I have participated in a restoration project… 1.Yes 2.No

When planning a project, ecological restoration: 1.Chooses a point before modern settlement. 2.Chooses a date 150 years ago. 3.Plants native species. 4.None of the above.

PRESERVATION? CONSERVATION? RESTORATION?

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION An intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem with respect to its health, integrity, and sustainability. Process of assisting recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damages, or destroyed.

WHAT ARE WE RESTORING TO/FOR?

RESTORE FOR… Biodiversity Habitat Ecological process Resiliency

REFERENCE ECOSYSTEMS Historic ecological descriptions, species lists, photos, and maps Historic accounts Remnant sites Surrounding sites Herbarium specimens Paleoecological evidence: fossil pollen, tree ring history

PROCESS Return an ecosystem to its historic trajectory Remove or modify a specific disturbance to allow ecological process to bring about an independent recovery

WIND

TIDAL FLUX

FLOW

FIRE

GRAZING

All exotic/non-native species are invasive. 1.True 2.False

An invasive species is 1.Any plant not native to the area 2.A plant that disrupts normal ecosystem function 3.The most prominent species on a site

INVASIVE SPECIES US Government: “an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm, or harm to human health One of the largest threats to biodiversity, ecosystem function, and community interactions

HOW? No/few natural predators Similar climate Reproduction: prolific seeding, rhizome

ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT An iterative process of action-based planning, monitoring, researching, evaluating, and adjusting management action based on the overall goals Assumes landscape is dynamic so approach must match

RESTORATION CYCLE Evaluate/plan Prepare site: grade, weed, etc Propagate and plant Monitor Evaluate

STEWARDSHIP Stewardship is an ethic that embodies cooperative planning and management of environmental resources with organizations, communities and others to actively engage in the prevention of loss of habitat and facilitate its recovery in the interest of long-term sustainability

UNION BAY NATURAL AREA Open water fringed by freshwater wetlands. Burke Gilman trail 1916: Montlake Cut opened, lowering the lake 11 feet. Union Bay marsh. 1926: Montlake Landfill. 1966: closed, capped, and graded. Seeded with pasture grasses.

UBNA TODAY 74 acres 4 miles of shoreline 2nd largest natural system on the lake

WHAT SHOULD WE RESTORE TO?

1972: New Management for UBNA Maintain educational, recreational, research, wildlife, and aesthetic values Provide limited shoreline access Allow subsidence and plant establishment Provide ecological demonstration area Retain wetlands/ponds Convert E5 parking lot to natural habitat Ecologically improve site Allow minimal building construction

REED CANARY GRASS Phalaris arundinacea Forms dense aggressive stands Displaces native species Little value to wildlife because stands too dense; not a food source Spreads rapidly through rhizomes Grows in saturated areas

KERN EWING 1990

MANAGEMENT ZONES Woodland zone Shrubland zone Shorebird area: Shevler’s Pond; migratory; 175 species Wetlands: Vernal pools; 27 sites Unmanaged wildlife area Managed trails

Hemlock Alder Douglas FirSpruce

HIMALAYAN BLACKBERRY Rubus armeniacus Forms dense, aggressive monotypic stands Branches can grow up to 20 feet in one season Seeds dispersed by berry-eating birds and mammals Prolific seeding: 10,000 seeds/m2 Tiproots Native to W Europe Widely distributed throughout the PNW and US Primarily invades riparian areas, forest edges, meadows, clear-cuts, roadsides, open and disturbed areas

HIMALAYAN BLACKBERRY Rubus armeniacus Erect, trailing, and spreading evergreen shrub Compound leaf with five leaflets White flower with 5 petals Stems and leaves with sharp thorns Berry

MORNING GLORY Calystegia sepium Out competes native plants in wetlands Difficult to remove once established because of fine fibrous roots that form new plants if fragmented Spreads through rhizomes Native to Europe Distributed throughout WA, eastern seaboard, and Great Lakes region Grows in established field, moist meadows, riparian areas, roadside ditches, around ponds and lakes, disturbed areas

MORNING GLORY Calystegia sepium Perennial vine Large, white, funnel-shaped flowers May - September Climb or trail Leaves 1-5”, simple and alternate No woody tissue above ground

FOR TOMORROW Sturdy, closed-toe shoes Water Sunscreen/hat Favorite gloves