Design - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 94

Habitat features can address several
functions in the life history of a species. The
most common is to provide a structure or
vegetation arrangement conducive to repro-
ductive displays and mate attraction behav-
iors, territorial display and singing, as well as
nesting, denning, or bedding sites.
Vegetation and physical features also
provide shelter for prey. Foraging sites and
vantage points for predatory animals may
also be required, but given the more mature
state of these features, it may be necessary to
put in interim structures that can serve the
same purpose (fig. 6-13). Do water features
have a role in the life cycle of the target spe-
cies or the assemblage of species anticipated
to use the site? Plants may be the required
food of a species. Knowing the needs of the
target species is important if the entire habi-
tat is to be restored and a self-sustaining pop-
ulation is to be established on-site.
Another important feature is providing
refuges for specific animals, whether these
are narrow rock crevices, tall trees, or high
ground during flooding. Is there a need to provide an escape area during a catastrophic event or
simply in the normal order of the day? Do prey animals have a place to elude capture?
By evaluating each of these issues and giving attention to the specific needs as outlined in the goals
and objectives statements, you will be able to develop a sound design with a minimum of confusion
and wasted effort. Depending on its size, a project may require only the simplest of design consid-
erations. However, for even small projects, you will find that your needs will involve more than just
a few of the options that have been discussed. Again, as with most decisions made in the process of
developing a project, your foundation is the goals and objectives that you developed prior to this phase
of the project. Another major filter process is the budget and time. Can you afford this type of design
or this approach to meeting the goals? There are several variables that you control, some with more
substantial effect than others. It will be your decision on how to proceed and what variables to modify.
One example of this situation is the decision made to build a fence around a significant part of
the restoration area within Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, in San Diego, California (chapter
14). The fence will keep hikers and mountain bikers out of the newly planted area, thus reducing
maintenance cost, including the replacement of plants. For this project, fencing was the most
cost-effective approach. In addition, and more importantly, constructing the fence met stakehold-
er expectations by keeping loss of time to a minimum and site growth to a maximum.

FIGURE 6-13. As an interim solution for the loss of
perching sites along the river, salvaged branches and
trunks were stuck into the ground. Hawks, herons, and
egrets were observed using the perches year-round.
San Diego, California. (Photo by John Rieger.)