According to the Society for Ecological Restoration:

"Ecological Restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed."

Ecological restoration is a vital and effective method of preserving ecosystems for current and future generations. Also, participating in restoration projects provides a multitude of benefits on the personal level. Our club strives to bridge the gap between interested WWU students and local restoration work initiatives. 

Our priority is involving students with boots on the ground projects. Participating in such work is beneficial for a multitude of reasons:

1. Restoration work provides students with a tangible way to make a positive difference and helps replace climate related mental qualms with an increased sense of place, purpose, and belonging.

2. Short term success of restoration projects shows the substantial ecological impacts they make (eg. a restored salmon stream will show massive improvements in after a single season). 

3. Ecosystem function is vital to many aspects of society from personal wellbeing to economic prosperity. Ecological restoration improves damaged systems

4. People feel more connected and care more deeply for their place, if they work to make it better.

We are seeking funding for our club in order to foster a robust community of restoration enthusiasts. Your donation will be put towards:

1. Funding student-led restoration projects in the Sehome Arboretum, a well-loved community space located adjacent to WWU.  

2. Reimbursing students that carpool to volunteer work parties to offset fuel costs.

3. Providing students with food after work parties in order to increase involvement and volunteer retention.

4. Provide compensation to speakers 

5. Funding to enable student-led research on local ecological restoration work.

As federal funding for environmental causes becomes more inconsistent, local initiatives and grassroots support is vital. We greatly appreciate your donation, and assure you that your support makes a difference. 

More on the club:

We strive to spread awareness of ecological restoration opportunities to students in order to connect students with local organizations. With our connections in the restoration world, we organize guest speakers from the professional and academic world of ecological restoration. These speakers include restoration ecologists, technicians, project managers, and leading scientists. Speeches allow students to ask questions and make connections with leaders in the environmental field. This opens an avenue for students to learn more about the opportunities available to them outside of college, bridging the gap between academics and the real world. 

We also have the goal of significantly reducing invasive species presence in Sehome Arboretum. We organize frequent invasive species removals, in hopes of eradicating English Ivy. In its place, we plant native species to prevent regrowth of opportunistic invasive. Simultaneously, club members gain valuable experience organizing and partaking in work parties, and we improve a well-loved community space. 

Anyone in the community is welcome to join club-led events, such as meetings and speeches, work parties, and more!