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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Funding

The Garden Club of America (GCA) offers an annual graduate fellowship in ecological restoration. The grant of US$8000 supports specialized study at an accredited university in the United States. The fellowship is administered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum and may be renewed pending review. GCA defines ecological restoration as "the process of assisting the recovery and management of ecological integrity. Ecological integrity includes a critical range of variability in biodiversity, ecological processes and structures, regional and historical context, and sustainable cultural practices." Applicants must provide a cover letter, research proposal (maximum five pages), current resume, letter of endorsement from his or her graduate faculty advisor, which also certifies enrollment, and two additional recommendations. Applications must be received by 14 January 2005. Send applications to GCA Fellowship in Ecological Restoration, Mark Leach, University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Highway, Madison, WI 53711, USA, (608) 263-7344, FAX (608) 262-5209, mkleach@wisc.edu. Committee reviews will be completed early in March.

Bat Conservation International will offer approximately 15 student research scholarships ranging from US$500 to $2500 in 2005. Grants will be awarded to research that is directly related to bat conservation and documents roosting and feeding habitat requirements of bats, their ecological and economic roles, or their conservation needs. Students enrolled in any college or university worldwide are eligible to apply. Application deadline is 15 December 2004. Information and forms are available at www.batcon.org/schol/schol.html. For more information contact Sarah Keeton, (512) 327-9721, skeeton@batcon.org.

The Dennis Raveling Scholarship for Waterfowl Research is awarded annually to one or more students with a desire to pursue a career in waterfowl or wetlands ecology. In 2005, one scholarship of US$2000 and one of US$1000 will be offered. The scholarship is intended to provide field experience and training in the tools, methods, and concepts of waterfowl and wetlands research and management. Candidates must be pursuing an advanced degree in wildlife, zoology, botany, ecology, or other pertinent biological science. To apply, submit a resume, one-page research proposal, letter of support from a faculty member, and contact information for two references by 31 October 2004. Send applications to Nicole Berset, California Waterfowl Association, 4630 Northgate Blvd., Suite 150, Sacramento, CA 95834, USA. For more information contact Nicole Berset at (916) 648-1406, FAX (916) 648-1665.

Land Use Standards

The first set of standards certifying land use projects that reduce global warming while conserving the environment and alleviating poverty are available for peer review and comment by the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA). The standards address shortfalls in existing land-based climate strategies, including the Kyoto protocol. They are intended to help public and private entities identify cost-effective greenhouse gas reduction projects that also have a positive impact on biodiversity and local communities. The standards primarily are designed for projects that mitigate or adapt to climate change. They also can be used to evaluate land management projects outside of the climate change arena. The standards will be operational in developing, developed, or emerging economies and can be used for projects with any type of investment. CCBA members include BP, Conservation International, GFA Terra Systems, the Hamburg Institute of International Economics, Intel, The Nature Conservancy, Pelangi, and SC Johnson & Son. To review and comment on the standards, see www.climate-standards.org. For more information contact Jason Anderson, Center for Environmental Leadership in Business, at Conservation International, (202) 912-1464, FAX (202) 912-1048.

Educational Opportunities

The International School of Ethology will offer a course on ungulate management in Europe from 12-17 November 2004 in Erice, Sicily. The course is sponsored by the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific Research, Italian National Research Council, Sicilian Regional Government, Italian Ministry of Environment, Tuscan Regional Government, and Provincial Government of Arezzo. For more information contact Danilo Mainardi, Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Università di Venezia, Campo della Celestia 2737 / B Castello, 30122 Venice, Italy, mainardi@unive.it. Please specify name, address, age, nationality, academic qualifications, present position and affiliation, and your specific interest in the course.

The United States Forest Service offers a series of international seminars, including protected area management, forest and natural resources administration and management, watershed management, and a field course on management of wildlands and protected areas, which is conducted in Spanish. For more information see www.fs.fed.us/global/is/welcome.htm or contact Mariam Bamizai, USDA Forest Service, 1099 14th St. NW, Suite 5500W, Washington, D.C. 20005, USA, (202) 219-9774, FAX 202-273-4750, mbamizai@fs.fed.us.

Publications

The Institute for Local Self Government, the research arm of the California League of Cities, recently published Understanding the Habitat Conservation Planning Process in California: A Guidebook for Project and Regional Conservation Planning. This document was published as an online book and is available for free at www.ilsg.org. The book serves as a resource to planners, local decision-makers, stakeholders, and scientists involved in developing and reviewing Habitat Conservation Plans. The book was written by Paul Cylinder, Ken Bogan, and David Zippin.

Meetings

The conference Mesopotamian Marshes and Modern Development: Practical Approaches for Sustaining Restored Ecological and Cultural Landscapes will be held 28-30 October 2004 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Pre-conference discussion panels will be held in New York City on 26 October and in Cambridge on 27 October. The Mesopotamian marshes of southern Iraq once provided habitat for millions of migrating birds and for thousands of people living on artificial islands of mud and reeds, who depended on sustainable fishing and farming. Since the early 1990s, a series of water manipulations have devastated the region. The conference will focus on designing and sustaining a restoration endeavor that will allow for both the preservation of traditional lifestyles and modern development. More information is available at (617) 495-0647, mesomarshes@gsd.harvard.edu, or www.gsd.harvard.edu/mesomarshes.

The Zoological Society of London and the Fisheries Conservation Foundation will co-host an international symposium on coral reef conservation on 16 and 17 December 2004. The symposium organizers are Isabelle Côté and John Reynolds, University of East Anglia, UK. The symposium will be held at the Meeting Rooms, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London. Full details, a program, and a registration form are available at www.zsl.org/press/pml_0000001642.html. For more information, contact Deborah Body, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK, 020 7449 6227, FAX 020 7586 5321, deborah.Body@zsl.org, www.zsl.org.

The workshop Implications of Climate Change in British Columbia's Southern Interior Forests will be held in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada 26-27 April 2005. A field trip will be offered on 28 April. Topics will include current information from climate models, projected geographical shifts in biogeoclimatic zones, implications for forest disturbance regimes and biodiversity, and strategies for developing climate change adaptation or risk management approaches to policy and management planning. This workshop is directed at forestry professionals and technicians, biologists, ecologists, protected area managers, and other managers and planners with an interest in how climate change may affect forest ecosystems and forestry. For more information, visit www.cmiae.org.

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