Site Analysis - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 52

to subsequent steps in your restoration efforts. Otherwise, you will risk making a “fruitless” investment
in your project. For instance, conducting restoration activities near a proposed housing development
presents a host of issues that must be considered, including vandalism by neighboring children, liabil-
ity concerns, and free-roaming pets. Neighboring park spaces and open spaces, while potentially lead-
ing toward certain synergies, must also be examined to ensure compatibility with your long-term goals.
Political Considerations. Don't neglect the importance of obtaining political consent early in
the planning process. Some communities have considered restoration projects to be an attractive
nuisance and have sought to block their development. In some cases, the conflicts arise from mis-
communication. Conducting public meetings and field trips to properly educate the stakeholders
may overcome this issue. Local land use planning agencies can help identify hidden project ob-
stacles and can be excellent facilitators for addressing community concerns.
Access/Access Control/Human Use Patterns. Are there historical footpaths, trails, or roads
present on the site? Will an access route need to be maintained? Are off-road vehicles an issue?
Is vandalism a concern if a footpath is maintained? Have members of the community used your
site as a shortcut to a community center or other features, such as a stream for fishing or hiking
trails? Should this access be preserved, prohibited, or controlled? If informal public access has
occurred over a long period of time, it may have created a proscriptive easement that will have
to be accommodated. These issues must be addressed, and a supporting set of social objectives
may need to be implemented in the surrounding community to ensure the long-term success
of your project. The need to cultivate a “community involvement” effort is often overlooked by
many restoration projects. Left uninformed and uninvolved in the restoration planning process, a
surrounding community could unknowingly undermine your efforts. Continued off-road activity,
informal recreational uses, unleashed pets, dumping, and so forth can all lead to stress factors that
could harm your project's success.
Cultural Resources. Candidate project sites may have historic evidence of use by indigenous
peoples or may currently be used by local people for resources or religious purposes. Historical
records and university research reports are excellent resources for identifying significant cultural
resources that should be preserved or recovered. Whether it is a historic habitation of an indig-
enous group, a site with religious significance, or “the old oak tree” where previous generations
met and carved their initials, you should consider the implications of any proposed restoration
activities that might disturb sensitive sites. In most cases, a qualified archaeologist can survey the
property, comb the records to uncover any significant resources that could be affected, and offer
strategies to avoid conflicts that could delay the implementation of your plan. Contacting local
indigenous peoples familiar with your area will identify cultural heritage sites (e.g., traditional sites
for the gathering of plant materials, shrine forests, or rock formations) on or near your restoration
project site (Fogerty 2001). Some restoration projects (especially meadow and wetland restoration)
are being designed to accommodate the continued collection of plant materials (e.g., in certain
meadows within the Lake Tahoe Basin) and the use of traditional management techniques such
as fire (Lewis 1993).
Agricultural and Other Quarantines. It is not uncommon for pest species to become estab-
lished in isolated populations throughout the landscape. Many of these species have serious im-