I'm at the Society for Ecological Restoration 5th World Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. Only halfway through the first morning, I'm of course still forming impressions; what's certain is that there are a lot of people here, reportedly over 1,200 people from 52 countries. There are 13 concurrent sessions and lots of good papers, it's going to be tough to choose.
The plenary kicked off with a diverse and upbeat talk by Paul Hawken, much too diverse to easily summarize here but I think it set a good tone for the event.
Not long after that, someone made the first mention of one of the key tensions in restoration ecology: The role, and the validity (or danger) of the novel ecosystem concept. I suspect more writings on that hot topic will follow.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Salt River
The photo was taken late this afternoon on the Salt River restoration project near Ferndale, California. In the foreground is the newly excavated tidal channel; in the background is the old, narrow channel... long silted in and bordered by cordgrass.
This is part of the phase 1 work, which includes the lowermost channel segment and about 400-acres of adjacent historic salt marsh, diked off for over 100 years and now only weeks away from the return of tidal influence.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Salt River
This photo was taken late yesterday at the Salt River Restoration Project near Ferndale CA. It's the beginning of the new, wider tidal portion of the channel, still under construction. The end of the excavation is right behind me. The bare ground to the right will later be planted to riparian forest, and away from the channel is a 400-acre salt marsh restoration including a series of internal sloughs.
I'll try to get some more photos later this summer as the work progresses. For now, it's so good to see it being built, this one's been a long time coming... my involvement dates to 2003, and a few were working on this much earlier.
abstract
It's almost time for the NCER conference. Here's my abstract for 2013:
In recent years restoration projects have tended to become increasingly complex. Attention to
detail is essential at the final design stage, but at earlier conceptual stages, excessive control may
be counterproductive. When addressing stochastic systems, control may indeed be an illusion.
Deep understanding of spatial and temporal dynamism and ecosystem-level processes can be to
a large extent intuitive and abstract. Walking a project site in the rain and watching hydrology in
action or visiting multiple reference sites may be keys to understanding processes and creating a
successful design. Understanding landscape-level processes and historic landscape context can
facilitate a restoration design requiring less long-term maintenance. Economic and policy factors
can then be considered as part of a feasibility analysis. Several case studies demonstrate that
conceptual minimalism, in the sense of eliminating non-essential distractions during the early
stages of restoration design, can be an effective strategy. As in other fields of human endeavor,
this may require learning the “rules” well enough that they can be allowed to fade into the
background or sometimes even be challenged. Modern philosophies and ancient wisdom offer
useful metaphors to guide this process.
So simple. And yet I've had difficulty getting some to understand this.
In recent years restoration projects have tended to become increasingly complex. Attention to
detail is essential at the final design stage, but at earlier conceptual stages, excessive control may
be counterproductive. When addressing stochastic systems, control may indeed be an illusion.
Deep understanding of spatial and temporal dynamism and ecosystem-level processes can be to
a large extent intuitive and abstract. Walking a project site in the rain and watching hydrology in
action or visiting multiple reference sites may be keys to understanding processes and creating a
successful design. Understanding landscape-level processes and historic landscape context can
facilitate a restoration design requiring less long-term maintenance. Economic and policy factors
can then be considered as part of a feasibility analysis. Several case studies demonstrate that
conceptual minimalism, in the sense of eliminating non-essential distractions during the early
stages of restoration design, can be an effective strategy. As in other fields of human endeavor,
this may require learning the “rules” well enough that they can be allowed to fade into the
background or sometimes even be challenged. Modern philosophies and ancient wisdom offer
useful metaphors to guide this process.
So simple. And yet I've had difficulty getting some to understand this.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
wetlands
I've written before about the complexity of California's regulatory environment, and the constraints that imposes on restoration efforts. One example is the existence of multiple state wetland definitions, including a one-parameter approach favored by the Coastal Commission and streambank alteration agreements used by Fish & Game (not formally a wetland definition, but in practice a means of regulating riparian habitat).
In 2009 a State Water Board technical advisory committee published a recommended wetland definition for the State of California. Key attributes included goals of compatibility with federal (Corps of Engineers) delineation methods, and a basis in science.
Here's the definition:
"An area is wetland if, under normal circumstances, it (1) is saturated by
ground water or inundated by shallow surface water for a duration sufficient to
cause anaerobic conditions within the upper substrate; (2) exhibits hydric substrate
conditions indicative of such hydrology; and (3) either lacks vegetation or the
vegetation is dominated by hydrophytes."
if only this could be employed consistently across all state agencies. It's simple, it's science-based, and it's consistent with federal policy without arbitrarily excluding wetlands isolated from navigable waterways. It covers the range of wetlands in this diverse state, including everything from streams in temperate rainforest to unvegetated examples such as playas or ephemeral washes. From a restoration perspective, because it's a three-parameter approach it encourages restoration (re-establishment) of historical wetlands which have been degraded by loss of one or two parameters.
In 2009 a State Water Board technical advisory committee published a recommended wetland definition for the State of California. Key attributes included goals of compatibility with federal (Corps of Engineers) delineation methods, and a basis in science.
