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Psychology professor receives grant for restoration project

May 11, 2008

Jorge Conesa-Sevilla, associate professor of psychology at Northland College, recently received $1,000 from the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant Program for his proposal "Wetland Extension Adjacent to Fish Creek Watershed."

The project will include the reforestation, restoration, and expansion of the greenbelt area bordering a section of Fish Creek. The area slated for restoration (pictured at left) has been used for growing hay, but now contributes to erosion in the area. The project will also maintain and extend wetland areas already in place adjacent to the creek. The goal is to improve water quality in Fish Creek and prevent further soil loss.

Students from Northland College will help to implement the project starting in May and outcomes will be monitored for an extended period of time to determine the long-term effects of the improvements.

When asked how he, as a psychology professor, got involved in an ecological restoration project, Conesa-Sevilla points to an academic background in natural resources and a previous job with the California Department of Fish and Game, but more importantly a strong set of personal beliefs.

"Wherever we have lived, our family has been involved in supporting conservation and restoration efforts happening at the local and bioregional levels," says Conesa-Sevilla. "It is part of our family ethos."

He also stresses the strong connection between the natural world and the human mind. "Several areas within psychology directly address mental health from the perspective of nature alienation or estrangement-how that affects mental health," says Conesa-Sevilla. "At the very least, our psychological projections onto nature speak volumes about who we are-body and mind."

The C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant Program promotes the responsible stewardship of Wisconsin's natural resources at the local level by providing matching grants for small-scale, natural resource projects and programs. The grant program is named after C.D. "Buzz" Besadny, former head of the Department of Natural Resources and Natural Resources Foundation co-founder, in honor of his dedication to the conservation of Wisconsin's natural resources. The C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant Program is supported by the Besadny Conservation Endowment and the ATC Environmental Stewardship Fund.

Pictured at top: Robert Banks(left), member of the board for the Besadny Conservation Foundation, present a grant check for $1,000 to Jorge Conesa-Sevilla (right), associate professor of psychology at Northland College, to fund an ecological restoration project along Fish Creek.