Wetland-Riparian Restoration and Management

Restoring wetland-riparian area health is a cornerstone of the Wetlands Program. In keeping with NPS policy and the wetland/riparian health goals of the NPS Strategic Plan, program staff provide technical assistance in all phases of restoration including condition assessments, hydrologic evaluations, planning and design, project implementation, and post-project monitoring. Since 2000 alone, program staff have provided restoration assistance to more than 70 NPS units. Some highlights include:

• John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway: Currently reclaiming an abandoned gravel mine on the Snake River floodplain to over 50 acres of sedge meadows, willow flats, stream channels, oxbow ponds, and uplands.
• Moores Creek National Battlefield: Restored a rare wet pine savanna complex that influenced troop movements in a Revolutionary War battle.
• Sequoia National Park: Restored sheetflow hydrology and reestablished native montane wetland vegetation at upper Halstead Meadow.
• Channel Islands National Park: Currently developing a design for restoring 3 acres of rare coastal wetland and riparian habitat at Prisoners Harbor.
• Pecos National Historical Park: Restored an abandoned and deteriorating reservoir system on the lower Glorieta Creek floodplain to 5 acres of wetland-riparian habitat.

The Wetlands Program staff continues to seek new funding sources for wetland and riparian restoration. In 2007, we received approval for $1.5 million in Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act funding for coastal wetland restoration projects at Fire Island National Seashore, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Point Reyes National Seashore and other parks.