New Book: Les Arbres des deserts: enjeux et promesses
 In this new book, published in French, Édouard Le Floc'h and James Aronson explore the deserts and their margins by taking the trees as guides. It is not an encyclopedia of desert trees, but rather a personal synthesis, based on the journey of these two ecologists over the past four decades and on the work of climatologists, geomorphologists, botanists, ethnologists and other explorers of the deserts. The book focuses on the role trees play in the conservation, sustainable management, and ecological restoration of these desert environments.

Can We Restore Earth's Lost Landscapes?
 The environmental strategy of restoration means re-creating lost ecosystems for some. For other people it's about managing the new ones that are developing.

Guatemala's Ambitious Project to Capture 1.8 Million Tons of Carbon
 An ambitious agroforestry project to be developed over the next 20 years in a Guatemalan reserve for protecting water springs, seeks to capture 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) to help correct climate change on the planet.

Groundbreaking Mapping Project Depicts Forest Change Around The Globe
Scientists from Google, U.S. universities, and federal agencies have for the first time produced a high-resolution global map showing in striking detail the extent of deforestation across the globe.

New Hope for Haiti's Decimated Forests
 Small farmers could play an important part in making Haiti - where just two percent of trees are still standing - green again. Inspired by the success of its Humbo forestry project in Ethiopia, developed under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), World Vision Australia has just completed a scoping mission to both countries, to examine the potential for natural regeneration of forests through "Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration" (FMNR).

Brazil: World Bank Reports on Reforestation Benefits in Rio de Janeiro
 The World Bank has reported on the impacts of reforestation efforts around Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, including species recovery, reduced vulnerability to natural disasters, and new economic benefits from the generation of carbon credits.

US: Federal Government Unveils 50-Year Plan for Wetlands Restoration
 A 50-year plan for the restoration of San Francisco Bay and other coastal wetlands was released Thursday by federal wildlife officials who say it's the biggest effort to save tidal marshes outside the Florida Everglades. The $1.24 billion plan for the bay and a patchwork of tidal marshes in northern and central California calls for projects along 500 miles of the state's 1,100-mile coastline, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said.

Florida: Mosquito Lagoon Clam Farmer Sues State over Restoration Project
 A Southeast Volusia shellfish farmer's legal fight against a restoration project in Mosquito Lagoon has expanded to include the state Department of Environmental Protection, which the farmer contends hasn't enforced rules that would protect the lagoon.

Up the Creek, With a Paddle: Urban Stream Restoration and Daylighting (Part I)
 This this blog post, Author Adrian Benepe writes about his recent participation in the South by Southwest (SXSW) Eco Conference in Austin, Texas. During the conference he discovered a recently restored urban stream in a highly developed area.

Massachusetts: Truro Dune Restoration Technique Catches On In Other Coastal Communities
 Gordon Peabody is well known locally for his success in repairing a storm-torn dune at Ballston Beach, using a simple but effective technique he developed with his staff at Safe Harbor Environmental Services. By planting wooden shims on the beach in the pattern of native dune vegetation, trapping wind-blown sand, Peabody and his crew are able to channel storm energy in a direction that builds, rather than erodes, barrier dunes.

BP Publishes Gulf Environmental Data as Spill Liability Ruling Looms
 BP has begun publishing a mass of environmental assessment data collected from the Gulf of Mexico since 2010 as part of its latest efforts to rebuild its reputation and public trust in the wake of the Macondo rig disaster and subsequent oil spill. The data, collected by BP and federal and state agencies since the spill, includes an "unprecedented amount" of information on environmental conditions in the Gulf, BP said.

Maryland: Guide Released for Citizens Who Want to Join Bay Restoration Effort
 The Maryland Department of Planning has released the "Citizens Guide to Bay Restoration" for those who want to play a role in improving the Chesapeake Bay's health.

SER & SER Chapter Conference and Events

SER-Mid Atlantic 2014 Regional Conference - Call for Posters & Papers - Due January 10, 2014
SER Mid Atlantic will hold their 2014 Regional Conference in Ambler, PA at Temple University from March 20-22, 2014.

