Wetlands NewsLink

[Home]   [Current Issue]  [Archives]   [Calendar]

April 2001 Issue

WETLANDS NEWSLINK –  A Compilation of Wetland News from Around the World

Wetlands NewsLink is a monthly news service supported by the Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc, The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, (International Affairs office), and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Submissions are encouraged –  any international news is welcome that might be of interest to others. Your input helps make this e-mail resource a useful, collaborative venture.  Submissions should be sent to: http://birdsandwetlands.com/subscribe.html. Subscribership to Wetlands NewsLink is available to anyone who asks.  Let me know of any colleagues that might like to receive this monthly e– mail and I will gladly include them.

Contents of the April 2001 Issue

–  Note from the Editor
– News from Wetlands Council Members & Friends
– Wetlands News –  in the News – from Around the Globe
– Wetlands Job & Training Opportunities
- Other Wetland Related Resources

For U.S. Wetlands News go to: http://www.aswm.org/wbn/index.htm

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Wetlands Friends:

It’s time for action !!!  Because the Bush administration is delaying implementation of important environmental rules and policies, there is concern that the "Tulloch Fix" rule that would  protect streams and wetlands may also be delayed.  This is a good time to take a minute to contact EPA’s Christine Whitman by e-mail to suggest / plead / urge her that this rule should not be delayed or withdrawn [whitman.christine@epamail.epa.gov]

That’s it until May…

Heidi


Heidi Luquer
Wetlands NewsLink Editor
http://birdsandwetlands.com/subscribe.html

NEWS FROM WETLAND COUNCIL MEMBERS & FRIENDS

Communities Working for Wetlands, May 16-18, 2001 – Register Now !!!

Register before April 15 for the Communities Working for Wetlands and Assessing the Health of Wetland Life Conferences for the lowest possible registration fees (Sheraton World Resort -- Orlando, Florida)  After April 15, fees will increase.  For registration information, detailed agenda, exhibitor information, and sponsorship information, visit the Izaak Walton League of America's web site at www.iwla.org/sos/awm.

Seven outstanding wetlands educators, activists, scientists and conservationists were selected as recipients of the 2001 National Wetlands Awards for their exemplary contributions to the conservation and restoration of the nation’s wetlands. The award winners will be honored at a Capitol Hill ceremony on June 28, 2001, held in conjunction with the first National Watershed Forum coordinated by the Meridian Institute and the Environmental Protection Agency.  The National Wetlands Awards program honors exceptional individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary effort, innovation, and excellence in wetland conservation through programs or projects at the regional, state, or local level.   For full details go to: 

http://www.eli.org/nwa/nwaprogram.htm

Education and Outreach - Louis Armin-Hoiland, California
Science Research - James Gosselink, Louisiana
Volunteer Leadership - Norma Flannery, Ohio
Land Stewardship and Development - Ken Brunswick, Indiana, Mike and Cathy McNeil, Colorado
Outstanding Wetlands Program Development - Ernie Barnett, Florida Restoration Plan, Shannon Estenoz, Florida
News from The North American Wetlands Conservation Council, Canada

The North American Wetlands Conservation Council (NAWCC, Canada) has released its latest publication, Wetland Mitigation in Canada:  A Framework for Application, Sustaining Wetlands Issues Paper, No. 2000-1, edited by Kenneth W. Cox and Allison Grose.  This document reflects current thinking on wetland mitigation in Canada and offers guidance on implementing the mitigation process.  For more information, or to receive copies of this publication, please contact us at:  Secretariat, North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Canada), Suite 200, 1750 Courtwood Crescent, Ottawa, Ontario,  K2C 2B5, E-mail:  nawcc@igs.net

NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program

NOAA has issued an open notice inviting the public to submit multi-year proposals for establishing innovative partnerships at a national or regional level with the agency's Restoration Center to further habitat restoration that will benefit living marine resources.  Information on this program, including examples of national partnerships and community-based habitat restoration projects that have been funded to date, can be found on the world wide web at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration.  Contact Greg Esslinger if you want additional information: Greg_Esslinger@fws.gov; (505) 248-6876.

