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SER2013
October 6-11, 2013
Madison, Wisconsin |
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EcoSummit
Sept. 30- Oct 5, 2012
Columbus, Ohio |
Renew your SER membership today so you don't miss a single issue of RESTORE! |
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RESTORE is a free bi-weekly e-bulletin provided to current members of SER. RESTORE links you to the latest breaking news stories keeping you up-to-date on a wide variety of topics related to ecological restoration. To contact the editors, please email info@ser.org. |
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SER in the News
EcoSummit 2012 will feature research and opinions of experts from 75 countries. How to restore damaged ecosystems in the face of a changing climate is another big issue. One such problem plays out in Louisiana, where ecologists are looking for ways to reverse losses to the state's coastal wetlands. "If you are looking at a coastal system that may be inundated with water in 50 years, what is the appropriate way to restore that?" said Steve Bosak, the director of the Washington, D.C.-based Society for Ecological Restoration. SER Board member Carolyn Browning discussed the challenges faces in cleaning up the pollution-plagued Bagmati River in Nepal.
SER Publishes Information Notes for Convention on Biological Diversity COP11
SER, in collaboration with our global partners, has published three Information Notes for the upcoming meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP11 in India (October 8-19, 2012). Although these are static documents, we expect that they will provide the foundation for a dynamic open-access database and web portal where those interested can search for documents, case studies and other practical tools. SER welcomes your comments on these documents as well as links to references that were inadvertently omitted (note that these must be publicly available documents). Click here to access the four Information Notes.
SER2013 Call for Proposals Now Open!
The Call for Proposals for Symposia, Workshops, and Training Courses for SER's 5th World Conference on Ecological Restoration is now open. We encourage you to review the call and submit a proposal by clicking here.
Don't forget: SER Members receive a 25% off ALL Island Press book purchases. Contact caroline@ser.org for details! |
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People in the News
Ohio: Ecologists Debate Best Way to Restore Land At Ecosummit 2012
What sounds a little like fortune-cookie wisdom is a key strategy several ecologists offered yesterday during the first day of EcoSummit 2012 to help fix some of Earth's most-damaged natural areas. For Dave Polster, a British Columbia ecologist who works on closed Canadian strip mines, it means planting native trees that will help foster the growth of other plants and trees found in nearby forests.
Can We Bring Back the Wilderness?
Once a rainforest is gone, it's gone forever, right? Not necessarily. Katherine Rowland surveys the brave new world of restoration ecology: the art of breathing new life into dying lands. Ever since Aldo Leopold warned of a world irrevocably diminished by human appetite, conservationists have urged that we "act now, before it's too late". But what if nature's end was not a foregone conclusion? Imagine if we could recreate lost rivers, meadows, rainforests even.
Massachusetts: Stony Brook Restoration Project Earns U.S. Award
The Stony Brook Salt Marsh and Fish Passage Restoration Project, is set to receive the U.S. Coastal America Partnership Award which also includes the Lower Mill Pond Dam and Fish Passage Improvement Project and the Freeman's Pond Salt Marsh Restoration Project. Altogether, the entire project will restore 41 acres of impaired salt marsh and 3,300 feet of fish passage to 386 acres of river herring habitat in five lakes in the Stony Brook watershed in Brewster, according to a press release from the town. The Coastal America Partnership award is the only award of its kind presented by President Obama's administration for on-the-ground environmental restoration partnerships.
California: CoCa-Cola Teams Up with American Rivers to Restore Indian Valley Meadow
This fall, to reduce the water footprint of their bottling plant east of San Francisco, Coca-Cola is teaming up with American Rivers, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the US Forest Service and others to restore the Indian Valley meadow on the Sierra Crest, in the headwaters of the Mokelumne River. Restoration in Indian Valley will repair one mile of eroded stream channel and replenish 80 million gallons of groundwater to the meadow. |
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New Books & Articles
UN & Experts Warn of 'Water Bankruptcy' After Reviewing 200 Major Global Water Projects
A study of almost 200 major international water-related projects over the past 20 years has identified a suite of existing and emerging challenges and how science can offer remedies. Insufficient and disjointed management of human demands on water and aquatic systems has led to situations where both social and ecological systems are in jeopardy and have even collapsed, says the report.
