Conservation & Ecological RestorationEmily Tarsa
2020 The Garden Club of America Fellowship in Ecological Restoration

Mechanisms Driving Seed-Based Wetland Restoration: Harnessing Regeneration Traits and Systems Modeling to Revegetate Great Salt Lake Wetlands
Emily Tarsa is a PhD candidate in ecology at Utah State University. She studies restoration of native plant communities in wetland ecosystems, particularly in Great Salt Lake wetlands. She is investigating functional traits that drive seed and seedling life-stage transitions for native and invasive wetland species, and how these traits vary within and between species. Additionally, Tarsa’s project will identify how early functional traits are linked to plant performance under different environmental conditions. Ultimately, her research will be used to develop a systems model that allows for more targeted decision-making when sourcing seeds and restoring native wetland species.
The Garden Club of America Fellowship in Ecological Restoration
The Garden Club of America (the GCA) offers an annual Fellowship in Ecological Restoration. Established in 2000 with funds from the John B. Young Charitable Trust as well as GCA members and clubs, the fellowship’s goal is to support research that will advance knowledge and increase the number of scientists in the important field of ecological restoration, the active healing of the land. The $8,000 grant is awarded annually to exceptional graduate students to support specialized study in ecological restoration at an accredited U.S. university. Preference will be given to projects that include field research conducted in the United States. A panel of experts associated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum reviews the applications and makes recommendations to the GCA Scholarship Committee.
For the purposes of this scholarship, The Garden Club of America agrees to the definition of ecological restoration as stated by the Society of Ecological Restoration (SER).