A big thank you to all of our presenters, sponsors, organizers, and participants for an excellent conference! See you in 2018 for our next New England Chapter Conference!
Many of the presentations from the conference can be seen here.
Ecosystems, Adaptation, Infrastructure and Resiliency
List of Sessions
- Setting Appropriate Restoration Targets
- Working with People to Restore Ecosystems
- Freshwater Habitat Restoration
- Coastal Restoration
- Restoring Native Plants
- Landscape-Scale Models for Restoration and Resilience
- Field Studies & Models of Ecosystem Services
Restoration in Times of Climate Change and Environmental Instability
Andre Clewell, PhD, 
has practiced ecological restoration since 1979. He is a founder and past president of the Society for Ecological Restoration. Among his many writings, he is the author of the internationally acclaimed book Ecological Restoration: Principles, Values, and Structure of an Emerging Profession, and the primary author of SER’s principle foundation documents: The SER Primer on Ecological Restoration and Guidelines for Developing and Managing Ecological Restoration Projects, available at www.ser.org.
In addition to providing a plenary speech, he will also be leading a full-day Saturday workshop on Principles of Ecological Restoration and their Application.
Biodiversity in the Concrete Jungle: Restoring Nature in Cities for a Resilient Future
Myla F.J. Aronson, PhD, 
is a plant ecologist whose interests focus on the conservation, restoration, and maintenance of biodiversity in human dominated landscapes. She is currently the Associate Editor-in-Chief of the journal Ecological Restoration and a Research Scientist in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources at Rutgers University. She also co-directs UrBioNet: A Global Network for Urban Biodiversity Research and Practice. Dr. Aronson’s research focuses on the patterns and drivers of biodiversity in urban landscapes, in particular to understand community assembly and biotic homogenization in cities at local, regional, and global scales.
Other Highlights
Removing Legacy Effects of Ditching from Salt Marshes Increases Resilience to Sea Level Rise
David Burdick, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor of Coastal Ecology and Restoration at the University of New Hampshire and the Interim Director of the Jackson Estuarine Laboratory. His study of coastal science spans 35 years, concentrating on coastal ecosystems, assessing human impacts, and planning, implementing and assessing habitat restoration. In 2012, he won the Susan Snow-Cotter Visionary Award from the Gulf of Maine Council for the Marine Environment for his efforts. His recently published book on “Tidal Marsh Restoration: A Synthesis of Science and Management,” co-edited with Charles Roman, translates and extends lessons learned from tidal restoration of salt marshes in the Northeast US and Canada.
Dr. Burdick will also lead a field trip on Saturday on Fringing Salt Marsh Creation and Shoreline Restoration in the 21st Century
“The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing”: What Economists Can (and Can’t) Tell Us about Ecological Restoration (Friday workshop)
A recent article in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association was entitled, “Is Urban Stream Restoration Worth It?” As any economist worth her salt will tell you, the answer is “it depends” – on how the goals of restoration are measured, on the assumptions that are made about “worth,” and on whose values matter. In this presentation, Dr. Bouvier will review what ecologists need to know about economics – to be able to recognize a “good” economic study from a bad one, to reveal the hidden assumptions within an economic study, and to make sure that the “right” values are included. Like it or not, there is power in economic arguments and measures. Using economic language helps ensure that ecological restoration is on equal footing with other, more marketable services.
Rachel Bouvier, PhD, is founder and principal of rbouvier consulting, a consulting firm specializing in environmental and natural resource economics. She is passionate about communicating the economic and social benefits of environmental protection, conservation, and stewardship; she believes that integrating environmental risks and benefits into economic decision-making leads to more responsible long term actions. Her work includes analysis of the costs of “stream smart” versus “non fish-friendly” culverts, economic costs of electricity from wind power versus Hydro Quebec, and the economic benefits of restoring native fish runs. In this workshop, participants will learn about and engage with some of the tools economists use to “value” ecosystem services. Participants will learn how to “decode” economic arguments, and, using the same language, promote the economic value of environmental protection, conservation, and restoration.
For more information or to register:
Contact us with additional questions
Many Thanks to Our Generous
2016 Conference Sponsors!
Click on the logos below to access each sponsor’s website.
Restoration Champions
Restoration Supporters
Refreshment Break Sponsor
