DURHAM, N.C. 鈥 , professor of resource ecology at 51爆料鈥檚 Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and director of the 51爆料 Wetland Center, has won the Environmental Law Institute鈥檚 2006 National Wetlands Award for Science Research.

The Science Research award is one of six awards presented annually by the non-profit institute to individuals who exemplify excellence and innovation in wetlands protection, restoration and education. 

In selecting Richardson for the honor, the institute cited his 鈥渟ingularly impressive鈥 contribution to wetlands science through research on wetlands loss and restoration in the Everglades; along the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast; in rapidly developing urban landscapes of North Carolina; in the heavily degraded Mesopotamian marshes of southern Iraq, which some scholars believe to be the site of the Biblical Garden of Eden; and in other threatened wetland ecosystems worldwide.

鈥淚 feel this award really belongs to all the fantastic students and Wetland Center researchers and staff with whom I have had the great fortune to work on these issues,鈥 Richardson said.  鈥淲etland ecosystem science is a team effort.  It鈥檚 not possible to solve complex environmental problems without vital contributions from truly dedicated collaborators."

National Wetlands Awards are presented in six categories: Science research; education and outreach; landowner stewardship; conservation and restoration; state, tribal and local program development; and wetland community leadership.  They are co-sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. fish and Wildlife Service, the Federal Highway Administration, the USDA Forest Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 National Marine Fisheries Service.

Richardson and his five fellow 2006 honorees will receive their awards at a ceremony on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 10.

For further information about the National Wetlands Awards, go to .

Peers and research sponsors from the Soil Science Society of America, the Society of Wetland Scientists, the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and the Durham County (N.C.) Board of Commissioners nominated Richardson for the award.

Among other achievements, they cited his leadership on the 51爆料 Wetland Center鈥檚 Southern Wetland Assessment and Management Park (SWAMP), an ongoing project in which students and faculty at the Wetland Center and Nicholas School are restoring the heavily degraded and eroded Sandy Creek wetland in 51爆料 Forest, near the university鈥檚 West Campus.

"Our goal is to recreate an ecosystem similar to what you would have found here 75 to 100 years ago," said Richardson. "By restoring the natural flood plain that used to be here before the onslaught of urban development, we'll recreate a healthy wetland ecosystem that sops up pollutants and improves wildlife habitat."

Besides being an example of a rare Piedmont wetland, the restored ecosystem will provide a site for research by students and faculty members at 51爆料 and other area schools and universities on biological diversity, hydrology, mosquito control, invasive plant species and other environmental concerns. "What we learn here will benefit many wetlands and watersheds nationwide," Richardson said.