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Presented at the NABS Annual meeting, Anchorage, Alaska, 2006
in Restoration Ecology 2
River and riparian restoration in the Southwest: Results of the National River Restoration Science Synthesis project
J.J. Follstad Shah1, C.N. Dahm1, S.P. Gloss2, E.S. Bernhardt3, M.A. Palmer4, and J.D. Allan5.1Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, 2US Geological Survey, School of Natural Resources, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ 85721, 3Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708 , 4Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland, Solomons, MD 20688, 5School of Natural Resources, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Restoration activity has exponentially increased across the Southwest since 1990. Over 37,000 records were compiled into the National River Restoration Science Synthesis (NRRSS) database to synthesize restoration trends and assess project effectiveness. We analyzed data from 576 restoration projects in the Southwest (NRRSS-SW). Results from 48 telephone interviews provided validation of NRRSS-SW database analyses. More than 50% of projects were less than 2 mi in length. The most common types of restoration were riparian management, water quality management, in-stream habitat improvement, and flow modification. Project activities were well matched to goals. Conservative estimates of total restoration costs approached $700 million. Almost 87% of project costs were funded by federal sources alone. Most restoration dollars have been allocated to flow modification and water quality management. Monitoring was linked to 28% of projects across the Southwest, as opposed to just 10% nationwide. Mean costs were comparable whether or not projects were monitored. The majority of projects surveyed were considered successful, yet the efficacy of restoration is difficult to ascertain given the dearth of information contained within most datasets. There is a great need for regional entities that not only track information on project implementation, but also maintain and analyze monitoring data associated with restoration.
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