The Fine Print - The views represented in this presentation do not reflect the official position of NOAA or the Department of Commerce

2011 Healing Our Waters Conference

Getting Results: Implementing & Monitoring Habitat Restoration Projects

The Fine Print - The views represented in this presentation do not reflect the official position of NOAA or the Department of Commerce

2011 Healing Our Waters Conference

NOAA’s Restoration Center in the Great Lakes Region

Partnerships, Habitat Restoration and Monitoring, and Response to Spills and other Waste Sites

Jessica Berrio and Jhonatan SepulvedaNOAA Restoration Center

Great Lakes Region

NOAA’s Restoration in the Great Lakes

NOAA strives to demonstrate meaningful, measurable, and sustainable ecological benefits to coastal and near-shore resources by addressing habitat beneficial use impairments.

NOAA’s Restoration Center in the Great Lakes

NOAA’s Habitat Restoration Vision and Mission in the Great Lakes

Vision: Healthy and sustainable Great Lakes ecosystems that provide a range of benefits for fish and wildlife, natural resource services, and coastal communities.

Mission: NOAA’s Restoration Center is committed to the restoration, conservation, management, and sustainable use of the Great Lakes.

NOAA’s Restoration Centerin the Great Lakes

Restoration Goals in the Region

• Fund and implement quality restoration projects; • Employ technical staff;• Engage the local community;• Work with federal, state, and local partners;• Collaborate with public, private, and non-profit partners;• Use scientific monitoring to evaluate restoration project success;• Foster new and ongoing partnerships.

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

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NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

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Current Partnerships•Great Lakes Commission – regional partnership•Sustain Our Great Lakes – regional partnership•National Wildlife Federation – national partnership•Ducks Unlimited, Inc. – national partnership•The Nature Conservancy – national partnership•Others

The Fine Print - The views represented in this presentation do not reflect the official position of NOAA or the Department of Commerce

Jhonatan SepulvedaNOAA Restoration Center

Great Lakes Region

Monitoring and Evaluation of Habitat Restoration in the Great Lakes

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

Monitoring and Evaluation of Habitat Restoration Projects

Monitoring and evaluation of on the ground projects:

• Necessary for assessing the effectiveness of the restoration actions

• Communicates project achievements to stakeholders and the public

• Needed to relay to Congress and other government entities value of continued funding

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

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Purpose of NOAA’s Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

NOAA’s Restoration Center in the Great Lakes Region is initiating a systematic framework for monitoring, evaluation and reporting. This includes:

1) Consistent and targeted approach to monitoring and evaluation in funded projects

2) Platform for data capture/ storage/ management to improve reporting efficiency

3) Process for project/regional analysis of monitoring and evaluation information

4) Integration of this information into future project prioritization/ implementation efforts.

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

NOAA Restoration Center’s Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

The process contains two tiers:

• Tier I pertains to all selected and funded projects

• Tier II will only apply to specific projects where additional information is needed at a larger scale relative to the project.

Prioritization

Project Selection and

Implementation

Project Tier I Monitoring

Project Tier II Evaluation

Performance Measures

Analysis of project data

Data capture, storage and management

Data capture, storage and management

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

Tier I Monitoring: Systematic collection of data to assess whether a directed restoration action was carried out as designed.

All restoration projects conduct Tier I monitoring:

• Focus on short-term structural changes of the project

• Parameters and techniques consistent within restoration type

• Baseline information collected (when applicable)

• Each parameter is quantitative or has clearly defined target

• Targets to be met within one year post-construction

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

Tier II Evaluation: Systematic collection of data to assess the effectiveness of the restoration

• Only a subset of restoration projects conduct Tier II evaluation

• The effort of Tier II evaluation is higher and broader than Tier I monitoring

• Evaluation focuses on the functional habitat changes of the project

• Parameters and techniques consistent within a specific restoration type

• Evaluation is question-driven and directly related to the desired goals of the project

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

Monitoring and Evaluation in the Great Lakes Region

For currently NOAA-funded projects in the Great Lakes region, the monitoring and evaluation follows the Restoration Center’s framework:

• Monitoring listed as priority for selection in FY 2010-11 GLRI proposals

• Monitoring and evaluation recommended pre- and post-implementation

• Consistent parameters and performance measures monitored and reported across projects

• Evaluation assesses progress toward project goals

• Functional changes of the habitat following restoration actions

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

Measuring Success: Restoration Projects in the Great Lakes Region

ProjectWater quality Hydrology

TopographyBathymetry

Channel complexity Sediment Vegetation Invertebrates Fish Birds

Human dimensions

Removal of the Campbellsport Millpond Dam (WI) X X X X X X X X

Erie Marsh Preserve Coastal Wetland Restoration Project (MI) X X X X X

Fordson Island Oxbow Restoration and Debris Removal (MI) X X X X

Lower Black River Fish Habitat Restoration Project (OH) X X X X X X X XRestoring Lake Erie Hydrology and Coastal Marsh (OH) X X X XRadio Tower Bay Restoration Project (MN) X X X X

Restoring Native Fish Spawning Habitat in St. Clair River Delta (MI) X X

Coastal Fisheries Habitat Restoration in the St. Lawrence River (NY) X X X X X X

Watervliet Dams Removal in the Paw Paw River (MI) X X X XMilwaukee River and Watershed Restoration (WI) X X X X X X XDunes Creek Watershed restoration and Daylighting (IN) X X X X X X

Muskegon Lake restoration (MI) X X X X X X X X

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

Monitoring in Areas of Concern and establishing goals towards delisting

• Ultimate goal of delisting identified Areas of Concern

• Reducing or eliminating Beneficial Use Impairments

• Monitoring and evaluation measure progress to delisting targets

• The Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program works with partners to evaluate progress

NOAA’s role in Restoration in the Great Lakes

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Example in Monitoring strategies: Middle Harbor Preserve, OH

• Monitoring locations and transects for Middle Harbor project site.

• Metrics used to track progress in this project include :

• Water quality, • Bird surveys• Amphibian surveys• Fish sampling• Aquatic/ wetland vegetation surveys

• Control or reference sites chosen to compare effects of restoration

• Pre- and post-restoration monitoring will determine benefits from restoration

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Questions?