Annual/Termination Reports:

[03/13/2006] [03/26/2007] [07/15/2008] [06/23/2009]

Report Information

Participants

du Toit, Johan (johan.dutoit@usu.edu) - Utah State University; Majerus, Mark (e-mail unavailable) - NRCS, Bridger Plant Materials Center, Montana; Neuman, Dennis (dneuman@montana.edu) - Montana State University; Schupp, Eugene (schupp@cc.usu.edu)- Utah State University; Stahl, Peter (unclem@uwyo.edu) - University of Wyoming; Vance, George (gfv@uwyo.edu) - University of Wyoming.

Brief Summary of Minutes

Meeting was called to order by Dennis Neuman at 9:00 am, 4 June.
Members of the committee in attendance introduced themselves.
Dennis Neuman delivered a presentation on Reclamation in the Anaconda Mine Region of Montana. This presentation led to a thorough and interactive discussion of important issues for our group, including what restoration is, distinctions from reclamation, etc. This then led into a discussion of degree programs and training of practitioners, job opportunities, and our role in training.
The business meeting was started at 10:15 am.
First order of business discussed was the status of executive positions of the committee and the election of new officers. Members in attendance elected Eugene Schupp as president for another year, Peter Stahl as vice president, and George Vance as secretary.
The WERA poster was briefly discussed: Pete has the poster but nobody knows if it was updated last year. This will be checked into.
The location of the 2007 Annual Meeting of WERA-21 was discussed. Possible meeting times and locations brought forward by the committee were: meet in conjunction with the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management (SRM) in Reno, NV, in February; meet in conjunction with the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR) in Gillette, WY, in June; meet in conjunction with the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) in San Jose, CA, in August. The committee voted to meet at the SRM Conference in Reno in February if this could be arranged at this date. The committee also voted as an alternative to meet at the ASMR Conference in Gillette in June if a meeting in conjunction with SRM could not be arranged. Stahl was designated to contact WERA Committee member Jeanne Chambers to inquire about the feasibility of meeting in conjunction with SRM in Reno. This discussion led to a more thorough discussion of how we can get better participation at the annual meeting  it was in fact the participation aspect that led the group to vote for meeting with SRM as a first choice since many of our members attend those meetings anyway.
The final issue was a discussion on what we should be doing in the future as a committee. The major outcome of the discussion was a consensus that the first thing we have to do is increase participation, after which we can work more on our role.
The business meeting was adjourned at 11:25 am.
We concluded the annual meeting with an afternoon field trip to the Bridger Plant Materials Center led by Mark Majerus.

Accomplishments

An annual report was compiled, containing an impressive list of publications from participating institutions (see "Publications" window);<br /> An annual field tour was held at the Bridger Plant Materials Center, Montana (see minutes);<br /> Options are being considered for incorporating the annual WERA-21 meeting with a special symposium at the 2007 SRM meeting in Nevada (see minutes);<br /> The WERA-21 poster is being updated, and so is the photo database;<br /> A primary task identified by the WERA-21 committee in 2006 was to recruit additional membership from a broader range of institutions.<br />

Publications

A full list of publications from each participating institution is provided in the attached report.

Impact Statements

1. This project is relatively new and ongoing, so tangible and definitive impacts attributable to the overall project will take some years to emerge. Impacts of research at each participating institution can be extracted from the report attached to "Publications".

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Report Information

Participants

A summary of participants who attended the meeting in Sparks, NV (held concurrently with the SRM 2007 annual conference) is provided in the minutes, which are attached as a PDF file (see "Summary of Minutes").

Brief Summary of Minutes

See attached file for complete minutes.

Accomplishments

All accomplishments by the committee as a whole, and by the participants and their institutions, are outlined in full in the report attached to the "Publications" section.

Publications

All 2006 publications from this project are listed in the report attached as a PDF file.

