During the week of April 30th Kevin Erwin (KECE), Nick Hill (Fernhill Institute) and John Brazner (Nova Scotia Environment) instructed this wetland restoration course held within the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Forty wetland professionals, engineers, planners, managers, consultants and academics from Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada attended the course which focused on taking a watershed approach to wetland restoration, creation and enhancement. The course used numerous case studies within the HRM to address the rapid growth in the area, with the wise use and restoration of wetlands within the Sackville River and Little Sackville River watersheds. Several of the participants made presentations including an overview by Nick Hill, John Brazner (Wetland restoration and the new Nova Scotia wetland conservation policy), Tony Bowron (Remarks on opportunities in coastal urban areas for saltmarsh restoration/creation), Adam Campbell (A Ducks Unlimited perspective on urban wetland restoration), Clinton Pinks (Lessons learned from naturalized stormwater wetlands in Alaska), Cameron Deacoff (Water quality and watershed health in the HRM), Tony Blouin (Issues in implementing wetlands for stormwater treatment), Bob Rutherford (Restoration and creation of stream habitats), Andy Sharpe and Mike Parker (Floodplain restoration opportunities) and Ray Jahncke (Application of GIS tools for understanding the urbanized watershed. Kevin Erwin presided as the lead instructor providing the lectures on wetland restoration, developing a process for the Halifax region and exercises at numerous sites within the HRM. The course concluded with a forum discussion entitled “Toward a water, wetland and watershed strategy for the HRM”. During the forum a consensus was reached by all participants on a way to move forward together to explore watershed analysis, comprehensive planning, and appropriate wetland restoration projects within the Halifax region.

Kevin also gave lectures on restoration opportunities in Kaixian and wetland restoration’s potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change to students and faculty at Chongqing Normal University. The international conference was organized by Professor Yuan Xingzhong of Chongqing University. This conference was very successful in that it updated the world on current conditions within the Three Gorges Reservoir EcoRegion and the need for future collaborations between the attending scientists. The Chongqing government and Professor Yuan are to be congratulated for organizing a very successful meeting.

The proceedings of this conference will be published by the Chongqing Normal University journal and presented in Germany next year at a related meeting. In addition, Kevin has invited Professor Yuan and his colleagues to participate in the INTECOL symposium at next year’s meeting in Orlando where the Three Gorges Dam wetlands and wetland restoration in China will be the focus.

For more information contact Kevin Erwin at klerwin@environment.com

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