Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 24
Realizing the Educational Potential of
Ecological Restoration
KERN EWING AND WARREN GOLD
As individuals it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the continuing media coverage of en-
vironmental problems, such as climate change, species loss, and overpopulation. As a
result it is often profoundly difficult to imagine ways to contribute meaningfully to en-
vironmental solutions. Ecological restoration, however, provides hands-on opportuni-
ties for everyone, from the general populace to experts, to come together, forging so-
lutions, and making a difference. Ecological restoration empowers people.
Ecological restoration has the potential to do things beside motivating people to
coalesce behind environmental issues, such as changing the way they think about
their relationship to the land, and making them want to learn about their surround-
ings. With its ability to unleash the energy and interest of people, ecological restora-
tion is a perfect vehicle for education because it engages people in ideas and subjects
they find innately interesting and personally important.
History of Ecological Restoration Education at the University
of Washington
As ecological restoration developed in North America through the twentieth century,
it became clear that long-term successful efforts were an inherently multidisciplinary
endeavor, including knowledge and practices from the arts and humanities as well as
the natural and social sciences. During this time, interest in restoring damaged eco-
systems arose in many different academic programs at the University of Washington
(UW). Landscape architecture faculty and students applied design and construction
principles from their field, those in biology and forest resources used ecological prin-
ciples to craft solutions, civil engineering and aquatic scientists combined interests in
restoring degraded streams, and so on. In the late 1990s a group of UW faculty began
to look for ways to knit these interests together, strengthening educational opportuni-
ties for students from across the academic spectrum that were interested in applying
their expertise to restoration.
These efforts coalesced with the formation of the University of Washington Res-
toration Ecology Network (UW-REN) in 1998. The development of UW-REN was