Report Analyzes U.S. Forest Service Restoration Initiatives and Water Quality in Our Forests
In a new report, The Wildlife Society examines the relationship between two U.S. Forest Service restoration initiatives that were launched in 2010 and deal with water quality: the Watershed Condition Framework and the Travel Analysis Process. The Watershed Condition Framework directly focuses on watershed restoration through the development of Watershed Restoration Action Plans, which identify a suite of restoration activities. The completion of Travel Analysis results in identifying an efficient and sustainable network of roads, including a list of unneeded roads that can be decommissioned, for each of the 155 national forest and grasslands.
Washington: Finding the River- History Profs Book Examines Elwha River's History
Jeff Crane associate professor of history at Sam Houston State University, has spent the past decade thinking about the Elwha River and its connection to environmental history. His recently published a book Finding the River, which was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award, focuses on what happened to the river and what the recent demolition of its dams has done for the ecological landscape of the area. "Environmental restoration is one of the key strategies of the environmental movement," he said. "
California: Study Examines Defensible Space and Erosion Control
A three-year study of defensible space and erosion control conducted by a group of local organizations found that tilling aged wood chips into the soil is most effective at minimizing fire risk and preventing erosion. According to a press release from Integrated Environmental Restoration Services Inc., the study aimed to find common ground between landscape treatments effective at preventing erosion and minimizing fire risk. |
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Restoring Natural Capital (RNC)
Canada: Natural Capital in Rouge National Park
This report provides the first-ever estimate of the economic value of ecosystem services provided by Canada's future Rouge National Park and its surrounding watersheds. Using valuation techniques from the field of natural capital economics, the report estimates that the Rouge region's rich tapestry of natural, agricultural and cultural assets provide more than $115 million in economic benefits each year, including $12.5 million in benefits from the almost 6,000-hectare proposed Rouge National Park.
Published in 1989, Blueprint for a Green Economy presented, for the first time, practical policy measures for 'greening' modern economies and putting them on a path to sustainable development. This new book, written by two of the Blueprint for a Green Economy authors, revisits and updates its main messages by asking, first, what has been achieved in the past twenty years, and second, what more needs to be done to generate a truly 'green economy' in the twenty-first century? Over twenty years later, A New Blueprint for a Green Economy once again emphasizes practical policies for greening modern economies, and explains why such an economic roadmap to a greener future is essential, if modern economies are to develop successfully and sustainably. |
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Agro-Ecology
Africa: Researchers Propose New Way to Save Africa's Beleaguered Soils
A Washington State University researcher and colleagues make a case in the journal Nature for a new type of agriculture that could restore the beleaguered soils of Africa and help the continent feed itself in the coming decades. Their system, which they call "perenniation," mixes food crops with trees and perennial plants, which live for two years or more. Thousands of farmers are already trying variations of perenniation, which reduces the need for artificial inputs while improving soil and in some cases dramatically increasing yields.
Florida: Regulatory Predictability to Help FL Farmers Improve Gopher Tortoise Habitat
An agreement between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will provide long-term regulatory predictability for up to 30 years to Florida's farmers, ranchers and forest landowners participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) initiative. The agreement builds on a $33 million investment NRCS announced last spring dedicated toward producers who develop and implement conservation plans to manage and restore high-priority habitats for seven specific wildlife species across the country. With today's agreement, farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who implement and voluntarily agree to maintain the proven conservation practices in WLFW will have addressed the related ESA regulatory responsibilities for up to 30 years.
Indigenous Agroforestry 'May Improve Livelihoods'
Smallholder farmers should use their indigenous knowledge of trees to boost incomes and drive social development, according to a new book by Roger Leakey, vice chairman of the International Tree Foundation and renowned tree biologist. Leakey said his new book 'Living with the Trees of Life: Towards the Transformation of Tropical Agriculture' is the world's first research-based guide for agroforestry. |
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Biodiverity & Climate Change
A revolutionary new tool is now available to help restore the Gulf of Mexico's disappearing coastal wetlands -- Louisiana's first line of defense against damaging hurricanes like Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Isaac. Here's how it works: When Mississippi River delta wetlands are restored, landowners can use the new methodology to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions the rebuilt wetlands will absorb over time.The result is registered carbon credits, which landowners can sell to companies that want to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. The proceeds from the sale of carbon credits help offset the landowner's costs for wetland restoration activities.