Here's the definition:
"An area is wetland if, under normal circumstances, it (1) is saturated by
ground water or inundated by shallow surface water for a duration sufficient to
cause anaerobic conditions within the upper substrate; (2) exhibits hydric substrate
conditions indicative of such hydrology; and (3) either lacks vegetation or the
vegetation is dominated by hydrophytes."
if only this could be employed consistently across all state agencies. It's simple, it's science-based, and it's consistent with federal policy without arbitrarily excluding wetlands isolated from navigable waterways. It covers the range of wetlands in this diverse state, including everything from streams in temperate rainforest to unvegetated examples such as playas or ephemeral washes. From a restoration perspective, because it's a three-parameter approach it encourages restoration (re-establishment) of historical wetlands which have been degraded by loss of one or two parameters.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
NCER #2
the rest of my notes from NCER:
August 2, day 2: I got off to a slow start today after not sleeping very well last night… too many ideas buzzing around in my head as a result of the conference. Trading the first 15 minutes for finding a cup of coffee, I made it to the second plenary session in time to hear former U.S. Senator Bob Graham discuss Everglades restoration, the evolution of the political process, and more. Subsequent speakers weren’t holding my attention though, so instead I went over to the exhibit hall and quickly walked into a dynamic and productive conversation with a planner from a big east coast firm.
After the break it was time to get upstairs and be ready for my own talk, scheduled for third of four in the late morning session. It’s a policy talk this time, about implementing projects in the context of local and regional government, and it fit in well with other talks on implementing the decision making progress, including one from a congressional perspective.
After the talk I had a long and productive conversation with yet another potential teaming opportunity, a conversation that got me thinking about big-picture synergies and ways to leverage technology and social networking to help make things happen.
After lunch, it’s been a mixed bag of talks thus far. One by an old friend I’d lost track of more than a decade ago, and there was an important lesson imbedded in that talk. After that, a disappointingly narrow talk with nothing new to offer, although I did manage to pull some useful region-specific information from it. Now, we’re back to a bigger picture view, in another part of the country.
In the evening, there’s a party sponsored by local firm BioHabitats. It’s a relaxed and fun evening, perhaps a little too much talking about work. I encounter two people from my old Chicago network, people I haven’t seen in over 10 years, and we really enjoy talking about our experiences in the much earlier days of the restoration community.
August 3, day 3. Today, I’m tired. The first two days have been packed full and very intense. Fortunately, the early papers today aren’t that interesting to me, so I’m able to linger over a cup of coffee. Then, late morning, we board buses for field trips. I’ve chosen one that includes visits to a pair of recently removed dams plus another in the design stage for removal.
Heavy cloud cover saves us from the extreme heat of recent days, but it’s still very humid and there are a couple of brief light drizzles. There’s a fair amount of walking involved, a few miles total. Since I have little experience with dam removal, I mostly listen quietly. At one of the sites in particular I’m struck by the changes in the landscape; the long anthropogenic history, finally turned toward renewal. Standing where there was water and sediment only a year ago, in the shadow of abandoned factory buildings and newly planted riparian trees, I take some time to photograph the scene. Not documentary photos, instead I’m trying the capture the mood. At the end I encounter a gentleman who remembers the reservoir from his childhood, and has stopped to see the changes today. He is deep in thought, full of questions, but I need to rush to catch up with the group after a few moments of conversation.
Finally this evening they’ve left us a little free time, so I walk the margin of the inner harbor and find a place to have dinner. Walking back just after dark, the calmness of the water contrasts with the adjacent high-rise urban community, new construction mingled with a few much older buildings.
August 4, day 4. It's a short conference day, and not a particularly productive one for talks with the exception of a big-picture view by someone I'd met a couple of days earlier. By mid-afternoon I've left for the airport, arriving in Chicago by a little after dark.
The transition from idea-oriented conferences to the real world can be a letdown. But this time I'm walking right back into cutting-edge endangered species projects. While the thought process is a little different, in this case the conference experience will probably contribute to fresh thinking.
It looks as if the next NCER event will be a joint meeting with the Society for Ecological Restoration in Madison Wisconsin in 2013.
August 2, day 2: I got off to a slow start today after not sleeping very well last night… too many ideas buzzing around in my head as a result of the conference. Trading the first 15 minutes for finding a cup of coffee, I made it to the second plenary session in time to hear former U.S. Senator Bob Graham discuss Everglades restoration, the evolution of the political process, and more. Subsequent speakers weren’t holding my attention though, so instead I went over to the exhibit hall and quickly walked into a dynamic and productive conversation with a planner from a big east coast firm.
After the break it was time to get upstairs and be ready for my own talk, scheduled for third of four in the late morning session. It’s a policy talk this time, about implementing projects in the context of local and regional government, and it fit in well with other talks on implementing the decision making progress, including one from a congressional perspective.
After the talk I had a long and productive conversation with yet another potential teaming opportunity, a conversation that got me thinking about big-picture synergies and ways to leverage technology and social networking to help make things happen.