SER-Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter Conference -Call for Abstracts March 28-30, 2014
The SER MWGL Chapter meeting will be held at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minnesota. The theme of the meeting will be "Building on the Midwest Legacy of Restoration: Linking Theory and Practice".

SER-New England Chapter Conference - April 25-26, 2013
SER New England will hold their first Chapter conference in partnership with the Conway School Master of Science Program in Ecological Design April 25 & 26, 2014, at Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts. The conference theme is Designing for Success: Ecological Restoration in Times of Change. Click here to be added to the SER NE conference mailing list and to receive the conference brochure and other updates.

SER Northwest & Great Basin Joint Chapter Conference - October 6-10, 2014
the SER Northwest and SER Great Basin chapters are joining forces to hold a join conference at the Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, Oregon from October 6-10, 2014. The conference theme is Collaborative Restoration: From Community Efforts to Landscape Scales.

SER-Australasia 2014 Conference- New Caledonia - November 2014

SER-Europe: European Conference on Ecological Restoration - Session Proposals Due Dec 20, 2013
9th European Conference on Ecological Restoration, Oulu (Finland), from August 3-8, 2014. The theme is Restoration, Ecosystem Services and Land Use Policy. Ecological, economic and socio-cultural values of restoration will be discussed.

New Orleans: Conference on Ecological and Ecosystem Restoration (CEER) - July 28- Aug 1, 2014
CEER is a Collaborative Effort between the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) and the National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration (NCER). It will bring together ecological and ecosystem restoration scientists and practitioners to address challenges and share information about restoration projects, programs, and research from across North America.

Other Conference & Events of Interest

Florida: Training Course - Treatment Wetlands - December 12-14, 2013

20th ISTF Annual Conference - Call for Presentations - January 30 -February 1, 2014

Colorado: Tamarisk Coalition 12^th Annual Conference- Feb 2014

North Carolina: The 2014 Global American South Conference - February 21-22, 2014

SER 2013 Conference Listing on the Global Restoration Network (GRN)

For more listings, visit SER's Calendar of Events. Posting to the Calendar is a member benefit.

Oregon: Funds Available to Restore Wildlife Habitat - Due January 17,2014
The Freshwater Trust, a nonprofit, is seeking habitat restoration proposals for conservation projects in Oregon. The organization has $150,000 to allocate for conservation and restoration projects in the state. Proposals are due January 17. According to a press release, the grants will pay for project elements essential for on-the-ground restoration, including project design, engineering required for permits, implementation, monitoring and outreach.

US: FireScience.Gov Funding Announcements
FireScience.Gov is a funding website where funding opportunities which are tailored to wildland fire research in response to the emerging needs of policymakers and fire managers. An annual cycle of proposal solicitation, review, and funding ensures timely response to evolving conditions. Research projects complement and build on other federal research programs, such as those in the Forest Service Forest and Rangeland Research Stations, U.S. Geological Survey, and National Fire Plan. Synthesis of research findings and targeted delivery to managers are essential components of the Program.

US: Sustain Our Great Lakes Funding for On-the-Ground Habitat Restoration & Enhancement
Sustain Our Great Lakes is a public-private partnership that works to sustain, restore, and protect fish, wildlife, and habitat in the Great Lakes basin by leveraging funding, building conservation capacity, and directing partners and resources toward key ecological issues. Administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the program is accepting applications for competitive funding to be awarded through the 2013 funding cycle. In 2013, grant funding will be awarded in three categories - habitat restoration, delisting of beneficial use impairments within Great Lakes areas of concern, and private landowner technical assistance. Approximately $5 million to $9 million is expected to be available in grants ranging from $25,000 to $1.5 million.

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.

USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
 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
The 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 are ensuring the collective success of 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 more than 75 different projects in coastal areas throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. By 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 Directory 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
Tamarisk Coalition, a non-profit advancing the restoration of riparian lands throughout the American west, posts current funding and training opportunities applicable to riparian restoration on the Riparian Restoration Connection.