Ecological monitoring of an urban stream restoration project in Bellingham, WA
Presentation Abstract
Ecological stressors in urban creeks and streams are acute and intensifying. In an effort to improve conditions in degraded urban streams, managers are increasingly turning to stream restoration techniques. However, due to a paucity of monitoring data and weak communication of results, very little is actually known about the ecological value provided by these techniques. With this research I investigate the ecological trajectory of an urban stream system in Bellingham, WA following implementation of some common stream restoration techniques including: planting riparian vegetation, creating off channel ponds and swales, increasing stream sinuosity, augmenting spawning gravels, and installing large woody debris (root wads, logs and upright snags). This monitoring program began after restoration techniques were implemented in 2006 and will continue through 2016. Monitored parameters include avians, amphibians, adult and juvenile salmonids, aquatic macroinvertebrates, water quality, temperature, vegetation, and geomorphic surveys. If the continued decline in the health of streams and rivers worldwide is in part due to the “inadequate role that ecological science has played in shaping restoration efforts” as Palmer (2009) asserts, then an adaptive process of conducting and then communicating the results from long-term and comprehensive restoration monitoring programs will be critical to the recovery of these important yet imperiled ecosystems. This project presents a unique opportunity to leverage a long-term, ecologically comprehensive monitoring dataset to advance our understanding of urban stream restoration. My goal is to integrate and communicate the results of this valuable monitoring effort in a meaningful and accessible way that both engages the local community, and also informs future restoration efforts.
Session Title
Session S-04C: Importance of Puget Sound Lowland Streams
Conference Track
Freshwater
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 6:30 PM
Location
Room 6C
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Stream restoration--Washington (State)--Bellingham; Environmental monitoring--Washington (State)--Bellingham
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Bellingham (Wash.)--Environmental conditions
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Ecological monitoring of an urban stream restoration project in Bellingham, WA
Room 6C
Ecological stressors in urban creeks and streams are acute and intensifying. In an effort to improve conditions in degraded urban streams, managers are increasingly turning to stream restoration techniques. However, due to a paucity of monitoring data and weak communication of results, very little is actually known about the ecological value provided by these techniques. With this research I investigate the ecological trajectory of an urban stream system in Bellingham, WA following implementation of some common stream restoration techniques including: planting riparian vegetation, creating off channel ponds and swales, increasing stream sinuosity, augmenting spawning gravels, and installing large woody debris (root wads, logs and upright snags). This monitoring program began after restoration techniques were implemented in 2006 and will continue through 2016. Monitored parameters include avians, amphibians, adult and juvenile salmonids, aquatic macroinvertebrates, water quality, temperature, vegetation, and geomorphic surveys. If the continued decline in the health of streams and rivers worldwide is in part due to the “inadequate role that ecological science has played in shaping restoration efforts” as Palmer (2009) asserts, then an adaptive process of conducting and then communicating the results from long-term and comprehensive restoration monitoring programs will be critical to the recovery of these important yet imperiled ecosystems. This project presents a unique opportunity to leverage a long-term, ecologically comprehensive monitoring dataset to advance our understanding of urban stream restoration. My goal is to integrate and communicate the results of this valuable monitoring effort in a meaningful and accessible way that both engages the local community, and also informs future restoration efforts.
