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ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION RESEARCH THROUGH THE NATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT RESEARCH LABORATORY (NRMRL)
Citation:
Williams*, J R. AND T J. Canfield*. ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION RESEARCH THROUGH THE NATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT RESEARCH LABORATORY (NRMRL). Presented at Region/ORD Critical Ecosystems Workshop, Keystone, CO, 06/14-20/2002.
Description:
The Ecosystem Restoration Research Program underway through ORD's National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) has the long-term goal of providing watershed managers with "..state-of-the-science field-evaluated tools, technical guidance, and decision-support systems for selecting, implementing, and evaluating cost-effective and environmentally-sound approaches to restore ecosystem services as part of watershed management." As a relatively small program within ORD, this program has a big goal. It is being managed through NRMRL's Subsurface Protection and Remediation Division (SPRD) in Ada, Oklahoma. The main focus of the program is on restoration techniques within riparian buffers with measurable endpoints being in-stream water quality and indicators of ecological integrity.
NRMRL's involvement in ecosystem restoration research is keyed to water resources and land use under provisions of the Clean Water Act, which provides the goals of restoring and maintaining chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters. Therefore, effects of watershed land use and associated water quality as these impact aquatic resources are of foremost concern. It is understood that research to restore, protect and manage ecosystems must be approached through interdisciplinary teams that address problems in terms of complex interactions. Currently, the program consists of collaborations within NRMRL and with other ORD laboratories, Regional offices, other Federal agencies, State and Local organizations, and Universities to provide unique capabilities to support this work.
This poster provides an overview of the Ecosystem Restoration Research Program, or the Ecosystem Restoration & Risk Management (EcoRiM) approach to evaluation of restoration techniques, prioritization for restoration, and management of ecosystems. EcoRiM is a means to address the management of ecosystems to protect threatened systems, restore impaired systems, implement TMDLs, and provide management tools for NPS stressors. The intent of the program is to provide the next-step management and ecosystem restoration tools to achieve desired conditions and ecosystem services identified through such programs as EPA's Environmental Mapping and Assesment Program (EMAP) and the Regional Vulnerability and Assessment Program (ReVA).