Management Advice for Natural Area Restoration
Involving citizens is key if you want to be successful in
your plans for restoring natural areas
BY MIKE TULLY, CLP
To promote natural areas restoration throughout the "Prairie State," the Illinois Association of Conservation and Forest Preserve Districts (IACFPD) has formulated some recommendations regarding site planning, natural resource management planning and techniques, and public participation.
Conservation and forest preserve districts across the state are encouraged to use these recommendations as a guideline when planning their restoration and management programs. These recommendations can also be used by local park districts and communities to develop their own programs.
Site Planning
Before starting a restoration program,
agencies are advised to develop site specific
plans that are reviewed and approved by
their governing boards. These plans should
show how areas managed for natural
resources are balanced with public
education and recreation facilities, and that
environmental, fiscal and aesthetic impacts
have been considered. A plan should
include an analysis of existing and historic
natural and cultural resources of the site.
The goal should be to minimize damage to
these resources, while maximizing the
opportunities for restoring disturbed areas.
When preparing these plans, agencies are
encouraged to incorporate public and
expert input from field research, resident
and visitor surveys, advisory groups and
public meetings or workshops.
Natural Resource
Management Process
Agencies are encouraged to adopt a
natural resource management process
which incorporates four major steps:
1. Setting land acquisition goals that include preservation of natural lands;
2. Inventorying natural communities on agency lands to identify and prioritize preservation and restoration needs;
3. Using an approved plan to guide selection and implementation of field-tested management strategies accepted by ecological restoration professionals and researchers; and
4. Monitoring management progress and adjusting ongoing and future projects accordingly.
Management Techniques
Techniques used by agencies to manage
their natural resources need to be based on
scientifically accepted ecological principles,
be approved for use by the governing body,
and be guided by qualified professionals.
Careful monitoring and review, by both
agency staff and outside experts, are to be
used to confirm effectiveness. The
IACFPD recommends the following
techniques to be used by agencies in their
natural resource management programs.
1. Research the current and historic distribution and status of native species and communities.
2. Give first priority to preserving and restoring natural communities that are the most complete and least damaged to preserve a bank of native diversity.
3. Identify and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitat.
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SPECIAL FOCUS
4. Return natural forces, such as fire and hydrology.
5. Remove diseased or invasive plants that threaten the diversity of flora and fauna, and manage overpopulations of wildlife that degrade habitat for other plants and animals that naturally occur in the area.
6. Perpetuate biodiversity by reintroducing native plans and animals to their appropriate physical environment.
Public
Participation
Getting public participation is vital to
any natural resource management program.
gram. A community that is well informed,
and involved with a program, will go a
long way to support it. The IACFPD
encourages agencies to provide volunteering
opportunities, education programs and
public information dissemination to
coincide with any restoration or management
programs. More specifically, they
recommend that agencies:
1. Provide volunteers and service groups with proper training and supervision by agency staff to guide them in completing projects that relate to an approved management plan;
2. Develop education and public information programs, publications, signs and other services and facilities to explain the agency's planning and management processes and the ecological basis for nature preservation and restoration efforts; and
3. Recognize the private ownership of adjoining lands and inform neighbors of future activities.
Local agencies are encouraged to contact their local conservation or forest preserve district to learn more about what sort of public awareness programs have been developed, and to see how they can tie in to their ongoing efforts.
Park districts or other agencies that are considering the development of a natural resource management program are encouraged to contact their local forest preserve or conservation district to learn more details about the local concerns regarding restoration and how they are being addressed on a county-wide or regional level.
Whether a program is a large, regional program or a small, single-site project, following the recommendations set out by the IACFPD should make success more easily attainable.
MIKE TULLY, CLP
is the superintendent of maintenance operations for the
Lake County Forest Preserves and a member of the IPRA Environmental Committee.
36 ¦ Illinois Parks and Recreation