Although it's long been known that marshes and wetlands are key to the growth and survival of many marine species, a new study released earlier this month by Duke University and Oregon State University shines light on a lesser-known fact: destroying them releases copious amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. According to a Duke News press release, "The analysis in the study provides the most comprehensive estimate of global carbon emissions from the loss of these coastal habitats to date - 0.15 to 1.2 billion tons - and suggests there is a high value associated with keeping these coastal-marine ecosystems intact, as the release of their stored carbon costs roughly $6-$42 billion annually. |
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Forest Restoration
Backing up an earlier ruling by a Sacramento judge, a federal appellate court has rejected a challenge to the U.S. Forest Service's effort to reduce the risk of the disastrous 2007 Angora fire near South Lake Tahoe from reoccurring. U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. last year tossed out a lawsuit in which Earth Island Institute and the Center for Biological Diversity claimed the Forest Service ignored the law when it "failed to take a hard look" at the impact of the Angora Fire Restoration Project on a bird species, on future fire behavior and on climate change.
Oregon: Restoration Vs. Exploitation- Forest Service Leads The Way
A decade ago the timber program of the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest had been embroiled in controversy for so long that many people thought that a solution that got logs to local mills while protecting wildlife and watersheds would never happen. But the Forest Service found a way forward. Conservation groups liked the focus on thinning fire-suppressed stands and the restoration of dry forest sites. Local mills liked that it would produce up to 20 million board feet of valuable commercial timber. It represented a leap forward for BLM forest management. |
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Wetland Restoration
New Zealand: Recycled Wetland Restoring Quality
A floating wetland made up of hundreds of thousands of recycled plastic bottles is an effective method of restoring Lake Rotorua's water quality according to the Minister of Environment. The floating wetland, which was launched in July last year, is part of the restoration program to which the Government has contributed $72.1 million. The wetland consists of 20,000 native plants and more than 400,000 recycled plastic bottles, and is reducing nitrogen and phosphorus in the water.
Washington: Union River Estuary Restoration Begins
Rumbling excavators and other earth-moving equipment have begun to reshape the former Johnson Farm in a $1.8 million restoration project at the mouth of the Union River in Belfair. Next summer, construction crews will rip two big holes in an 80-year-old farm dike, allowing the waters of Hood Canal to rush in and reclaim more than 30 acres of salt marsh. The restored intertidal wetlands will become prime habitat for threatened salmon species, including Hood Canal summer chum, according to Neil Werner, director of the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center, which now occupies the old farmstead.
California: Restoring the Balona Wetlands (VIDEO)
The Ballona Wetlands stretch from Playa del Rey to Venice. The site is owned by the state and managed by the California Department of Fish and Game as an ecological reserve. The California Coastal Conservancy and the California State Lands Commission are partners in the planning and restoration of the wetlands. |
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River & Watershed Restoration
Scientists this summer found a surprise living at the bottom of the Lafayette River: a seahorse. The discovery sparked curiosity and excitement among those who follow the restoration of the waterway, a branch of the industrial Elizabeth River, and caused researchers to suggest that this little creature may signal something big. These multicolored creatures typically attach themselves to eel grass beds in the Bay by curling their tails around swaying grass stalks. Eel grass beds, however, are struggling to survive against pressures such as warmer water temperatures, cloudy water quality and pollution. Seahorses, not surprisingly, are struggling, too.
A Lesson from Japanese River Restoration
This articles is an interview with Dr. Hideaki Kawasaki who is the principal engineer for Japan Dam Engineering Centre. "Japan has a long history of modifying its waterways, stretching back to nearly 2,000 years ago when it transformed the landscape in attempts to grow rice." "In many cities, rivers became the last bastion or preserve of open space for amenities and recreation. Playing with water became one of the last few things to do when urbanites wanted to relax, and many parks and playgrounds were built along the rivers Although these projects were more recreational in nature rather than ecological in purpose, these helped to turn people's eyes back to "nature." People started to acknowledge the importance of nature conservation and restoration."
