This recent (1999) report by Charles W. Fowler of the National Marine Fisheries Service was originally published as Proceedings of the Fifth NMFS Stock Assessment Workshop (pps. 25-32 in: V.R. Restrepo, Ed., NOAA Tech. Mem. NMFS-F/SPO-40). Fowler uses Monte Carlo experiments on science, monitoring, and assessment in "1) documenting the normal ranges of natural variation among species and...

This Web site contains the free book Predicting Invasions of Nonindigenous Plants and Plant Pests provided by the National Academies Press. Compiled by the US Board on Life Sciences and the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, this 194-page book explores the difficulties in predicting the immigration and impact of exotic species. Researchers active in this field may find this free resource...

While not a panacea, the emerging field of restoration ecology provides an important tool for environmental conservation and contributes greatly to our understanding of ecology. The first Web site is the home page of the Society for Ecological Restoration, offering a good starting point for exploring this relatively new discipline (1). The next site (2) provides an overview of the University of...

Research at the Environmental Protection Agency's Ecosystems Research Division (ERD) "includes studies of the behavior of contaminants, nutrients, and biota in environmental systems, and the development of mathematical models to assess the response of aquatic systems, watersheds and landscapes to stresses from natural and anthropogenic sources." The ERD website contains information about a wide...

Administered by the U.S. Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station, the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute is devoted "to providing the quality, peer-reviewed research necessary to develop guidelines and management practices that assure sustainable wild ecosystems endure for generations to come." The Institute website provides information about numerous research projects, staff,...

With an organizational history that dates back approximately 30 years, the mission of the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) is "to provide scientific understanding and the technology needed to support sound management and conservation of our nation's natural resources, with emphasis on western ecosystems." From the Center's homepage, visitors can learn about the valuable work...

The USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (PIERC) strives "to provide objective research, baseline information, and technical assistance relating to conservation and restoration of indigenous biological resources occurring within the cultural, sociological and political context of the States and Islands Territories of Hawaii, Guam, Truk, the Marianas Islands, American Samoa and others...

Another informative Web site from the Environmental Protection Agency is the Online Training in Watershed Management page. Here, citizens have access to a wealth of information and tools to help them understand and protect their water resources. Six "modules" are offered, each of which take between a half to two hours to complete. They are organized by theme including an Introduction, watershed...

Studies examining the use of fire by Native Americans prior to European arrival in North America have received a considerable amount of attention in recent years. This website contains a sizeable collection of references addressing this subject, and was compiled in 2001 by Dr. Gerald W. Williams, an Historical Analyst for the US Forest Service. Dr. Williams introduces the references as "part of...

The Windows to the Universe website is maintained by the National Earth Science Teachers Association, and it has been around since the mid-1990s. One particularly interesting area of the site focuses in on the world of biomes and ecosystems. For those who might be unacquainted with such matters, biomes are large regions of the world with similar plants, animals, and other living things that are...