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Congratulations to the 2007
SER Awards Recipients!
There is no finer moment at an SER conference than its tribute to individuals and organizations whose exemplary work lead the Restoration movement forward to higher levels of achievement and cultural prominence. The SER Board of Directors, the SER Awards Committee, led by chair Al Unwin (pictured below with award recipients), and the SER staff salute this year's recipients who were recognized at the SER/ESA Joint Conference in San Jose, California, in August:
 Bill Halvorson, 2007 John Rieger Award
By this award, the Society acknowledges its debt to those who have dedicated their time and skills to the advancement of ecological restoration and/or to the development of the Society. This award, originally called the Service Award, was renamed in 1997, to honor John Rieger who is one of the four founders of the Society and who served as its first President.
Bill Halvorson has been one of SER’s most active members, practically since the founding of the organization in the mid- 1980s. Most often working behind the scenes, “his performance has been distinguished by a quiet and persistent competence,” wrote colleague Dennis Martinez, who nominated Bill for the award.
A botanist and plant ecologist, Bill has particular expertise in arid and semi-arid ecology and restoration of natural ecosystems. He was first asked by the Board, in 1988, to become a member of the Program Committee, and he helped to put together the first SER annual conference, which took place in Oakland, California. Little did he know that he would still be coordinating programs for SER conferences 19 years later.
Bill served for three years on the Standards Committee, and then became Treasurer of SER for nine years. When he stepped down as Treasurer in 2001, he remained on the Board as an At-Large Representative through 2004. And in 2002, he became chair of the Conference Working Group, a position he will hold through 2007.
While Bill was developing his particular expertise in arid and semi-arid ecology and restoration of natural ecosystems, and gaining wide experience with research and education programs related to natural resource management and natural area public policy and law, he was also becoming an expert on conference logistics, financial spreadsheets and navigating airports around the world.
As a volunteer for SER, he traveled across the globe to help coordinate and plan world conferences for the Society. He served as Program Chair for the 6-day, joint SER/ESA annual meeting in Tucson, Arizona in 2002, and also for the joint SER/ESA meeting in San Jose, California, in 2007. He generously shared his wealth of knowledge and experience as a member of the SER Site Visit and Planning Team for the 2003 Austin, Texas, annual meeting and for the Zaragoza, Spain, 2005 World Conference on Ecological Restoration.
Bill is an inspiration to those who work to fulfill SER’s mission. He has enthusiastically served the Society with energy, dedication, and graciousness. Passionate about ecological restoration, he has honored the field by donating thousands of hours of his time to SER during the last 20 years of his 45-year professional career. “Bill is the quintessential scientist,” wrote Martinez. “He has demonstrated great dedication to both his professional field and to SER.
Bill will be retiring from SER service after the San Jose conference. He richly deserves to be honored with the John Rieger Award for his numerous contributions to SER and the field of ecological restoration.” The Board heartily agrees, and offers its congratulations and sincerest thanks to Bill Halvorson for his outstanding service to the field and to the Society.
Previous recipients
2004 Kern Ewing and Warren Gold
2003 George Gann
2002 Andy Clewell
2000 Will Bond
2000 David T. Bell
1999 Dr. Edith Allen
1998 Dr. William Niering
1997 Dennis Martinez
1996 US Fish & Wildlife Service Partners for Wildlife Program
1995 John Rieger
1994 William Jordan
 James Aronson, 2007 Communications Award
By this award, the Society acknowledges the importance of all forms of communications that advance the goals of the Society.
In the history of the field of ecological restoration, there are few people who have been more passionate than James about spreading the word about the need for ecological restoration. James has traveled across the world to speak and write and teach about the importance of restoring all nature’s goods and services for the benefit of people. Not only has James been dedicated, but he has also been extremely effective in enriching the public conversation about restoration.
Based in France, James recently created the Restoring Natural Capital (RNC) Alliance. His focus on restoring natural capital has been the subject of his numerous presentations at conferences, journal and popular writings, papers, books, and website, www.rncalliance.org, With cofounders James Blignaut, Andy Clewell, and Olga Martha Montiel, the RNC Alliance is an international network of nonprofit, non-governmental organizations that offer locally appropriate solutions to resolve environmental and economic development problems simultaneously, in underdeveloped countries and industrialized countries alike. The RNC Alliance has projects in the Mediterranean Basin, Africa, Madagascar, Australia, Latin America and South Asia.
In addition to his pioneering work communicating the mission and importance of the RNC in as many venues as possible around the world, James also has served as editor of the SER/Island Press Book Series. During a period of just a few years, he has facilitated the publication of 13 seminal books on restoration ecology.
“In my opinion, James Aronson proves that one person can make a difference for the better, even in the troubled and damaged world today,” wrote Sue Milton in her nominating letter. The Board of Directors offers its congratulations to James Aronson for being a passionate and effective advocate for restoration.
Previous recipients
2003 Restoration Radio
2001 Paul H. Gobster & R. Bruce Hull
2000 Flora Locale's Native Plants Initiative
1999 Natural Resource Project Inventory
1998 High Country News
 Edward Redente, 2007 Theodore M. Sperry Award
By this award, the Society recognizes achievement in those elements and approaches that improve restoration programs. Recipients are acknowledged who are innovators and pioneers in restoration. Other restorationists “stand on their shoulders” because they truly lead the way.
As a professor of Restoration Ecology at the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University in the United States, Edward has inspired colleagues, students and collaborators for more than a quarter of a century as a teacher, researcher, author and advocate for ecological restoration.
While acting as Director of the Center for Ecological Risk Assessment and Management, Edward incorporated sound ecological restoration research that had originally been addressed to the academic community and made it applicable to practitioners and land managers. His role allowed him to influence the restoration practices of many different organizations, both public and private, in the United States. He received numerous research grants from various entities including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, the National Park Service and numerous natural gas and mining companies.
Specializing in the ecology of disturbed lands, and with his personal interest in plant ecology and plant– soil relationships, Edward has improved the field’s understanding of the methods and mechanics of restoring some of the more drastically disturbed ecosystems. For example, he helped to develop metal toxicity thresholds for numerous plant species commonly used in mine land restoration plans.
Throughout his career, he has been prolific, authoring and co-authoring more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and six book chapters related to the restoration of soils, heavily disturbed ecosystems, invasive species and rangeland ecosystems of the western United States. He has also been a leading educator of restoration. At Colorado State University, Edward was appointed Interim Department Head of the Warner College of Natural Resources Forest, Rangeland and Watershed Stewardship Department. He became Vice Provost for Research, and was later tapped to serve as Interim Dean of the College.
After many years of teaching, research, writing and being an inspiration in the field, Edward retired this year. He leaves behind an impressive legacy. The Board of Directors offers its congratulations to Edward Redente for his pioneering work in the field of ecological restoration.
Previous recipients
2005 William Mitsch
2004 South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement
2003 Oliver Henry Knowles
2001 Miguel Soto Cruz
1998 Dr. Thomas Goreau and Wolf Hilbertz
1997 James A. Stevenson
1996 Professor Tony Bradshaw
1995 Dr. Joy Zedler
1994 Marc Matsil
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