News from Japan:
from Simba Chan, the Wild Bird Society of Japan

A workshop was recently held at the Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve in China to determine how to carry out environmental education and ecotourism around the 18 reserves and sites important to the conservation of cranes in Russia, Mongolia, China, South Korea and Japan.  A follow-up workshop will be held in Kushiro, Japan in February 2002.  The goal is to put together a handbook useful for designing education and ecotourism programme for nature reserves important to conservation of cranes in Asia.  If you know of any useful resources or other similar initiatives that could be helpful to this process please contact Simba at: simba@wing-wbsj.or.jp.  Thank you !!

Ramsar Reports that….

as of March 29, 2001, Greenland Neglects Protected Areas 

Fourteen years delay on implementing Ramsar convention ignored by the Danish government. Two of the most important natural habitats in Greenland have lost their unique wildlife because neither the politicians of Greenland nor the Danish authorities are concerned with upholding international treaties signed by Denmark.  The area of concern is the most important molting site for the entire Canadian-Greenlandic population of King eiders in the western part of the Arctic. Unregulated hunting and mussel fisheries have driven a population of 30,000 King eiders away from Aqajarua-Sullorsuaq in the Gulf of Disko.  The second site is the breeding grounds for 80,000-100,000 pairs of arctic terns. Egg gathering, hunting and other disturbances due to negligent implementation of the Ramsar Convention is presumably the main reason for the loss of Arctic terns on Grønne Ejland also in the Gulf of Disko.  During the last 14 years the Greenland government has not initiated any kind of conservation of the areas which were designated as Ramsar areas back in 1987. This is a violation of the worldwide convention for protection of wetlands.

Two Wetland Papers Are Available From Ron Coley

Wetland Protection and Restoration Adjacent to the Areas of Ukraine Black and Azov Sea
The Role of Sustainable Development in Protecting & Enhancing Wetland Habitats

Contact Ron Coley, P. Eng., Private Consultant for more information. E-mail address: r_coley@ducks.ca  (note: “r’ is followed by an underscore “_”)  Or regular mail at the following address: Ron Coley, c/o Ducks Unlimited Canada,  P. O. Box 1160, Stonewall, Manitoba, Canada,  R0C 2Z0.

World Resources Institute
Scientists Create Network to Help Park Managers Cope with Global Changes

March 27, 2001, Washington, DC  –  Leading conservation organizations today announced the formation of an international network to help the world's protected areas managers to anticipate and cope with global changes brought about by climate change, poverty and population growth.  The network, called Protected Areas Learning Network (PALN), is a project of WRI, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Conservation International, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The governments of the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have already contributed funds. A grant from the UN Global Environment Facility is being finalized. The network is expected to cost $5 million over four years. To read the full article go to: http://www.wri.org/press/parks.html

News from the World Wildlife Fund Global Network

A Bird Paradise is Drying Up

April 5, Nairobi, Kenya – From deep within the forests that shroud the Eastern Mau Escarpment arise 3 rivers, Njoro, Makalia and Enderit, that drain into Lake Nakuru. These rivers sustain more than 500,000 people, their livestock and other forms of life.  Twenty years ago, the crystal clear waters of these rivers flowed all year round, year in year out.  Today, the situation has changed dramatically. The rivers flow for less than 4 months of the year, and their waters are laden with silt, fertiliser and pesticide residues leached from surrounding farms.  For the full article go to:  http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2270

WETLANDS NEWS – IN THE NEWS – FROM AROUND THE GLOBE (by most recent date)

Clam Discovery as Good as Gold to Arctic Hamlet

March 29, 2001, Environment News Service  –  The remote Arctic community of Qikiqtarjuaq might never be the same again.  Deep beneath the ice on the ocean floor lie clams the size and texture of the geoduck clams prized on Asian markets.  Locals have enjoyed eating the clams for years but it is only recently they have discovered the fishery in their midst could be worth C$900 million (US$576 million).  For the full story go to:  http://www.ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-29-11.html

Halt to Trashing of Alaska Fisheries Sought

March 27, 2001, Environment News Service, Anchorage, Alaska,  –  Each year in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, over 300 million pounds of fish and other marine creatures are caught and thrown overboard by large scale industrial fishing operations.  That wastage, enough to provide well over one billion meals, is going to be the death of the North Pacific fisheries the Alaska Oceans Network said today. http://www.ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-27-01.html

