For the front cover image, the photo was incorrectly labeled as being located in Minnesota, but should have been labeled as a site in Illinois. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Front Cover Feature: Since 1999, erosion along the Kennedy Space Center coastline in Florida has increased as a result of frequent storm surges. To protect valuable national assets and infrastructure at the site, a system of created dunes has been installed. In a case study, Bolt et al. document how these created dunes have benefitted two protected wildlife species: Gopherus polyphemus (gopher tortoise, whose footprints are pictured here) and Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris (southeastern beach mouse). Image credit: Rebecca Bolt
Back Cover Features: Top: Marshes are often nitrogen limited even though sufficient nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) are critical to sustain plant productivity and support biogeochemical processes such as decomposition and denitrification in these systems. Noll et al. examined the development of wetland soils over five decades in a constructed salt marsh. Their findings help restoration ecologists identify target soil properties such as bulk density, C, N, and C:N, for gauging wetland restoration success and estimating the time frame necessary for recovery. Image credit: Christopher Craft. Middle: In the arid and semiarid regions of Patagonia, Argentina, millions of hectares have been desertified by cattle ranching and hydrocarbon extraction activities. Restoring habitat in this region is a large undertaking that requires cooperation among diverse landholders. Through a case study, Pérez et al. present a multi-step and multiyear model for Environmental Education (EE) developed to engage stakeholders in ecological restoration. As a result of the EE process, residents worked cooperatively with government and industry to establish native species nurseries and revegetate degraded lands. Image credit: Daniel Pérez.
Bottom: Biocultural restoration aims to reestablish both the ecological and cultural components at a site. Hummingbirds have been a culturally relevant wildlife group in Mexico since pre-Columbian times but are absent from many cultural heritage sites due to ecological degradation. To help re-establish a connection between people and their cultural and natural heritage, Barajas-Arroyo et al. conducted biocultural species enhancement at an archaeological site. They report on vegetation parameters necessary to attract target hummingbird species, and document how this enhancement has impacted visitor experiences at the site. Image credit: Roberto Lindig-Cisneros