Shad Resurgence Marks a Cleaner Delaware River
American shad were once so common that East Coast rivers were described as being "black" and "boiling" as tens of millions of fish migrated upstream each spring to spawn. In New Jersey, they're working in tandem with environmentalists who hope to rehabilitate not just shad, but the network of rivers, bays, streams, and marshes that make up this region's watershed. As the shad population increases, the presence of other aquatic life increases as well. It's an elegantly simple equation: more shad equals cleaner water, cleaner water equals more shad.
Oregon: Biologists Say Restoration Efforts at Ashland Creek Are Paying Off for Fish
A restoration project has turned up hundreds of young steelhead and other fish in Ashland Creek in Southern Oregon, showing that years of restoration efforts are paying off, biologists say. They were recovered while a 300-foot section of the creek was drained for habitat improvement work that included removing a century-old irrigation dam.
Massachusetts: Meyer- The Connecticut River for the Next Half-Century
The Connecticut belongs to the public, but licenses allow the leasing of a certain amount of flow to corporations to produce power, while dictating conditions that will protect the public's interest in a restored and functioning ecosystem - including migratory and resident fish, and other riverine species and critical habitat. Today, the Connecticut River ecosystem restoration fails profoundly at approximately river mile 120, where most of the river's flow and its upstream migratory fish have been shunted out of the riverbed and into the Turners Falls Power Canal. The Connecticut River above the Northfield Mountain/Turners Falls hydro facilities has never been restored to anything resembling a functioning ecosystem. |
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Grassland Restoration
UK: Researchers Test Restoration Techniques on Central Whidbey Grasslands
Patches of prairie on Central Whidbey last week were once again ablaze with the fires of science. For the third year in a row, researchers and land managers with various organizations from around the state conducted controlled burns of grasslands at Ebey's Bluff and the Pacific Rim Institute of Environmental Stewardship. The specific goals and objectives of each group vary, but all are essentially looking at how the regular use of fire can affect prairie ecosystems and its applications for land management.
UK: Cumbria Wildflowers Thrive after Hay Meadow Restoration
Cumbria Wildlife Trust and a group of volunteers restored a hay meadow at Row Foot, Ravenstonedale, after tests showed the soil had low fertility. By harrowing the ground, they reduced the dominance of grasses and created germination sites for the wildflowers. The ground was then spread with green hay and meadow grasses before about 4,000 wildflowers were planted.
UK: Portland Quarry Nature Reserves Restored for Butterflies
A zip wire, a remote-controlled car and a video camera are helping to safeguard the future of rare butterflies and plants at disused quarry sites in Dorset. The limestone grassland sites on the Isle of Portland, which are now nature reserves and managed by Dorset Wildlife Trust, are home to nationally important colonies of butterflies, such as the chalkhill blue and small blue.
Minnesota: St. Peter Community Dedicates Prairie Restoration Project
The prairie was planted in 2008, following extensive fundraisers and grants, one in particular given by The Carl and Verna Schmidt Foundation, which offered a matching grant of $200,000. The goals of the project are to enhance and restore a native Minnesota habitat to what they would have looked like prior to settlement. At one time, the prairie extended between here and the Rocky Mountains, and even spanned from Texas to Canada. |
Lake Restoration
Kenya: Novel Plastic-And-Papyrus Restoration Project
Plans are being implemented to create plastic floating islands containing papyrus plants to help protect the ecosystems of a renowned lake in the Rift Valley, Kenya. The German REWE Group is funding a papyrus restoration partnership between UK-owned tea producer and flower grower Finlays and Dr David Harper, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Leicester, which aims to recreate the water-cleansing services of papyrus as artificial floating islands.
India: Jammu and Kashmir Establishes Wullar Lake Development Authority
After nearly two years of inordinate delay the Jammu and Kashmir Government has finally constituted the Wullar Development Authority (WDA) to restore the pristine glory of Asia's largest freshwater lake - Wullar - in north Kashmir. Officials said the formation of the WDA will streamline implementation of the ambitious Wullar Conservation Project. The formation of the WDA has been facing inordinate delay since 2010 in absence of approval by the State Cabinet, drawing flak from the environmentalists.
