News

Hearings Are Held for Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007

In the last two weeks the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works received testimony on H.R. 2421 and S. 1870, jointly introduced bills to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. The proposed act would replace "navigable waters" with "waters of the United States" and affirm the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency. The Clean Water Authority Restoration Act has been introduced and died in committee during the last three legislative sessions. To read the full text of the bills and follow their progress in the 110th Congress, go to www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1870 and www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2421. The opening statements of expert witnesses and archived webcasts for the House Committee hearing are here, and for the Senate Committee hearing here.
--------- (posted 04/25/08) ---------

Abandoned Coal Mines May Provide Habitat for Declining Bird Species

The Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture, coordinated by American Bird Conservancy, is establishing a model restoration project in Vinton County, Ohio. The project involves ripping compacted soils over 3.5 ha of former mine land and planting 15,000 tree seedlings on a total of 8.6 ha to create habitat for cerulean warblers (Dendroica cerulea) and other hardwood forest bird species. A similar reforestation project will begin this spring in southwestern Virginia. During the early years of these projects, the planted areas are expected to provide habitat for open-habitat bird species such as the prairie warbler (D. discolor) and American woodcock (Scolopax minor). Once completed, the project site will reduce habitat fragmentation effects and provide a buffer for intact hardwood forest. Additionally, program partners are evaluating the restoration potential of former mine lands throughout the Appalachian region to create new forested areas for closed-habitat bird species or else native grassland habitat for declining open-habitat bird species that have benefited somewhat from earlier mine reclamation efforts that relied on non-native grasses and shrubs, such as Henslow's sparrows (Ammodramus henslowii). The partnership includes federal, state, and county agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners. You can read the full story at www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/080409.html , particularly if you own mine land in the Appalachian region and may be interested in participating.
--------- (posted 04/15/08) ---------

New Report Shows that State Wildlife Action Plans Neglect Threatened Plants

In April, NatureServe released Hidden in Plain Sight, a review of the 56 Wildlife Action Plans completed by all U.S. states and territories in 2005 to develop strategies for conservation of wildlife species and their habitats. The study assessed how well endangered or threatened plant species were incorporated. These plans are required to receive federal funding through the State Wildlife Grant program, and the guidelines explicitly limit consideration to "fauna." The researchers found that 30% include recommended actions that would benefit plant species of concern, while 21% incorporated data on such plant species when defining focal areas, 14% included plants on their list of species of greatest conservation need, and 11% considered plant species as part of their prioritization methodology. The report lauds Georgia, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oregon for effectively integrating plant species of concern into their wildlife plans. It also provides several recommendations to enhance and complement current wildlife planning with similar attention to plant species, which represent more than half of the federally listed endangered species. To download the entire report, visit www.natureserve.org/publications/hidden_plain_sight.jsp .
--------- (posted 04/15/08) ---------

New Bill Proposes Reauthorization of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act

Last week, Representative Ronald Kind (D-WI) introduced H.R. 5756 that would expand annual federal funding from a maximum of $6 million to $20 million by 2015. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act provides matching funds for public-private partnerships to conserve and restore migratory bird species and their habitats, particularly outside of the U.S. The program, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has supported 225 projects covering over one million hectares from 2002 to 2007. To read the full text of the bill and follow its progress, go to www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-5756 . To learn more about the program and apply for funding (deadline is November 13, 2008), visit www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/index.shtm .
--------- (posted 04/15/08) ---------

Coastal America Announces the 2007 Recipients of Its Partnership Awards

Created in 1992 as a partnership of 12 federal agencies, Coastal America began "recognizing outstanding efforts to protect, preserve and restore coastal resources and to increase public awareness and education" with its annual Partnership Awards in 1997. Recipients in 2007 include the Yokum Brook Restoration Project (MA), Bolsa Chica Wetlands (CA), Duwamish Alive! (WA), Salmon in the City (AK), and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Coral Rescue, Relocation, Nursery and Beneficial Use Program. To learn about each of these projects, visit www.coastalamerica.gov/text/2007PartnerAwardSummaries.pdf . The deadline for 2008 nominations is May 16, 2008. You can download information about the program and the nomination process at www.coastalamerica.gov/text/2008ProgramN.pdf .
--------- (posted 03/29/08) ---------

