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Society for Ecological Restoration International VOLUME 19 No4 Winter 2006 ISSN 1535-9859 Page 10
New Chapter Forming in New England Area, USA
A new Chapter of SER International has been created in the New England area of the United States (SER-NE). The
mission of the Chapter is to foster the integration of science, planning, education and regulation in restoration efforts in
New England.
As with the formation of any new Chapter, the Board of Directors of SER International officially accepted SER-NE’s ByLaws and Mission Statement. The Chapter’s Founding Board is in place and all officially registered with both Federal and State governments. The Directors include: Aimlee Laderman, Chair; Mike Toohill, Vice Chair; Ingeborg E. Hegemann, Treasurer; Secretary Cheryl Holdren; Student Directors Jules OptonHimmel and Shawn Callaghan, and Directors-at-Large Mickey Marcus and Sarah Watts.
The first two issues of the New England Restoration Journal Survey, spearheaded and edited by Watts, have been published, and Marcus represented the proto-chapter at the SER International Annual Meeting in Zaragoza, Spain in September.
SER-NE has already collaborated in a very productive educational workshop on stream, river, wetland and watershed restoration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in mid-November 2005, organized by the Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM). The nascent Chapter hosted a lively roundtable discussion on New England issues and interests. (Abstracts and Power Point presentations from the conference are available at the ASWM website, www.aswm.org.)
All who join SER-NE during 2006 will have the status of Charter Members. (For details of SER International membership options, benefits, and registration see page 6.) SER-NE chapter dues for SER International members are only $10 (US), and $15 for non-members. For more information, email ihegemann@bscgroup.com.
Members are welcome to get involved in the Chapter by acting as liaisons to other organizations, or by forming committees in any number of areas, including: Field Trips, Membership, Literature Survey, Website Development, Restoration Site Database Project, Employment Exchange and Meetings. For more information, email SER-NE Chairperson Aimlee Laderman at aladerman@mbl.edu or Vice-Chari Mike Toohill at mtoohill@ensr.com and please include your complete address in your email.
The Chapter is eager to start working on issues and projects in the following areas: low impact development strategies; regulatory opportunities and hurdles; public/private partnerships; upgrading/re-naturalizing agricultural lands; brownfields development; urban revitalization; field trips to in-progress/planned restoration sites; employment exchange; networking; utilizing the dozens of special interest SER International listservs including the Grants Corner; informal forums to share restoration challenges and successes. Chapter leaders are eager for your ideas, and hope to hear from you.
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