We are pleased to announce that the Midwest-Great Lakes (MWGL) Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) is expanding to include Iowa!

The MWGL chapter of SER was established in March 2008 and was originally organized to serve members from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.  We promote the science and practice of ecological restoration to assist with the recovery and management of degraded ecosystems throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes region of the United States. The MWGL SER chapter is a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. All donations to MWGL SER are tax-deductible.

Due to a high level of interest from Iowa restoration practitioners, the MWGL SER chapter has expanded to include Iowa as a member state.  The interim Iowa state representative on the MWGL SER board of Directors is Laura Jackson from the University of Northern Iowa.  We encourage all individuals from Iowa to get involved by joining the chapter, signing up for one of our committees, and/or attending our annual meeting.  The MWGL SER 2015 annual meeting will be held at the Chicago Botanic Garden March 27-29, 2015.  More information on the chapter and our upcoming events can be found on our website (https://chapter.ser.org/midwestgreatlakes/).

Dues for SER and the MWGL chapter are just $62 (discounted rate of $26 for students).  Chapter members receive the following membership benefits:

  1. A membership in our international parent society – SER.
  2. An opportunity to network with colleagues and showcase their work at annual chapter meetings and state level events held throughout the year.
  3. Reduced chapter meeting registration rates.
  4. Chapter communications including the blog and social media streams that highlight regional ecological restoration issues, news, projects, and practitioners.
  5. Opportunities to promote restoration-related events and to discuss ecological restoration topics through the chapter social media.
  6. Webinars on relevant restoration topics in the MWGL region.

To begin or renew membership in SER and the MWGL Chapter, visit http://www.ser.org/membership.  Please contact us via email (mwgl.ser@gmail.com) if you have questions regarding Chapter membership.