Chronic Nitrogen Deposits Reduce Plant Diversity

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have recently reported the results of a 23-year experiment at Cedar Creek Long Term Ecological Research Site. Annual experimental nitrogen additions to prairie and savanna plots from 1982 to 2004 resulted in fewer plant species. Even the lowest deposition rate (10 kg N/ha/y) decreased species richness by 2002, although the effect was not apparent in the first four years. The experiment mimicked current nitrogen pollution levels: atmospheric nitrogen originating from fossil fuel combustion and agricultural fertilizer is deposited at twice to seven times historical rates in industrialized areas. The disappearance of rare species caused much of the lost plant diversity, especially prairie violet (Viola pedatifida), Virginia groundcherry (Physalis virginiana), and tall blazing star (Liatris aspera), although the dominant grass little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) also declined. Clark and Tilman also studied plant community recovery by monitoring plots that received nitrogen additions for only the first 10 years, until 1992. They found that 13 years later these plots contained about the same number of plant species as control plots that never received nitrogen, and that the proportion of rare species also recovered. However, species composition continued to reflect the changes caused by nitrogen deposits. The long-term gradual reduction of biodiversity caused by even slightly elevated atmospheric nitrogen levels at regional and national scales is a concern for local managers of tallgrass prairies, savannas, and potentially other ecosystems. For the full story, visit www.nature.com/news/2008/080206/full/news.2008.561.html. To read the original study, see Nature 451:712-714 (February 7, 2008).
--------- (posted 03/13/08) ---------

Dogs Trained to Detect Invasive Mussels

The California Department of Fish and Game has begun using six canine teams to detect zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga (D. bugensis) mussels. Last year game wardens inspected over 82,000 boats as part of an effort to limit the spread of these non-native, invasive species through the lakes and streams of California. Adult mussels can attach themselves to hulls, engines, and other surfaces, as well as being carried in aquatic vegetation tangled in boating, diving, and fishing equipment. The dogs are expected to increase the speed and success of these inspections. The dogs are also expected to detect new mussel populations in shoreline patrols. The complete story can be found at www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/localnews/ci_8435491.
--------- (posted 03/13/08) ---------

New U.S. Geological Survey Report Summarizes Status of Chesapeake Bay

A report released earlier this month, Synthesis of U.S. Geological Survey Science for the Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem and Implications for Environmental Management, provides information on the ecosystem health of the Chesapeake Bay, developed from five years (2001-2006) of scientific data. Topics include population growth, land use patterns, nutrients, sediments, pesticides, water quality, fish and waterbird populations, estuary conditions, and climate change. To download the report, visit http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1316/index.html.
--------- (posted 02/28/08) ---------

USDA Inaugurates New CRP Conservation Practice with 45 Projects

In January the Farm Service Agency approved proposals for restoration and conservation projects in 18 states using the new State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practice being implemented within the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) as CP38. The new conservation practice is geared toward smaller parcels of environmentally sensitive land with the goal of enrolling a total of 200,000 ha. The 45 projects include efforts to restore ecosystems that provide habitat for rare and desirable wildlife species, such as tallgrass prairie in Illinois for Massassauga rattlesnakes and pine savanna in Georgia for northern bobwhites. Landowners participating in these projects will sign 10 or 15 year contracts. For more information on SAFE, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/safepr08.pdf to download the fact sheet.
--------- (posted 02/09/08) ---------