Kenya: Efforts To Save Lake Naivasha Bears Fruit
Water levels in Lake Naivasha are on the rise following the conservation efforts by various stakeholders around the lake to conserve it. Flower farms, fishermen and farmers at catchment areas are running joint restoration efforts aimed at limiting pollution and wastage of the lake's water. Currently water levels are at 1889.57 meters and according to Craig Olton the production manager of Finlay Horticulture one of the horticultural companies engaged in the lake's restoration efforts. |
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Coastal & Marine Restoration
It's no secret that oysters are suffering in the bay. Numbers still remain below 1% of their historic levels, according to a recent study from the University of Maryland. Historically over-harvested and hard-hit by diseases in the 1980s, oysters are now developing disease-resistance through natural breeding processes, Bay Foundation Communications Coordinator Tom Zolper said. There are three components to oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay: establishing no-harvest oyster sanctuaries, restoring natural oyster reefs and expanding aquaculture. |
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Wildlife Restoration
Conflict and Perseverance: Rehabilitating A Forgotten Park in the Congo
Zebra racing across the yellow-green savannah is an iconic image for Africa, but imagine you're seeing this not in Kenya or South Africa, but in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Welcome to Upemba National Park: Once a jewel in the crown of African wildlife, this protected area has been decimated by civil war. Now, a new bold initiative by the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), dubbed Forgotten Parks, is working to rehabilitate Upemba after not only decades of conflict but also poaching, neglect, and severe poverty.
Washington: Endangered Karner Blue Butterflies Bring People Together
There might be many people in central Wisconsin who don't know much about the Karner blue butterfly, Samantha Bussan said, but the region plays an important role in keeping the species alive. Bussan is president of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Society for Ecological Restoration. The UWSP Society for Ecological Restoration has worked over the years to help clear areas to help plant wild lupine at the Little Plover River State Fisheries Area. In addition to guided nature hikes, exhibits, food and music, people attending Saturday's event had an opportunity to do some planting themselves.
US: Turkey Federation Joins Efforts to Bring Back Bobwhites
The NWTF has agreed to lend its organizational muscle and habitat restoration experience to efforts to bring back the Northern bobwhite, commonly referred to as quail. Both organizations know the restoration of bobwhites will be a multi-year, and perhaps multi-generational project. Brent Lawrence, director of communications for the NWTF, said the number of wild turkeys nationwide dwindled to about 30,000 in the early 1900s. Today, that number has grown to 7 million. |
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Extractive Industries
Inner Mongolia Sinking under the Weight of Its Mining Industry
The typical traveler imagines Inner Mongolia as an endless field of grassland, punctuated by mountains and the occasional yurt. In recent times however, swathes of the remote region have begun to look pocked and cratered like the surface of the moon. Now the grasslands are sinking, pollution is rising and desertification threatens the area's delicate ecological balance. Local land resources authorities said they've been trying to fill the pits and have already invested 60 million yuan over the past 10 years in grassland restoration, according to a China Enterprise News report.
Canada: Top Mine Restoration Award for Tsolum River Partnership
The Tsolum River Partnership has won the top provincial award for mine restoration. It had received the prestigious Jake McDonald Award for innovative work that ensured the abandoned Mount Washington Copper Mine was capped, sealed and covered, securing dramatic improvements to water quality in the Tsolum River. In 1999, the dying Tsolum was named as B.C.'s most threatened river as a result of over 30 years of leaching from the mine, which closed in 1967.