Beyond Earth's Dying Coral Reefs

March 19, 2001, Environment News Service, Washington, DC  –  A pioneering project aimed at reversing the decline of the world's coral reefs today received the largest grant ever given by the United Nations Foundation.  The foundation is donating $5 million with a challenge to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to raise another $5 million from other sources. The UN Foundation will match whatever amount UNEP raises up to $10 million.  The coral reef project could then be funded to a total of $15 million.  For the full article go to:  http://www.ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-19-01.html

Portuguese Dam Creates Europe’s Largest Artificial Lake

March 14, 2001, Environment News Service, Lisbon, Portugal  –  Logging has begun on one million old growth oak trees that are being cleared for construction of Europe’s largest dam.  The Alqueva dam on the River Guadiana in southern Portugal will result in the largest artificial lake in Europe.  For the full article go to:  http://www.ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-14-03.html

Record Floods Claim Seven Lives in Ukraine

March 9, 2001, Environment News Service, Kiev, Ukraine  –  Rapidly melting snow and heavy rain caused the Tisza River and its tributaries to rise to record levels, provoking some of the worst flooding in Central Europe in decades.  Wide areas in the river basin region common to Hungary, Romania and Ukraine have been affected, forcing whole communities from their homes.  For the full article go to:  http://www.ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-09-01.html

EU Probed as German Wetlands Saga Gets Murkier

March 9, 2001, Environment News Service, Brussels, Belgium  –  In seeking to promote Airbus Industrie's expansion plans, did the German government unduly influence the European Commission by asking it to exempt important wetlands from international protection?  A Swedish Member of the European Parliament is trying to find out.  The Toulouse, France based Airbus Industrie wants to fill in 420 acres of Mühlenberger Loch in order to extend its Hamburg factory to accommodate a new line of luxury jumbos, the A380s.  Mühlenberger Loch is the largest freshwater tidal mudflat in the 15 member European Union.  Its 1,668 acres (675 hectares) provide critical habitat for 70 species of migratory birds. For three birds in particular - the shoveler (Anas clypeata), the teal (Anas crecca), and the little gull (Larus minutus) - the loch is considered a site of international importance.  For the full article go to:  http://www.ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-09-11.html

Water Hyacinth Back in Lake Victoria

March 6, 2001, Pan African News Agency, Nairobi, Kenya  –  The water hyacinth weed that had plagued Lake Victoria, Africa's largest fresh water mass, before being mechanically removed two years ago, is back. [  http://www.woza.co.za/eco/news/mar01/victoria6.htm

Critical Habitat Designated for Celebrated Jumping Frog

March 6, 2001,  Environmental News Service, San Francisco, California, - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a rule protecting four million acres of critical habitat for the threatened California red-legged frog.  The USFWS's action came in response to a successful federal court lawsuit filed by several regional conservation groups.  For the full article go to:  http://www.ens-news.com/ens/mar2001/2001L-03-06-09.html

OTHER WETLAND RELATED RESOURCES

Alaska Geographic Publishes a Colorful View of Alaska Bird Life

Exploring Alaska's Birds, presents a colorful survey of the realm of birds in the forty-ninth state. Alaska Geographic books are available directly from the publisher, at bookstores throughout the state, and through online booksellers. Exploring Alaska's Birds, ISBN: 1-56661-054-0, $23.95

Now Available !!!  The Conservation Handbook - Research, Management and Policy by William J Sutherland,   

FREE for practicing conservationists outside Western Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.   Blackwell Science (278 pages).  The aim of The Conservation Handbook is to provide clear guidance on the implementation of conservation technique -  how to tackle conservation problems, from fieldwork through to drafting Action Plans.  The wide range of methods described include those for ecological research, monitoring, planning, education, habitat management and combining conservation with development.  18 case studies illustrate how the methods have been applied. 

