Conte, Christine. “How Ecosystems Recover after Wildfires | Earth.org.” Earth.org, 24
Feb. 2025, earth.org/how-ecosystems-recover-after-a-fire/

Wildfires can be destructive to buildings and trees and more and more are occurring due to climate change. The good news is they trigger a recovery process afterwards and actually can help improve biodiversity. The recovery process is called ecological succession, and the burned areas become more nutrient land and reduce species competition which helps biodiversity. The article mentions Yellowstone National Park’s 1988 fires (burning 30% of the park) as proof because the park has fully recovered and its species are flourishing.

When I read this I thought of all the fires in California. While they may seem destructive, it is encouraging to know that wildfires can actually help improve the land over time by refreshing the land and making it more usable. While too many accidental fires can be a problem, natural wildfires have an important role in helping improve biodiversity. This makes me hopeful for the forests in California.

Stratigaki, Vicky, and Noa Ligot. “How Marine Restoration Can Help Manage 

Biodiversity Loss.” World Economic Forum, 18 Nov. 2025, www.weforum.org/stories/2025/11/what-a-unique-approach-to-marine-restoration-can-teach-about-tackling-biodiversity-loss/

This article discusses a new solution for reusing dredged sediments for ecological restoration and climate resilience. Usually dredged sediments are disposed of in the ocean or stored in containment sites with no economic value. By repurposing the dredged sediments, they were able to create AquaForest. Taking inspiration from mangrove forests, which are effective coastal stabilizers, AquaForest was designed to be a new island ecosystem. After studying the mangrove forests in western Ecuador, they determined that mangrove are able to thrive in the repurposed sediments. The mangroves on the island contribute to erosion control, biodiversity enhancement and carbon reduction.

I loved this article. It is so exciting to learn about creating something new and useful for the environment out of something like dredged sediments that were thought to have no value. I hope the idea of creating an island like AquaForest inspires others to come up with new ideas to save the environment and fight climate change.

NOAA Fisheries. “Restoring Habitat, Bolstering the Economy, and Supporting Jobs in 

Florida.” NOAA, 19 Aug. 2025, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/restoring-habitat-bolstering-economy-and-supporting-jobs-florida.

This article explains an analysis of 12 habitat restoration projects in Florida. These different projects are to restore coral reefs, mangroves, oyster reefs, seagrass, bird habitats, and shorelines. These projects support fisheries, protect the coastline from flooding and help to keep parks and beaches open for visitors. The analysis estimates that these projects created $168 million in value, including more than $100 million in GDP (gross domestic product). They support over 1,000 jobs and $70 million for many people including divers and construction workers, as well as marine biologists. One specific project is the Oyster corps, which trains teenagers to restore habitats. The article argues that the restoration projects are a good investment because they provide both an improved environment, but also training and jobs for people.

This article did a good job of explaining how restoring a habitat is not just something which helps the environment. Restoration can help people as well by providing jobs, and preserving businesses which depend on the health of the beaches and the land. Overall I found this inspirational because it shows how helping the environment is also a way to help people at the same time. I hope that Florida is able to continue these projects and preserves more of its coastline.

Haas, Michaela. “Former Navy SEALs Are Diving to Save the Ocean.” WFTV, 11 July 

2025, www.wftv.com/news/former-navy-seals-are-diving-save-ocean/WHIG7CF23JKNBAW4WMUCR2DQVE/

This news story features volunteers who are doing marine habitat restoration by using their diving skills learned in the Navy. The volunteers are mostly former Navy SEALs or special forces who are retired. The inspiration for the volunteer work came after one of the men in special forces was on a trip to the Cayman Islands. He thought the marine life was so amazing and wanted to make sure that it was preserved in the future.The group has helped to restore coral reefs, track sea turtles, remove invasive species, rebuild a shoreline and other environmental projects. They work on 8 to 10 projects a year and have 40 volunteers. The volunteers say that the work is rewarding and they are making a difference.

I thought this was an inspirational story because former people in the military are using their skills for a good cause. The work also helps the volunteers feel better about themselves and gets their mind focused on something positive.  The volunteer work also isn’t for show, they are having an impact. This makes me wonder what might be possible if more people volunteered their time to help out with restoration projects and improving the environment.

Hance, J. (2026, January 21). Growing native plants to heal land at Indigenous owned 

nursery in British Columbia. Conservation News. https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/growing-native-plants-to-heal-land-at-indigenous-owned-nursery-in-british-columbia/

A native plant nursery in British Columbia is leading an effort for ecological restoration by growing native plant species to heal the land and bring back plants that used to thrive in the area. The nursery produces 700,000 sprouted plants annually and supplies many to form industrial locations. They have built up knowledge over time and use their expertise to restore biodiversity across Canada and create an example of conservation. They are also restoring riverbeds that have been impacted by development. Planting seedlings along the river helps to stabilize the riverbank and provides shade for fish during the summer.

