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Developing Guidance for Monitoring Coastal Freshwater Habitat Restoration Projects
David Merkey
(currently
with Parsons Inc.)
Stephen Lozano (GLERL Program
contact)
As of 2006, this project is no longer current. Please see the Research Programs page for a list of current research projects.
Collaborators
Dave Merkey (former GLERL project lead), now with Parsons Inc., (Parsons
Inc. web site)
Gordon Thayer, National Ocean Service (NOS web site)
Teresa McTigue, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS web site)
Felicity M. Burrows, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science)
Amy D. Nickens, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Perry F. Gayaldo, National Marine Fisheries Service Restoration Center
(NMFS/RC web site)
Russell Bellmer, United States Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS)
Coastal habitats, including tidal freshwater and Great Lakes coastal habitats, perform many important functions such as protecting water quality and providing vital habitat for fish, birds, and other wildlife. Human development has, however, degraded many of our coastal habitats and nearshore waters, resulting in the loss of critical ecosystem and economic functions. Under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, (read act: Office of Ocean and Coastal Resources web site) a program was established for the restoration of coastal habitats across the United States and its territories, stressing a comprehensive approach to maximizing benefits derived from projects. The Estuaries and Clean Water Act of 2000, referred to as the Estuary Restoration Act or ERA created additional focus on the restoration of estuaries specifically and set a goal of 1 million acres of estuarine habitat be restored by 2010. Any restoration project plan funded under the ERA must include a monitoring plan explaining how the project will be assessed over time to determine success, failure, or additional management actions necessary to achieve success. NOAA has been tasked with developing this monitoring guidance. NOAA's approach in this matter has been to determine the important ecosystem structures and functions of coastal habitats that must be taken into consideration when developing a restoration monitoring. Work at GLERL focuses on coastal freshwater habitats while researchers at NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS web site) are focusing on developing monitoring guidance for restoration efforts in marine ecosystems.
An estuary, as defined by the ERA, is a part of a river, stream, or other body of water that has at least a seasonal connection with the open sea or Great Lakes and where the seawater or Great Lake´s water mixes with the surface or subsurface water flow, regardless of the presence of man-made structures or obstructions. Estuarine habitats include the physical, biological, and chemical elements (i.e. plant, animals, sediments, water quality) of an estuary and associated ecosystems. Restoration of estuary habitat includes those activities that result in re-establishing a self-sustaining habitat that in time can closely resemble a natural condition and that is integrated into the surrounding landscape. Monitoring of restoration projects involves the systematic collection and analysis of data to provide information useful for measuring project performance at a variety of scales (locally, regionally, and nationally) and determine when modification of efforts is necessary. Data from monitoring efforts can also be used to build long-term public support for habitat protection and restoration efforts.
An aerial view of a Lake Ontario coastal wetland showing a diversity of habitats: open water, submerged aquatic vegetation, marsh, and wetland and upland forest.
It is anticipated that even given the diversity of habitats to potentially be restored and the extreme latitudinal range across which these habitats occur, there are consistent principles and approaches that form a common basis for effective monitoring, regardless of the habitat considered. Guidance is being prepared to assist in the development and implementation of monitoring plans for projects occurring in any or all of these habitats. Guidance documents for each freshwater coastal habitat will include a description of the structural and functional characteristics useful in restoration monitoring, an annotated bibliography of restoration case studies and relevant ecological literature, and a review of technical methods manuals to guide restoration practitioners to more detailed information as needed.
Monitoring vegetation communities in a Great Lakes marsh. Crane Creek on the Lake Erie shoreline in northern Ohio.
Progress
Draft documents describing the primary structural and functional characteristics of the following coastal freshwater habitats are available to parties interested in providing a critical review of content and/or usability:
- Water column
- Freshwater Marsh
- Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (marine and freshwater)
- Deepwater Swamps
- Riverine Forests
Each of these habitats is accompanied by an annotated bibliography of restoration-related literature and a review of technical methods manuals to direct readers to additional information on sampling. These are also available for review. Information on methods to select reference conditions for restoration monitoring purposes is also available for comment. A draft document describing the structural and functional characteristics useful in the restoration monitoring of soft bottom/soft shoreline habitats will be available for review by summer 2004. Please contact David Merkey (currently with Parsons Inc.) for copies of these if you are interested in providing a review.
Once complete, these documents will become part of Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats Volume Two: Tools for Coastal Restoration. Volume Two will also contain monitoring guidance for selected marine habitats, links to a web-based index of regional monitoring programs, a list of costs commonly associated with restoration and monitoring, and a review of restoration related legislation to assist practitioners in planning restoration activities and coordinating monitoring efforts.
2004 Plans
- Obtain reviews for habitats listed above by mid-summer.
- Incorporate comments, finish writing, and submit all documentation for publication by September.
- Volume Two is planned for publication by December 2004.
Products
Science-Based Restoration Monitoring of Coastal Habitats Volume One: A Framework for Monitoring Plans Under the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (Public Law 160-457) outlines the steps to prepare a generic restoration monitoring plan and lists monitoring parameters for all coastal freshwater and marine habitats without description. This document is now available in electronic form, hard copies can also be requested through the link above.
Volume One:
http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2003/20030012.pdf
Last updated: 2006-05-11 mbl