Stream & Upslope Restoration

Ecological restoration is "the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed." --SER's Primer on Ecological Restoration

An ecosystem is considered to be restored when it can "sustain itself structurally and functionally; demonstrate resilience to normal ranges of environmental stress and disturbance; and interact with contiguous ecosystems in terms of biotic and abiotic flows." --Global Restoration Network

Restoration Project Background, Design, Development & Implementation

The following UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) publications offer an overview of stream ecology, cold-water fish biology and habitat requirements, and measures to maintain and restore aquatic habitat:
CDFG's stream habitat reports for California's North Coast streams, including those in the Russian River Watershed, identify limiting factors to fish populations and include recommendations for improvements, which are very useful for restoration project development.
CDFG's California Salmonid Stream Habitat Restoration Manual is a fundamental guide for stream habitat assessment and restoration.
The Wild Fish Habitat Initiative has compiled a very useful list of online aquatic habitat restoration publications.
The NRCS publication Practical Streambank Bioengineering Guide is a how-to guide for managing streambank erosion.
The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group's Stream Corridor Restoration: Principles, Practices, and Processes is a critical resource for stream assessment, project planning, implementation and monitoring.
The USEPA publication Ecological Restoration: A Tool to Manage Stream Quality examines links between restoration techniques and water quality.

Road Improvement Guides

ANR's Forest Stewardship Series: Forest Roads
Pacific Watershed Associates' Handbook for Forest and Ranch Roads
Wildland Solutions' Low Maintenance Roads for Ranch, Fire & Utilities Access

Restoration Project Funding

Salmon Nation has posted an extensive list of funding programs, grant announcements, and articles about funding sources and fundraising. The following are a some of the larger state and federal funding sources in the area of fisheries restoration:

Restoration Project Monitoring Resources

UC Berkeley Center for Forestry's Monitoring the Implementation and Effectiveness of Fisheries Habitat Restoration Projects and quantitative and qualitative effectiveness monitoring protocols
CDFG's Qualitative Implementation and Effectiveness Monitoring Protocols
CDFG's Protocols for Monitoring the Response of Salmon and Steelhead to Watershed Restoration in California
NOAA Restoration Center's Minimum Project Monitoring/Evaluation Requirements
NOAA's Restoration Monitoring Planner
UCCE's Developing a Monitoring Program for Riparian Revegetation Projects

Additional Restoration Information

National & International Resources

NOAA Restoration Center

USEPA's River Corridor and Wetland Restoration

Institute for Fisheries Resources

Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)

State & Local Restoration Resources