This article shows a great example of people who are working hard to make a difference through conservation and believe in restoration to help heal the land and improve the environment. It also shows that it takes a lot of specialized knowledge to be able to produce a large number of plants and that the nursery itself is a complex operation. I love the comments made by the employees who feel that they are making a difference.

Villanova, Joseph. “Vernon Prepares for Vacant Mill Cleanup and Redevelopment.” CT Insider, 25 Jan. 2026, www.ctinsider.com/journalinquirer/article/ct-vernon-daniels-mill-redevelopment-21311315.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.

‌ A 6.8 million dollar cleanup of the former Daniel’s Mill is being prepared to begin in Vernon, Connecticut. Daniel’s Mill is an abandoned industrial site. This restoration is a key step in the Rockville Mill complex project, which aims to transform Daniel’s Mill and nearby properties into housing and more. Because of the Mill being a industrial site there may be contaminated land. This project includes removing and containing hazardous substances to make this land more safe. The project is expected to create about 200 residential units and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. 

This project may not seem like an environmental restoration project because they are planning to develope the line but by removing hazardous substances from the site they are keeping pollutants from continuing to hurt the soil. It is making the environment a more safe place, and taking away those unsafe materials left behind from the industrial site. Although maybe it would be a better pro environmental project if they didn’t develope the land after, they are going to develope land somewhere, so they might as well use the land that was abandoned. This keeps from developing more land than necessary. 

Bakuli, Ethan. “Detroit River Nonprofit Targets Wetlands Loss with Island Habitat Restoration.” Planet Detroit, PlanetD, 28 Aug. 2025, planetdetroit.org/2025/08/detroit-river-wetlands-restoration/?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.

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The Detroit River was once heavily degraded by industrial pollution. It is now undergoing significant restoration led by the nonprofit Friends of the Detroit River (FODR). The river is has great ecological importance and has had severe loss of coastal wetlands caused by decades of industrial use, erosion, and high water. It was a designated area of concern in 1987. The river has had major restoration progress through partnerships with federal, state, and local agencies. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was launched in 2010. Since then nearly all 14 priority habitat restoration projects have been completed. Although, millions of cubic yards of contaminated sediment remain. Fully cleaning this up is estimated to cost 1 billion dollars, and finished in 2030.

This project works to help restore a natural area that is very important to its surrounding ecosystem. This restoration project has been worked on for a very long time. This shows how sometimes these projects take a long time to complete well. Also this project is incredibly expensive. This tells us that restoring the land we ruin is very expensive. Because of this we must be careful not to destroy much more land, because eventually we are going to have to pay for that damage. Many times companies and people destroy the environment because its the cheaper way out. Although it is only cheap in the short term.

Sustainability, and Maryellen Zbrozek. “Beneath the Surface: The Cleanup Transforming the Genesee Riverbank – Sustainability.” Sustainability, 22 Sept. 2025, www.rochester.edu/sustainability/beneath-the-surface-the-cleanup-transforming-the-genesee-riverbank/?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.

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New York State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program constructed a tree removal and construction activity along the Genesee RiverBank. This program aims to remove longstanding industrial contamination, restore habitats, and replant native species so the area can be safe for use of the community. This habitat contains soil contaminated with petroleum related chemicals and heavy metals. These cleanup efforts started in 2015 and have multiple stages. The current stage they are in is focused on taking out contaminated soil and replacing it with clean material. Officials say that the area remains safe for public use during this process. This project reflects the efforts across New York to turn contaminated industrial land into parks and other community land.

This project helps restore this riverbank by transforming the industrial land into non-dangerous public land. Not only does this build more community places, it also restores more natural places in such a industrial dense state. I think this project is a very good example of what many states should be doing with their land. It is important for us to bring back the nature in our industrial dense world. Not only is it good for the environment but also helping more people have better access to clean natural places is important for peoples mental health. Being in natural places helps people feel more calm. People should have access to that instead of being trapped in a industrial city.

On May 22, 2025, California began filling the East Pond Expansion of the Salton Sea. This project is currently part of the Species Conservation Habitat project and is part of the state’s 10 year plan to restore the Salton sea ecosystem. The Salton Sea is California’s largest inland body of water. The sea has been shrinking due to lower water inflows, which has exposed lakebeds and caused dust to go into the air reducing air quality. There has also been a negative impact on wildlife habitats because of the low water levels and the high salt content. Federal funding will help expand this project to eventually improve wetland habitats and support public health and the environment. 

I agree that it is important to have federal funding in order to make projects like these happen. This type of project needs to be a priority because it helps to protect California’s biodiversity, improve air quality, and helps to improve habitats. This article relates to environmental science because it shows the negative impact humans have had on the Salton Sea and how they are learning to restore it.

California reaches major restoration milestone at the Salton Sea | Governor of California. Governor of California. (2025, May 22) https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/05/22/california-reaches-major-restoration-milestone-at-the-salton-sea/.