Impact Statements

1. Prepare an annual report of project summaries and publications of participating institutions
2. Coordinate and participate in annual field tours of innovative technologies
3. Maintain a web site home page that lists WERA021 past, present and future activities and contains links to sites of related interest
4. Identify critical issues in revegetation and land stabilization and the research necessary to address them
5. Strengthen the value of WERA021 as a source for current scientific information regarding evolving techniques for more effective revegetation and stabilization of land.
6. Sponsor or co-sponsor symposia or technical sessions on identified key issues/topics at regional, national and possibly international professional meetings (e.g., American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation, Billings Reclamation Symposium, American Water Resources Association, Ecological Society of America, Society for Ecological Restoration, Society for Range Management, Soil Science Society of America)
7. Prepare guidelines on native species seed collection, processing and documentation
8. Update and present a WERA021 poster at professional meetings documenting the committees activities and available information
9. Provide a list of instructional materials available from the committee
10. Produce a photo database for instructional use
11. Maintain a mix of committee members that represent a wide variety of disciplines involved with revegetation and land stabilization

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Report Information

Participants

Allen, Edith (eallen@citrus.ucr.edu) - University of California, Riverside;
Briggs, James (jim.briggs@por.usda.gov) - USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service, OR;
Du Toit, Johan (johan.dutoit@usu.edu) - Administrative Advisor, Utah State University;
Pyke, David (david_a_pyke@usgs.gov) - USGS, Corvallis, OR;
Stahl, Peter (Unclem@uwyo.edu) - WERA021 Chairman, University of Wyoming

Brief Summary of Minutes

WERA-21 Committee Business Meeting, 30 May 2008, Richland, WA

Meeting was called to order by P. Stahl at approximately 1:30 pm

Discussions began with the 2007 Annual Progress Report; the committee agreed that future progress reports should conform to the NIMSS Impact Statement format. Future WERA-21 reports must include clear impact statements and research milestones from each committee member. Committee advisor, J. Du Toit, pointed out the importance of committee members becoming familiar with functions of WERA committees and our particular impact oriented objectives. Committee members will be instructed to address these vital points in next years progress reports.

The committee then discussed membership issues. Questions regarding individuals keeping their names on the membership list and how to keep the membership list current were addressed. This discussion will help the committee keep correct current membership lists and prevent interested and involved members from being inadvertently dropped from the committee. Expanding the committee membership to involve more qualified and interested scientists was discussed. The committee agreed that new members could add to the quality of the committees work. Suggestions were made for new members that could be invited to join the committee.

Planning details of the 2009 annual WERA-21 committee meeting were discussed. Committee members present noted that the best attended committee meetings over the past several years were those held in conjunction with annual meetings of the Society for Range Management. The committee agreed to hold the 2009 annual meeting in Albuquerque, NM during the week of 8-12 February in conjunction with the 2009 annual meeting of SRM.

Election of a new committee secretary was held. James Briggs (USDA-NRCS, Portland , OR) was elected by members present. Other committee officers rotated into new positions as traditionally done on an annual basis: George Vance became the chair of the committee and Mark Paschke became vice-chair.

Committee administrative advisor, J. Du Toit suggested the WERA-21 photodatabase on degraded, restored, reclaimed and revegetated lands be transferred to Rangelands West.org (part of the Agriculture West Network Information Center (AgNIC). Rangelands West has an extensive photo collection on the website and the WERA-21 committee agreed this move would increase synergistic efforts and reduce redundancy. P. Stahl volunteered to contract Rangelands West to offer them the collection.

The committee discussed sponsoring a symposium on Land Reclamation and Ecosystem Restoration at the upcoming meeting of the Society for Range Management. Because the deadline for proposing symposia for the 2009 SRM Meeting had just passed, the committee agreed to propose a Symposium on Land Reclamation and Ecosystem Restoration at the 2010 annual SRM meeting. For the 2009 SRM meeting, the committee agreed to present a poster on WERA-21 Committee activities and impacts.

Plans for the 2008 Field Tour were outlined by D. Pyke. This years tour was a visit of sagebrush-grassland restoration sites on the Hanford Reach National Monument led by David Pyke the day after the business meeting, 31 May 2008.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 5 pm.

