[Note: Since I am subscribed only to the APWG and Ecolog-l lists, this
"reply to all" message will probably be confined to those two. I do not
object if anyone wishes to forward this post to the other lists. WT]
All:
I am not interested in applying for grants (I am "retired"), but am quite
interested in the subject and in participating to the extent that I might be
useful to those who work in this area or in areas that overlap.
In my many decades of working in the applied area of ecosystem restoration I
spent about fifteen years learning through failure. To put it as briefly as
possible, the simplest (but multi-faceted) lesson that Nature finally got
through my thick skull was that "methods" that have any objective outside
the matching of habitat/environmental conditions with the requirements of
the species adapted to them and vice-versa are prescriptions for failure.
Conversely, changes in habitat/environment will cause changes in ecosystem
(the living component) composition and dynamics over time. The nature and
timing of management actions (or inaction) are important in sequencing
events that are transitional and transformational [Note: These terms are
used for the sake of brevity more than "accuracy."].
As an example of a practical matter, this means that cultural conventions
like agronomy and horticulture are technical minefields (as it were); while
they have elements in common with ecology, their practices, methods, and
"philosophies" must largely be discarded in favor of finding out just what
is actually going on in the ecological context. Plant-soil water relations,
for example, are the same with respect to basic principles, but are quite
different in their application to agronomic and horticultural practice than
they are to ecosystem analysis and management. Time, timing, and
change/interactions are important considerations that are often left out,
causing "failures."
Finally, ecosystem "management" and "restoration" are more illusory than
real; that is, "we" do not actually "restore" or "manage" ecosystems--they
are inherently unmanageable. We do, however, affect ecosystems in
significant ways. The direction of our influence upon living systems is ours
to choose, but Nature always bats last.
I invite criticism or discussion.
WT
----- Original Message -----
From: "Olivia Kwong" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>;
<[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;
<[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 11:54 AM
Subject: [APWG] PCA: 2011 Request for Proposals for PCA NFWF Grant Program
This message is being cross-posted to all lists hosted at
lists.plantconservation.org. Please share it with anyone that might be
interested in applying for a grant.
http://www.nps.gov/plants/nfwf/
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is soliciting proposals
for the 2011 Native Plant Conservation Initiative (NPCI) grants cycle. The
NPCI grant program is conducted in cooperation with the Plant Conservation
Alliance (PCA), a partnership between the Foundation, ten federal
agencies, and more than 275 non-governmental organizations. PCA provides a
framework and strategy for linking resources and expertise in developing a
coordinated national approach to the conservation of native plants. Since
1995, the NPCI grant program has funded multi-stakeholder projects that
focus on the conservation of native plants and pollinators under any of
the following 6 focal areas: conservation, education, restoration,
research, sustainability, and data linkages. In 2011, NPCI is
particularly interested in projects that focus on and benefit eastern
North American early successional habitat, prairie coteau grasslands, sky
islands grasslands, deserts, Gunnison sage-grouse, southeastern grasslands
(especially longleaf pine forest), seabirds, shortgrass prairie, and
Colorado River fishes.
The deadline for pre-proposals is June 30, 2011. See
http://www.nps.gov/plants/nfwf/ for more information about the grant
programs including the full request for proposals.
_______________________________________________
PCA's Alien Plant Working Group mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/apwg_lists.plantconservation.org
Disclaimer
Any requests, advice or opinions posted to this list reflect ONLY the
opinion of the individual posting the message.
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