Practical considerations for restoration at sites with ongoing impacts

Restoration can be challenging when ongoing anthropogenic impacts are anticipated.  Such impacts are common for restorations conducted or overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Oil Pollution Act or the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act to compensate for injuries to trust natural resources (i.e., federally listed species, migratory birds, etc.) resulting from oil and chemical spills and releases from hazardous waste sites. These restorations often occur on or near the site of impact, where there may be ongoing anthropogenic disturbances such as residual contamination, invasive species or human use.  Simple measures can be incorporated into the restoration to minimize anticipated future impacts.  For example, land acquisition and management to restore marbled murrelets in northern California was combined with public education and trash control to reduce raven activity.  In another example, a restoration adjacent to a developed area with a high potential for continued influx of invasive species included the use of biocontrol organisms to provide ongoing invasive species control. These and other examples will be described.