News

Great Lakes Czar Appointed

Lisa Jackson, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recently named Cameron Davis, president of the nonprofit organization Alliance for the Great Lakes, as the person to oversee the efforts of more than ten federal agencies to restore the Great Lakes. President Obama pledged $5 billion over the course of ten years during the election campaign, and the proposed 2010 budget includes $475 million of new spending dedicated to the Great Lakes. The total cost of cleanup is expected to exceed $20 billion. To read the complete news story, click here .
--------- (posted 06/19/09) ---------

The USDA will spend $270 Million on Projects to Restore Watersheds

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced earlier this month that funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 will benefit more than 130 projects. Of these, 106 involve road maintenance, road decommissioning, and watershed restoration in National Forests in 31 states, at a projected cost of $228 million. An additional $42 million will fund Natural Resources Conservation Service watershed restoration projects in 14 states to improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat. To read the press releases, click here and here . The full APRA text is available here .
--------- (posted 06/14/09) ---------

New York Ballast Water Rule Upheld

In May, the New York Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to the Department of Environmental Conservation regulations restricting ballast water discharges into Great Lakes waters by commercial shipping vessels. More than 180 aquatic invasive species now established in the Great Lakes were likely introduced through ballast water. The lawsuit by a coalition of shipping companies had argued that local restrictions more stringent than the Environmental Protection Agency's discharge permit process were illegal. This ruling follows a similar decision in federal court last year, addressing a similar legal challenge to Michigan's ballast water restrictions. To read Justice Robert Sackett's decision, click here. The press release can be found here.
--------- (posted 06/05/09) ---------

Society for Ecological Restoration International Welcomes New Executive Director

In April, Amanda Jorgenson became the fifth Executive Director of SER, replacing Mary Kay LeFevour, who held the position for six years. Ms. Jorgenson is a conservation biologist with 15 years of professional experience in natural resource management and conservation for non-profit organizations, serving most recently as the Executive Director of the California Native Plant Society. She has a Masters of Arts in Latin American Studies and Tropical Conservation and Development from the University of Florida, Gainesville, and experience running conservation programs in Colombia, Ecuador, and the United States. To read the entire press release, click here.
--------- (posted 05/18/09) ---------