Washington: Trout Unlimited, Mining Company Team Up For River Restoration
While controversy swirls around the mining of silica sand, many of the industry's opponents have negative views of area mining companies. Conversely, many other people - including members of a local Trout Unlimited chapter - are recognizing positive attributes of one company in particular, the Wisconsin Industrial Sand Company, a subsidiary of Fairmount Minerals. A newly restored stretch of the river connects two previous habitat restoration projects that were finished in 2000 and 2007. |
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Invasive Species
Ten years after netting operations began, fisheries biologists are finally reaching kill levels necessary to effectively suppress Yellowstone Lake's lake trout population. The netting, which is expected to remove 300,000 fish this year, is an integral part of the effort to restore populations of native cutthroat trout. About 500,000 catchable-sized lake trout, invasive and illegally introduced in the early 1990s, are believed to swarm the waters of the 139-square-mile high-elevation lake. Because Yellowstone Lake is so big, the lake trout will never be eradicated. |
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Urban Restoration
Polish TEEB Guide for Cities Released
The guide "Nature in the city. Ecosystem services - untapped potential of cities" is a collection of articles based on the Polish experience but also refers to best knowledge and examples from abroad.
Ohio: Urban River Restoration Project Featured at EcoSummit 2012
In the weeks leading up to EcoSummit 2012, the City of Columbus and The Ohio State University are overseeing one of the largest efforts to return an urban area river to a more natural state. "We certainly didn't time the river's restoration to coincide with EcoSummit 2012, but we'll take full advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate to conference delegates that natural habitats have a necessary and welcome home in a major urban area such as Columbus," said Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman.
Urban Agriculture Sprouts in Brazil's Favelas
Organic agriculture is a growing trend in big cities around the world, including Latin America, and now the favelas of Brazil are no exception. A pioneering initiative is now underway in two favelas or shantytowns in particular: Babilônia and Chapéu Mangueira, both located in the southern Rio de Janeiro district of Leme. The initiative forms part of Rio's Sustainable City programme, being carried out by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS). So far, 16 residents of the favelas have volunteered for five months of training in techniques for growing crops in household planters.
Urban Restoration Starts with Soil
Only once a person is searching for a place to grow food do the semi-paved, chain-link skirted, weed-filled lots start to seem like places worth looking at. Urban agriculture is not restoration so much as it is reclamation. The vacant lot, which itself has a history of use and disuse, doesn't beg to be put back into some old purpose. Urban farmers are not rebuilding houses. They are building soil. The foundations they lay are not made of concrete. But city farmers repurpose space more than they restore it. What they build is not a new house, or a new shop, but a new modality for the use of city land.
New Jersey: Lake at Nomahegan Park in Cranford, Will Undergo Restoration
The lake at Union County's Nomahegan Park in Cranford, one of the most popular parks in the Union County Park System, will soon undergo a $1.5 million restoration. The restoration of the 7.5-acre lake follows the rehabilitation of Upper Echo Lake in Echo Lake Park last year and is part of a four-lake restoration project that also includes Rahway River Park in Rahway, Briant Park in Summit and Meisel Avenue Park in Springfield. |
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Recreation & Tourism
Texas: Tourism Leaders Take in Progress
Members of the San Antonio Hotel & Lodging Association craned their necks Tuesday to catch a glimpse of a snowy egret sitting next to the San Antonio River where it crosses Mitchell Street. With two phases of river improvement south of downtown already completed, a final Mission Reach phase that focuses on a six-mile stretch from Mission Road to Mission Espada should be completed in late summer of next year, said Matthew Driffill, education specialist for SARA. He particularly impressed industry leaders when he said its completion and connection to other public lands from the southern tip of Mission Espada to Brackenridge Park will cover more than 2,400 acres - about three times the size of Central Park in New York City. |
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Get Involved
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Funding Opportunities
Seeking Innovative Conservation Ideas in Western North America
A private foundation is looking to support projects in western North America that break new ground, foster innovative conservation thinking, or work in areas that have received little attention. Successful projects would have significant potential impact, either directly by demonstrating important ecological benefits, or indirectly by pioneering new strategies that could be widely applicable in the conservation realm. Projects should be ambitious in scope and vision ($2-8 million), produce tangible, measurable, on-the-ground results within 3-5 years, and focus on key conservation issues. If research or planning is a significant component of the project, these must be supported by other funds. Sell them your idea today by submitting a brief description - (no more than 1 page) to: InnovativeConservation@gmail.com.
