Bring It All Together - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 226

Project Closeout
As-built drawings were prepared to document changes to the project design made during construc-
tion and plant establishment. These as-built drawings were transmitted back to the project team
for reference and storage. All additional project documents, including permit compliance, reports,
monitoring reports, and evaluations, were assembled into a project history file and transmitted to
Caltrans's Record Center for storage. A final expenditure report was prepared to determine total
project costs. These costs were compared with the budget, and a report was submitted to the proj-
ect sponsor. A final report prepared by the contract administrator noted deficiencies in the project
plans, highlighted contract change orders, and included recommendations for future projects.
This report was submitted to the project manager and distributed to the project team. The project
concluded with the submittal of this report.
Project Epilogue
The site, plantings, leaf litter accumulation, and wildlife use continue to develop as anticipated.
The success of this first restoration project on Los Peñasquitos Creek prompted the volunteer
group, the FLPCP, to develop a weed removal program for areas surrounding the project site.
The FLPCP targeted remaining eucalyptus trees within the preserve—an approximate nine-mile
reach of Los Peñasquitos Creek. Although the initial restoration project eliminated the most con-
centrated population, there were several scattered colonies throughout the preserve. Many of these
groupings were much smaller and were within the limits of handwork done by volunteers. The
FLPCP also has been active in removing other weed populations, greatly enhancing the biological
values found within the preserve.
Several interesting events have been noted during subsequent visits to the site to observe the
process of maturation. Mortality of plants of all species continues, presumably as a result of com-
petition and one not unexpected as a natural process in the maturation of riparian vegetation.
Coverage continues to be within the expected range. As plants die, others adjacent to the clearing
increase their spread. Leaf litter has slowly built up, and various herbaceous plants have sorted
themselves into patterns. It is not clear what resources are prompting the patterns. Minor erosion
patterns were noticed, largely the result of concentrated water flow. Flooding of the site has taken
place but not at the frequency anticipated; general rainfall in the region has been atypical to pre-
vious seasons. After twenty years, no signs of overuse are present in the understory (fig. 14-9). The
site remains on a successful path of maturation.
The LPCP project illustrates how this framework can be of assistance in the planning and
execution of a restoration project. In many respects, the LPCP project was simple and small in
size. However, it was not without its challenges. We had a strong project management team of
co-project managers. Using our framework, we were able to quickly develop a project with very
little rework and a minimum of delay. We had not expected to conduct the numerous public
meetings, and we received some opposition. Our close relationship with the major stakeholders
was instrumental in moving the project forward. Had we not nurtured this relationship early in