Accomplishments

WERA021 Accomplishments 2007<br /> <br /> Members of this committee conducted research on a multitude of important issues regarding revegetation, stabilization and restoration of degraded lands in the western U.S. Research projects involving members of WERA021 ranged from studies of standardized Federal emergency stabilization and rehabilitation monitoring protocols to methods to increase carbon sequestration in soils on reclaimed coal mined lands. Other topics of research included studies on restoration of weed invaded lands, Increasing reestablishment of shrubs in restored rangelands, control of weeds, especially cheatgrass and knapweed, development of tools to integrate restoration activities in National Parks, selection of native plants for revegetation and restoration projects, and improvement of seeding techniques and equipment for Wyoming big sagebrush and other native plants. Completed studies offer new technologies and suggestions for more efficient and effective restoration, revegetation and stabilization of degraded lands.<br /> <br /> Outputs of WERA021 during the year 2007 included dozens of publications in peer-reviewed national and international scientific journals, several final research reports to Federal and State Land Management Agencies, a number of articles in the popular press, a wealth of data, a number of workshops presented to stakeholder groups, and a number of oral and poster presentations at national and western regional meetings in the western U.S. Detailed listing of publications and reports produced by WERA021 committee members are given in the 2007 Annual Report.<br /> <br /> Conducting and disseminating results of research projects listed in the first paragraph of this section (WERA021 Accomplishments) are primary activities of WERA021 participants. A specific and organized activity of a number of WERA021 members is participation in SageSTEP (Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project), a study designed to to evaluate the effects of fire and fire surrogate treatments on vegetation and fuel responses on sagebrush communities of the Great Basin with the ultimate goal of developing strategies for restoring this endangered ecosystem. Another function of WERA021 has been development and maintenance of an educational photodatabase. The committee is exploring the possibility of transferring this resource to to Rangelands West.org (part of the Agriculture West Network Information Center (AgNIC) to increase its accessibility and reduce redundancy. The committee is making plans to sponsor a symposium on Land Reclamation and Ecosystem Restoration at the 2010 meeting of the Society for Range Management. The committee will be presenting a poster on WERA021 accomplishments, activities and impacts at the 2009 meeting of the Society for Range Management.<br /> <br /> The committee plans to meet in 2009 in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Range Management in Albequerque between 8-12 February. <br /> <br />

Publications

All publications from WERA021 participants are in the attached file, which also includes reports on progress at each participating institution.

Impact Statements

1. The 2007 Annual Report of Research Projects and publications of participating institutions has been submitted and is available online. It details activities, accomplishments, and outcomes of WERA021 members and provides stakeholders with sources of information and data from recent research conducted by committee members. The high level of publication of committee members continues to strengthen WERA021 value as a source for current scientific information regarding methods for effective and efficient revegetation, land stabilization, reclamation and ecosystem restoration.
2. A field tour was conducted by Dr. David Pyke of USGS on 31 May 2008 at Hanford Reach National Monument observe methods and results of sagebrush steppe restoration after cheatgrass invasion and fire. The tour highlighted interdisciplinary technologies used by USGS to reestablish sagebrush communities in highly disturbed habitats and broadened the knowledge and experience of participating committee members and the tour hosts regarding the complex interactions of cheatgrass invasions and fire.
3. Research projects conducted by WERA021 members and resulting publications detailed in the Annual Report promoted technology development and transfer on a wide variety of land revegetation, reclamation and ecosystem restoration issues in the western U.S. The most important topics of current projects include restoration of sagebrush steppe communities impacted by cheatgrass invasion and fire, reclamation of lands disturbed by natural resource extraction, and revegetation and stabilization of rangelands invaded by weedy species of plants.
4. The WERA021 website continues to provide and disseminate information regarding activities and final products of the committee to stakeholders and other interested parties. A poster describing objectives and activities of the WERA021 committee was presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR). The committee will update and present the poster at the 2009 Billings Land Reclamation Symposium in Billings, MT and the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management to provide information to the large gathering of land managers, students and scientists at this meeting. The committee will sponsor a symposium on Land Reclamation and Ecosystem Restoration in the Western U.S. at the 2010 Meeting of the Society for Range Management to provide a forum for detailed presentations on innovation, multidisciplinary approaches to revegetation, reclamation, and restoration of degraded lands.
5. The committee has added a number of new members in response to losing a few and continues to maintain a mix of scientists representing a wide variety of disciplines involved in revegetation and land stabilization including botanists, soil scientists, range ecologists, weed scientists, shrub ecologists, plant materials specialists, and restoration ecologists. Newest members of the committee include Mark Paschke of Colorado State University and Tamzen Stringham of Oregon State University.
6. Examples of Grants, Contracts and Resources obtained by WERA021 Members: Influence of plant community structure and topsoil handling method on soil structural development and microbial community recovery in reclaimed soil. P.D. Stahl, L.J. Ingram, and A.F. Wick. Funded by Office of Surface Mining, USDOI, $114,874. 2006-2007. Mechanisms for stabilization and accumulation of organic carbon in reclaimed mineland soils. P.D. Stahl, G.F. Vance and S.V. Huzubazar. Funded by the Abandoned Mine Land Research Program, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, $222,220, 2005-2008. Recovery of Belowground Ecosystem Components Under Different Plant Communities on Reclaimed Coal Mine Lands, P.D. Stahl, L.J. Ingram, S.V. Huzubazar and C. J. Bilbrough. Funded by the Abandoned Mineland Research Program, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, $217,696. 2004-2007. (Stahl - $205,000)

