START is very pleased to introduce the newest member of our Board, Dr. Charles C. Reith.
Charles Reith is a retired restoration ecologist with experience in Africa, Europe and the Americas. His wetlands reconstruction has focused on the reestablishment of valuable ecosystem services such as water purification, flood control, carbon sequestration and wildlife habitat. Clients for his wetlands planning and management have included universities, resource firms and municipalities, all of whom have sought to improve their land resources not only on their own properties, but also on the impact to the ecological health and productivity of the larger ecosystem. Charles has a Ph. D. in Ecology from the University of New Mexico and 40 years of experience in industry and academia. He has been a professor at four universities and advisor to international corporations and ministries in over a dozen countries. He has published three books including Principles and Methods of Reclamation Science, a comprehensive compendium of strategies to restore ecological vitality to landscapes deturbed by fire, flooding or human activity such as mining and forestry.
Charles and his wife Penny are enthusiastic naturalists on land and sea. They especially enjoy birding as part of their international business and recreational travel. Charles has a blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do, but presently prefers to limit his sparring to wordplay with those who haven’t yet grasped the importance of improving the quality of our coastal waters.