California: Central Valley Project Improvement Act Habitat Restoration Program Grants- Oct 5, 2012
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation today announced the availability of over $2.2 million in grants to improve conditions for federally- imperiled species and their habitats impacted by the Central Valley Project (CVP). The 2012 grants continue 18 years of funding projects. This year, four categories of projects will be funded: land acquisition (fee title and conservation easement); habitat restoration; research; and captive breeding.
Michigan: Emergency Forest Restoration Program - October 9, 2012
The Department of Natural Resources and the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency have announced that landowners affected by the Duck Lake Fire in Michigan can sign up for the Emergency Forest Restoration Program. The application period runs through Oct. 9. According to a DNR press release, the EFRP is a "cost-share assistance program that provides payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest land to help restore land damaged by a natural disaster."
American Forests is now offering grants for restoration tree planting projects as part of its Global ReLeaf program. Since 1988, Global ReLeaf has supported the planting of over 40 million trees both domestically and internationally. Global ReLeaf projects have addressed a variety of needs and issues, including restoration of wildlife habitat and watersheds, recovery from natural disasters, societal and recreational benefits, urban forest coverage, and more. American Forests is currently accepting applications for 2013 to continue this legacy of restoring areas in critical need of reforestation. Groups and qualified individuals with disabilities and other diverse groups are encouraged to apply to the reforestation grantmaking program.
Canada: Environmental Initiatives Program (EIP) of Columbia Basin Trust- Due October 26, 2012
Columbia Basin groups wishing to help maintain or enhance environmental conditions in and around their communities are invited to submit project ideas to the Environmental Initiatives Program (EIP) of Columbia Basin Trust (CBT). Over the past 11 years, the program has provided over $5 million in funding for environmental conservation, restoration, stewardship and education projects across the Basin. The program's small grants stream, geared at projects under $10,000, has a continuous application intake depending on available funding. The large grants stream has an annual intake, and, for 2012 - 13, will fund projects up to $50,000. The next application deadline is 3:30 p.m. PDT/4:30 MDT on October 26, 2012.
NOAA: Community-based Marine Debris Removal Grant- Closes November 1, 2012
In cooperation with the NOAA Restoration Center, the NOAA Marine Debris Program offers funding that supports locally driven, community-based marine debris prevention and removal projects. These projects benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and wildlife including migratory fish. Projects awarded through this grant competition have strong on-the-ground habitat components involving the removal of marine debris and derelict fishing gear, as well as activities that provide social benefits for people and their communities in addition to long-term ecological habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources.
Washington State Urban Forestry Restoration Project- Due December 31, 2012
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is providing assistance to local governments starting in Clark, King, and Pierce counties that want to improve the health of their urban forests. Other cities or counties may apply for the same type of projects. The Urban Forestry Restoration Project is an exciting opportunity to increase the health of urban forests in the Puget Sound Basin and southwest Washington areas. The project will help to enhance effectiveness of urban forests in managing stormwater and improving water quality. DNR's Urban and Community Forestry Program will provide crews from Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) and Puget SoundCorps to assist city and county governments with urban forestry activities that help restore urban forests. Projects may be submitted for assistance through December 31, 2012. All projects must completed by June 30, 2013.
US: DEP Grants to Restore & Protect Coastal Zones in Pennsylvania- 2013 Applications Open
The Department of Environmental Protection has awarded more than $900,000 in annual coastal zone management grants to organizations dedicated to protecting and preserving Pennsylvania's coastal zones along Lake Erie and the Delaware Estuary. The agency is now accepting applications for 2013. Coastal zone management grants support programs that measure the impact of various pollution sources; improve public access; preserve habitats; and educate the public about the benefits of the state's coastal zones.
US: Conservation Reserve Program Initiative to Restore Grasslands, Wetlands and Wildlife
USDA's CRP has a 25-year legacy of successfully protecting the nation's natural resources through voluntary participation, while providing significant economic and environmental benefits to rural communities across the United States. Rather than wait for a general sign-up (the process under which most CRP acres are enrolled), producers whose land meet eligibility criteria can enroll directly in this "continuous" category at any time.
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 Partnership Funding for the 2012 cycle of the Gulf of Mexico Foundation's Community-based Restoration Partnership (CRP) is now available. The CRP has 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
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. |
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