Each book sold means another one will be donated.  Copies are provided at cost price by Blackwell Scientific, the publisher, and paid for with the author's royalties.  Administration and distribution of gratis copies is handled free of charge by NHBS.  The Christensen Fund has generously made a grant to cover the cost of postage.  If you wish to obtain a copy or order a book please send your name and address, the name of the suggested recipient, their address and a sentence or two explaining why they should be sent this book, to Conservation Handbook Gratis Copies Project, NHBS, 2-3 Wills Road, Totnes,  Devon TQ9 5XN. Email: gratis@nhbs.co.uk.  The number of books donated can be followed at  www.nhbs.com/info/sutherland/conservation_handbook.html More information on the book can be found on http://www.nhbs.com/xbscripts/bkfsrch?search=101322

Go to LakeNet to find details and links to websites for lake-related conferences, jobs and other details on lakes.  http://www.worldlakes.org/lake%20conferences.htm  

WETLAND JOBS & TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Ohio State University Wetland Short Courses

Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Summer 2001 Program includes Wetland Delineation (July 30 - August 3, 2001) and Creation and Restoration of Wetlands (August 6-8, 2001). Instructors for Wetland Delineation are Ralph W. Tiner, Mark D. DeBrock, C.E. Redmond, Ph.D., and William J. Mitsch, Ph.D. Instructors for Creation and Restoration of Wetlands are Roy R. "Robin" Lewis, III, William J. Mitsch, Ph.D., and Donald Hey, Ph.D. For more information or registration forms please contact Jan Thompson, 614-247-7984 or thompson.38@osu.edu.

Training on Economic Tools for Ecosystem Conservation

The Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF), in partnership with Conservation International, is offering this training from July 1-15, 2001, aimed at conservationists from the tropics.  In this course participants study the principles of natural resource and environmental economics, and get hands-on experience doing benefit-cost analysis, a widely used tool for analyzing the economic benefits for projects and policies.  The course is designed for managers  of conservation programs, directors of non-governmental organizations, and representatives of public environmental agencies.  Thanks to the support from the MacArthur Foundation, Mott Foundation and Conservation International, the training is free for qualified representatives from developing country non-governmental and governmental institutions.  The cost for all others is $2,500 USD per participant.  Interested participants should send application by email, fax, or mail.  The application deadline is April 15, 2001.  For further information, or to obtain an application, contact: Attn. Training, Conservation Strategy Fund, P.O. Box 153, Philo, CA 95466, USA, Tel: (707) 895-2999, Fax: (707) 895-2997, Email: training@conservation-strategy.org; or visit: www.conservation-strategy.org

Ramsar Seeks Applications for MedWet Coordinator :  Applications have been extended to 30 April 2001.

The Ramsar Bureau (secretariat) of the Convention on Wetlands invites applications for the position of Coordinator of the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (MedWet), a position outposted in Athens, Greece, and funded through a contribution from the Ministry of Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works of the Republic of Greece.  A full description of duties, requirements, and benefits, with an application form, can be found at http://www.ramsar.org/w.n.vacancy_medwet.htm

In Mexico – Ornithologist Needed

The Institute for Sustainable Development in Mesoamerica (IDSMAC as initialed in Spanish) is requesting an ornithologist.  The position will be carried out in a system of wetlands, which includes the municipalities of Catazaja, Chiapas and other areas that surround the State of Tabasco.  The main activities will be to give continuity to the monitoring of birds,  using the most advanced methodology.  This includes social participation with rural communities in the area.  For further information contact: Luz Maria Rodriguez Saenz, Directora General de IDSMAC; and/or Rosario Sanchez, Coordinador de Proyecto, Instituto para el Desarrollo Sustentable en
Mesoamerica A.C., Av. Cristobal Colon #35-B, Barrio El Cerrillo, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, Tel: 01-967-8-21-63 / 01-967-8-44-63, Email: idsmac@sancristobal.podernet.com.mx

Temperate Wetlands Restoration Training Course, September 9-14.

Applications should be submitted before April 30th. Course includes extensive work in a field setting, exploring wetlands, wetland complexes and watersheds in southern and central Ontario, Canada. Kevin Erwin, wetland restoration expert, and Dan Mansell, formerly with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, are the instructors.  For information visit www.trentu.ca/wsc or contact Watershed Science Centre, (705)-748-1566 Fax: (705)- 755-2276; e-mail:  jgibbens@trentu.ca. [from Leslie Collins, Watershed Science Centre]

THE END
April 5, 2001