Restoration Agreement
The DuPont City Council has authorized the city's mayor to sign a settlement agreement allowing development of a plan to restore the Sequalitchew Creek watershed, including Edmond Marsh. The Settlement Agreement also allows CalPortland Co. to apply for gravel mining and reclamation permits in areas adjacent to its existing mine.

Nigeria/Norway: Call for Norwegian Government Pension Fund disinvestment in Shell
An eminent group of scientists and professionals have sent a collective communication to the Norwegian Government Pension Fund recommending disinvestment in the oil giant Royal Dutch Shell on ethical grounds. The pension fund has already dis-invested in several mining and forestry companies "known to cause severe environmental and human rights related harm in their operations." If the campaign is successful, which focuses on Shell's horrendous track record in Nigeria, Royal Dutch Shell would be the first oil and gas company the fund would exclude from its portfolio.

Florida: Long-Term Response Plan for Cuban Oil Spill
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and Florida International University (FIU) researchers have drafted a plan to best prepare South Florida for an oil spill off the coast of Cuba. The proximity of intended Cuban oil drilling and production puts the U.S. coastal zone at risk from Florida to the Carolinas and northward.

India: Karanji Lake Islands to be Tourism Hotspots
Six islands situated in the Karanji Lake Nature Park here will be developed as tourist spots by Mysore zoo authorities soon. One island which was in a dilapidated condition has already been developed. Karnataka Zoo Authority chairman M Nanjudaswamy told ToI that the island restoration work will be taken up one after the other keeping in view breeding season of birds.

US: Grassland Reserve Program Announced- 2012 Funding Closes Feb 3, 2012
The GRP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to landowners and operators for the restoration and conservation of the nation's grasslands. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Rogers/Tulsa County Farm Service Agency (FSA) are now accepting applications for the 2012 Grasslands Reserve Program (GRP).   The Grassland Reserve Program is jointly administered by NRCS and FSA.

USDA General Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program Funding- Closes Feb 10, 2012
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Kansas State Conservationist Eric B. Banks announced recently the availability of General Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) funding to enter into agreements with eligible partners to carry out high priority wetland protection, restoration and enhancement activities on eligible lands. WREP is a voluntary conservation program that works through partnership agreements with states, nongovernmental organizations and tribes.

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: NOAA Natural Resources Damage Assessment Grants-Closes Feb 23, 2012
 NOAA cooperates with the public to identify restoration projects that benefit a wide variety of habitats and biological resources and will partner with non-profit groups, local governments, and other organizations to carry out the restoration. The deadline for applications is February 23, 2012.

US: Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife- Closes Feb 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.

Alabama: Longleaf Pine restoration grant available - Closes March 1, 2012
The Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is currently accepting applications through its Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) to continue longleaf pine restoration efforts in Alabama. The grant was awarded through a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and will be made available to qualifying landowners for longleaf pine restoration on private lands.

California American Water Funds 2012 Environmental Grant Program-Closes March 9, 2012
California American Water announced it is accepting applications for its 2012 Environmental Grant Program. The company will award several grants for a combined total of $10,000 to innovative community-based environmental projects that improve, restore or protect watersheds and drinking water supplies within the state. Applications must be postmarked by March 19, 2012.

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.