From eckl@eli.org Mon May 5 11:47:17 1997 Received: from mx4.u.washington.edu (mx4.u.washington.edu [140.142.33.5]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.04/8.8.4+UW97.04) with ESMTP id LAA44954 for ; Mon, 5 May 1997 11:47:08 -0700 Received: from relay3.smtp.psi.net (relay3.smtp.psi.net [38.8.210.2]) by mx4.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW96.12/8.8.4+UW97.04) with ESMTP id LAA19004 for ; Mon, 5 May 1997 11:46:59 -0700 Received: from smtp.eli.org by relay3.smtp.psi.net (8.8.3/SMI-5.4-PSI) id OAA13476; Mon, 5 May 1997 14:46:45 -0400 (EDT) Received: from FS1/SpoolDir by smtp.eli.org (Mercury 1.13); Mon, 5 May 97 14:53:34 +1100 Received: from SpoolDir by FS1 (Mercury 1.13); Mon, 5 May 97 14:53:15 +1100 From: "Eric Eckl" To: coastnet@uriacc.uri.edu, consbio@u.washington.edu, ca-water@spoke.dcn.davis.ca.us, cmpan@ucdavis.edu, Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 14:53:14 +0000 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: Quoted-printable Subject: Dr. Zedler wins 1997 NWA CC: eckl@eli.org X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Windows (v2.23) Message-ID: **Apologies for Cross Posting** **The ceremony is free and is open to the public** May 1, 1997 For Immediate Release For more information: http://www.eli.org Contact: (202) 939-3248 or Dr. Joy Zedler of San Diego, California Wins 1997 National Wetlands Award for Salt Marsh Research Dr. Joy Zedler, Director of the Pacific Estuarine Research Laboratory (PERL) at San Diego State University, has been chosen as the winner of the 1997 National Wetlands Award for science research. Dr. Zedler will be honored at a ceremony and reception on Thursday, May 8, 1997, in Washington, D.C. J. William Futrell (President, Environm= ental Law Institute) will make opening remarks. Robert Perciasepe (Assistant Administrator for Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) will give the keynote address. Michael Davis (Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works) and John Meagher (Director, Wetlands Division, U.S. EPA) will present the awards. The National Wetlands Awards, sponsored by the Environmental Law Institute and the U.S. Environmental Protection honor individual citizens who have demonstrated excellence and dedication in the field of wetlands protection through programs or projects at the regional, state, and local level. "Dr. Zedler's research focuses on one of the most crucial issues in wetlands protection," said ELI's Jessica Bennett, Director of the National Wetlands Awards Program. "What are the factors that contribute to the success or failure of our efforts to create or restore degraded habitat to compensate for wetlands that are destroyed or disturbed somewhere else?" Dr. Zedler has been working for more than 25 years to advance scientific knowledge of salt marsh ecology and the structure and functioning of coastal wetlands. Much of her research has been conducted in the San Diego area, an area with a growing population and a high rate of wetland loss. "Southern California might seem to be the last place where a scientist would work to understand and protect wetlands," said Dr. Zedler. "The region never had much wetland habitat, and about 90% of what there was has been destroyed. Urbanization threatens both the quality and the quantity of the few thousand acres that remain. But the rarity of the habitat and history of damage caught my attention in the early 1970s and has held it to this day." Developers who destroy or disturb wetlands habitat as part of construction projects are often required to restore or construct wetlands elsewhere in the watershed to compensate for the damage -- a process known as =91mitigation.' In her recent book, Tidal Wetland Restoration: A Scientific Perspective and Southern California Focus, Dr. Zedler and her associates have carefully examined naturally functioning systems and mitigation projects, noting ways to improve restoration efforts, and establishing higher standards for success. "I established the Pacific Estuarine Research Laboratory in 1984," said Dr. Zedler. "Over the years, many excellent graduate and post-doctoral students have come to study our coastal wetlands, and we have increased our understanding of this precious resource and developed new tools and techniques for protecting and restoring it." Dr. Zedler and PERL are pioneers in the field of adaptive management -- using science and conducting experiments as part of the management process. "Adaptive management means learning as you go and making use of what you learn along the way," said Dr. Zedler. "For example, we are planting 7000 seedlings of different types at a current site -- which is great for the site -- and monitoring the results will tell us a lot about the value of diversity in restoration. If planting six species allows the wetland to absorb more nitrogen than planting one species, then we will know how to design the next restoration better." "Dr. Zedler not only conducts research and widely publishes her findings," said Teresa Opheim, editor of the National Wetlands Newsletter, who nominated Dr. Zedler for the award. "She also makes the extra effort to ensure that the knowledge she generates reaches the people who make decisions that affect wetlands in California." Since the early 1980s, she has been working to convince wastewater dischargers that releasing fresh water into the ocean can threaten wildlife by diluting the salinity in their habitat and making way for invasions of non-native species. Local water quality boards are beginning to take notice of the research and plans to limit discharges and monitor impacts are underway. "I am delighted to join in recognizing the extraordinary individual contributions of citizens and local officials to environmental protection," said EPA Administrator Carol Browner. "I congratulate the 1997 National Wetlands Awards winners and thank them for their outstanding efforts to conserve the natural heritage of their communities." The award ceremony will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, 1997, in the Senate Caucus Room, 325 Russell Senate Office Building, First and C Streets, Northeast, Washington, D.C. To receive an invitation, contact Rose Edmonds at (202) 939-3854 or For information about other 1997 National Wetlands Award Winners, visit our web site at http://www.eli.org ___________________________________ Eric Eckl Assistant Director of Communications Environmental Law Institute 1616 P Street, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 939-3248 Fax: (202) 939-3868 eckl@eli.org **Visit our revised website at www.eli.org** .