After lunch, it’s been a mixed bag of talks thus far. One by an old friend I’d lost track of more than a decade ago, and there was an important lesson imbedded in that talk. After that, a disappointingly narrow talk with nothing new to offer, although I did manage to pull some useful region-specific information from it. Now, we’re back to a bigger picture view, in another part of the country.
In the evening, there’s a party sponsored by local firm BioHabitats. It’s a relaxed and fun evening, perhaps a little too much talking about work. I encounter two people from my old Chicago network, people I haven’t seen in over 10 years, and we really enjoy talking about our experiences in the much earlier days of the restoration community.
August 3, day 3. Today, I’m tired. The first two days have been packed full and very intense. Fortunately, the early papers today aren’t that interesting to me, so I’m able to linger over a cup of coffee. Then, late morning, we board buses for field trips. I’ve chosen one that includes visits to a pair of recently removed dams plus another in the design stage for removal.
Heavy cloud cover saves us from the extreme heat of recent days, but it’s still very humid and there are a couple of brief light drizzles. There’s a fair amount of walking involved, a few miles total. Since I have little experience with dam removal, I mostly listen quietly. At one of the sites in particular I’m struck by the changes in the landscape; the long anthropogenic history, finally turned toward renewal. Standing where there was water and sediment only a year ago, in the shadow of abandoned factory buildings and newly planted riparian trees, I take some time to photograph the scene. Not documentary photos, instead I’m trying the capture the mood. At the end I encounter a gentleman who remembers the reservoir from his childhood, and has stopped to see the changes today. He is deep in thought, full of questions, but I need to rush to catch up with the group after a few moments of conversation.
Finally this evening they’ve left us a little free time, so I walk the margin of the inner harbor and find a place to have dinner. Walking back just after dark, the calmness of the water contrasts with the adjacent high-rise urban community, new construction mingled with a few much older buildings.
August 4, day 4. It's a short conference day, and not a particularly productive one for talks with the exception of a big-picture view by someone I'd met a couple of days earlier. By mid-afternoon I've left for the airport, arriving in Chicago by a little after dark.
The transition from idea-oriented conferences to the real world can be a letdown. But this time I'm walking right back into cutting-edge endangered species projects. While the thought process is a little different, in this case the conference experience will probably contribute to fresh thinking.
It looks as if the next NCER event will be a joint meeting with the Society for Ecological Restoration in Madison Wisconsin in 2013.
NCER #1
Just over a month ago I attended the fourth bi-annual National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration, held in Baltimore. It's been a crazy month since then, as I moved on to Chicago, then to Ohio, then back to Chicago, then San Francisco, then finally home, and completed a Hine's emerald dragonfly population estimate along the way.
The ideas from the conference are worth sharing, so better late than never. Here are my notes, mostly taken in live-time at the conference. I'd originally intended to upload them right there, but the host hotel had limited wi-fi access and when I tried to dash down to the lobby it inevitably resulted in either running into someone I hadn't seen in ages, or responding to some important bit of work e-mail instead of doing blog posts. So here's the first of a few entries:
August 1. It’s bigwig time, also known as the plenary session. Thus far we’ve heard from Assistant Secretary of the Army JoEllen Darcy on Corps of Engineers initiatives, including an upcoming revision of guidance for water resources projects; and Assistant Secretary of the Interior David Hays, with a litany of collaborative federal/state/local efforts.
Now it’s Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s turn, and in addition to his polished political delivery, he comes across as knowledgeable on environmental issues, leading off with a discussion of the restoration of Chesapeake Bay. He’s using two key words, words that I hear too seldom from politicians: accountability and transparency. And he’s a metrics geek, as evidenced by the BayStat slides he’s showing us. It’s basically a series of GIS maps to track output instead of input… that is, to track delivery of government services, to measure performance. He's on to something that too many have missed.
He says that the greatest challenges aren’t technological, or financial; that they’re political and spiritual. We’re out of balance, and that we need to use expectations to change behavior.
... more to follow...
The ideas from the conference are worth sharing, so better late than never. Here are my notes, mostly taken in live-time at the conference. I'd originally intended to upload them right there, but the host hotel had limited wi-fi access and when I tried to dash down to the lobby it inevitably resulted in either running into someone I hadn't seen in ages, or responding to some important bit of work e-mail instead of doing blog posts. So here's the first of a few entries:
August 1. It’s bigwig time, also known as the plenary session. Thus far we’ve heard from Assistant Secretary of the Army JoEllen Darcy on Corps of Engineers initiatives, including an upcoming revision of guidance for water resources projects; and Assistant Secretary of the Interior David Hays, with a litany of collaborative federal/state/local efforts.
Now it’s Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s turn, and in addition to his polished political delivery, he comes across as knowledgeable on environmental issues, leading off with a discussion of the restoration of Chesapeake Bay. He’s using two key words, words that I hear too seldom from politicians: accountability and transparency. And he’s a metrics geek, as evidenced by the BayStat slides he’s showing us. It’s basically a series of GIS maps to track output instead of input… that is, to track delivery of government services, to measure performance. He's on to something that too many have missed.
He says that the greatest challenges aren’t technological, or financial; that they’re political and spiritual. We’re out of balance, and that we need to use expectations to change behavior.
... more to follow...
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