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Report Information

Participants

Allen, Edith B (edith.allen@ucr.edu) California Cooperative Extension
Paschke, Mark (mark.paschke@colostate.edu) Colorado - Colorado State University
Zabinski, Catherine A. (cathyz@montana.edu) Montana - Montana State University
Harrington, John (joharrin@nmsu.edu) New Mexico - New Mexico State University
Wali, Mohan K. (wali.1@osu.edu) Ohio - Ohio State University
Loftin, Sam (sloftin@lanl.gov) Los Alamos National Lab
Holzworth, Larry (lholzworth@mt.nrcs.usda.gov) NRCS
Pyke, David (david_a_pyke@usgs.gov) USGS
Whisenant, Steve (s-whisenant@tamu.edu) Texas AgriLife Research
Chambers, Jeanne (jchambers@fs.fed.us) USDA/FS Rocky Mountain Research Station
Jemison, Roy (rjemison@fs.fed.us) USDA/FS Rocky Mountain Research Station
Shaw, Nancy (nshaw@fs.fed.us) USDA/FS Rocky Mountain Research Station
Schupp, Eugene W. (schupp@cnr.usu.edu) Utah - Utah State University
Dobrowolski, James P. (dobrowol@wsu.edu) Washington - Washington State University
Hild, Angela L. (annhild@uwyo.edu) Wyoming - University of Wyoming
Stahl, Peter D. (unclem@uwyo.edu) Wyoming - University of Wyoming
Vance, George (gfv@uwyo.edu) Wyoming - University of Wyoming

Brief Summary of Minutes

This termination report is the result of waning interests in past WERA-21 members in continuing the committee. A survey of members indicated there is a strong need for new invigorated members to lead efforts associated with reclamation and revegetation issues that were a large part of the group's past efforts. It is therefore recommended that someone or an interested group reorganize the efforts associated with revegetation and stabilization of disturbed lands by determining which of the past WERA-21 activities should be continued along with a new list of objectives. A group of sufficient size is needed to develop these ideas and a new direction that will sustain efforts for the future of reclamation and revegetation activities.

Current members who provided comments on WERA-21 indicated they have participated only rarely due to conflicts and demands of their jobs; not sure what the goals of the group are or if the group really accomplishes much anymore; group needs a plan to reinvigorate the committee; have fewer opportunities for research and collaboration; time and opportunities for participation are not what they used to be; need to recruit some new, proactive younger individuals who want to revitalize the group; tied up with other things that make it unable to support the group much; don't honestly see a compelling reason to continue the project; need to pass the leadership on to entering scientists; group appears to be getting stagnant and needs young blood; too busy to be actively engaged; perhaps what is needed is a new way to make participation more convenient, which might mean finding a new venue.

A major accomplishment of the WERA-21 committee over the past 5 years has been an Annual Reports summarizing on-going research, completed studies, and products of the institutions represented by the members. Annual reports have contained an impressive list of publications from participating institutions. In addition, annual meetings with field trips have been an important part of WERA-21 group activities.

Particular acknowledgments go to Gene Schupp and Pete Stahl for their preparation of annual reports and to George Vance for conducting the final survey and preparing the summaries used in this termination report.