Invasive Aquatic Species Lead to Increasing Bird Deaths in the Great Lakes

Zebra mussels and round gobies traveling in ships' ballast water became established in the Great Lakes in the 1980s and 1990s. Zebra mussels very effectively filter lake water and accumulate toxins and contaminants, which are then absorbed by round gobies that eat the mussels. At the end of this new food chain are native fish and bird species that become exposed to high concentrations of toxins, including botulism. In 1999 311 birds in Lake Erie died of botulism type E. In 2000 the number of bird fatalities increased to 8,000. Eventually botulism spread to the other Great Lakes, reaching Lake Michigan in 2006 to kill 2,900 birds along a 22-km stretch of coast. Last year's die-off totaled 3,500-8,500 birds along hundreds of miles of Michigan coastline. More than 50 Great Lakes bird species have been affected including cormorants, ducks, eagles, grebes, gulls, loons, pigeons, and plovers. Read the full news story at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-loons_15jan15,1,5037077.story. To read about the hypothesis connecting zebra mussels, round gobies, botulism, and native species fatalities, go to the 2004 NYSDEC Lake Ontario Annual Report (http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_pdf/lorpt04sec21.pdf).
--------- (posted 01/24/08) ---------

More Than $2 Million Dedicated to Mississippi Watershed Restoration and Conservation Efforts.

Mississippi Valley Conservancy, a private nonprofit land trust based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, will receive a $962,500 Stewardship grant from the Department of Natural Resources. With matching contributions from private donors and local municipalities, the organization will purchase a 124-ha parcel in the La Crosse portion of the Mississippi River Terrace. This is the last remaining large tract of grassland in the area, which the land trust has been restoring to native prairie since 1999. Additionally, the McKnight Foundation awarded $800,000 to The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to facilitate many Mississippi Valley restoration and conservation projects. Funds will be used in Minnesota and Wisconsin to restore the Root and Pecatonica and develop a regional conservation strategy for the St. Croix, important Upper Mississippi tributaries. In the Lower Mississippi, the Nature Conservancy will monitor and document ecosystem services provided by floodplain forests in order to encourage restoration and improved land use practices. To read more about the Mississippi Valley Conservancy grant, go to http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/journal_media_detail.asp?locid=19&prid=3062. More details on TNC plans for the McKnight grant can be found at http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/minnesota/press/press3302.htm .
--------- (posted 01/24/08) ---------

Plans to Reintroduce Beaver into Scotland by 2009

After a two-month local consultation, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland have applied for a government license to reintroduce European beavers into the Knapdale Forest in Mid-Argyll. If the license is approved, the Scottish Beaver Trial partnership will develop a detailed plan for the translocation of 15 to 20 beavers from Norway by spring 2009. Beaver were extirpated from Scotland in the 1500s, and if this license is approved, it will be the first mammal reintroduction into the United Kingdom. The full story is available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/7158210.stm.
--------- (posted 01/14/08) ---------

Ecological Restoration is seeking submissions for a theme issue devoted to climate change and restoration. We welcome submissions reflecting the ecological and social implications of climate change for restoration science and practice, as well as policy, ethical and technological considerations. Article topics might include:

• What does environmental change mean for the value of reference conditions in restoration practice?
• How are restoration managers setting goals in the context of natural "moving targets"?
• How well can current federal and state land management policies that support restoration respond to climate change?
• Will climate change alter our understanding and definition of invasive species?
• If, as is frequently argued, climate change underscores the dependence of human well-being on "ecological security," how can we assure that restoration efforts are informed by the needs of more vulnerable human populations?
• Metaphors of healing abound in the restoration literature. Yet climate change involves global-scale, unpredictable and perhaps permanent ecological shifts that may not be best understood as an affliction from which we can be healed. What metaphors will prove most effective for communicating to a larger audience about the need to restore ecosystems in the context of climate change?

Deadline for submissions: June 1, 2008. Please visit www.ecologicalrestoration.info for author guidelines. Email contributions to mingram@wisc.edu and include "climate change" in subject line.
--------- (posted 01/14/08) ---------