Elements of Success: Lessons from a Decade of Restoration Project Identification, Cultivation and Implementation

Coastal geologic processes create and maintain the nearshore habitats upon which forage fish and many other Puget Sound species of concern rely. Shoreline modifications, like bulkheads, disrupt and damage sediment supply and transport processes that form beaches and provide appropriate spawning substrate for surf smelt and Pacific sand lance (Penttila 2007, Carrasquero-Verde et al 2005, Johannessen and MacLennan 2007). Shoreline modifications have been identified as one of the greatest threats to our nearshore ecosystems (Thom et al. 1994) and are ranked as one of the top three threats to the marine ecosystem in the San Juan County Marine Stewardship Area Plan adopted by the San Juan County Council in 2007 and by the Puget Sound Partnership’s San Juan Local Integrating Organization (SJC Action Agenda 2011, SJC Marine Resources Committee 2007). Successful restoration requires an understanding of the strategic actions to target, as well as long-term focused communication and technical support at all project stages including identification, cultivation, funding, design, construction and monitoring. Investment of resources at the early phases of project development, including prioritization, landowner site visits, feasibility studies and conceptual designs, helps ensure that technically sound, ecologically important projects, with willing landowners, advance to final design and implementation. Friends of the San Juans will share lessons learned from multiple nearshore marine restoration projects implemented in San Juan County with public, private and tribal landowners. There will be an emphasis placed on the key relationships and project management elements required to foster efficient and effective projects from a restoration plan report to rehabilitation of habitat and habitat forming processes