Accomplishments

Summary of Accomplishments<br /> <br /> 1. Annual Reports of projects and publications of participating institutions. The Report includes activities, accomplishments, and outcomes of WERA-21 members and provides stakeholders with sources of information and data from recent research conducted by committee members. The high level of publication of committee members strengthened WERA-21 value as a source for current scientific information regarding methods for effective and efficient revegetation, land stabilization, reclamation and ecosystem restoration.<br /> 2. Prepared guidelines on native species seed collection, processing and documentation. <br /> 3. Provided a list of instructional materials available from the committee.<br /> 4. Produced a photo database for instructional use.<br /> 5. Coordinated and participated in annual field tours of innovative technologies. The latest field tours included a visit to Hanford Reach National Monument to observe methods and results of sagebrush steppe restoration after cheatgrass invasion and fire. The tour highlighted interdisciplinary technologies used by USGS to reestablish sagebrush communities in highly disturbed habitats and broadened the knowledge and experience of participating committee members and the tour hosts regarding the complex interactions of cheatgrass invasions and fire. <br /> 6. Maintained a website home page that lists WERA-21 past, present and future activities and contained links to sites of related interest. The WERA-21 website continues to provide and disseminate information regarding activities and final products of the committee to stakeholders and other interested parties. <br /> 7. Updated and presented a WERA-21 poster at professional meetings documenting the committee's activities and available information. The poster was presented at the annual meetings of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation (ASMR), Billings Land Reclamation Symposium in Billings, MT, and Society for Range Management<br /> 8. Identified critical issues in revegetation and land stabilization and the research necessary to address them. Strengthened the value of WERA-21 as a source for current scientific information regarding evolving techniques for more effective revegetation and stabilization of land.<br /> 9. Sponsored or co-sponsored symposia or technical sessions on identified key issues/topics at regional, national and possibly international professional meetings (e.g., American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation, Billings Reclamation Symposium, American Water Resources Association, Ecological Society of America, Society for Ecological Restoration, Society for Range Management, Soil Science Society of America).<br /> 10. Outputs of WERA-21 included numerous publications in peer-reviewed national and international scientific journals, several final research reports to Federal and State Land Management Agencies, a number of articles in the popular press, a wealth of data, a number of workshops presented to stakeholder groups, and a number of oral and poster presentations at national and western regional meetings in the western U.S.<br /> 11. Conducted and disseminated results of research projects. An example of a specific and organized activity of a number of WERA-21 members was the SageSTEP (Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project), a study designed to evaluate the effects of fire and fire surrogate treatments on vegetation and fuel responses on sagebrush communities of the Great Basin with the ultimate goal of developing strategies for restoring this endangered ecosystem. Other important topics of current projects include restoration of cheatgrass invasion and fire damaged sites, reclamation of lands disturbed by natural resource extraction, and revegetation and stabilization of rangelands invaded by weedy species of plants.<br /> 12. The committee had added a few new members in response to losing past participants. Expanding the committee membership to involve more qualified and interested scientists could add to the quality of the committees work. The current group's expertise is a mix of scientists representing a wide variety of disciplines involved in revegetation and land stabilization and includes botanists, soil scientists, range ecologists, weed scientists, shrub ecologists, plant materials specialists, and restoration ecologists.<br />

Publications

The numerous publications arising from the research conducted by WERA021 participants are listed within, or as attachments to, each annual report.

Impact Statements

1. Conducted research on a multitude of important issues to advance the revegetation, stabilization and restoration of degraded lands in the western U.S. Research projects involving members of WERA-21 ranged from studies of standardized Federal emergency stabilization and rehabilitation monitoring protocols to methods to increase carbon sequestration in soils on reclaimed coal mined lands. Other topics of research included studies on restoration of weed invaded lands, increasing reestablishment of shrubs in restored rangelands, control of weeds, especially cheatgrass and knapweed, development of tools to integrate restoration activities in National Parks, selection of native plants for revegetation and restoration projects, and improvement of seeding techniques and equipment for Wyoming big sagebrush and other native plants. Completed studies offer new technologies and suggestions for more efficient and effective restoration, revegetation and stabilization of degraded lands.

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