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HABITAT RESTORATION BENEFITS
In 2003, Florida's Manatee County acquired 482 acres of farmland for restoration. 5 years later, Robinson Preserve opened, and today 135 acres of coastal habitat are restored fueling $32.7 million in economic activityAt Robinson Preserve, restoration specialists designed protected water features that made it harder for larger predatory fish to reach juve...
In the 1980s, conservationists protected gorilla habitat across 3 countries despite poaching and disease. 46 years later, about 1,000 mountain gorillas still survive in forestsMountain gorilla numbers are steadily increasing due to dedicated conservation efforts. These efforts have helped the species recover from ...
In 2022, Alaska began replacing a fish-blocking culvert with a 100-foot bridge at Little Tonsina River with a $1.3 million budget. 1 year later, 70.4 miles of salmon habitat were reopened to fish safelyA flood-damaged culvert along Alaska’s Little Tonsina River long prevented salmon from swimming upstream. In July 2022, crews began replaci...
In 2023, North Carolina's Catawba Lands Conservancy took on 80 acres damaged by erosion and invasive plants. 3 years later, the project aims to bring 1,000 people into restoration nearbyCatawba Lands Conservancy is restoring eighty acres within Mountain Creek Park. This project addresses soil erosion and invasive plant spec...
In 2024, Naturskyddsföreningen Skåne launched a wetland revival when white storks vanished locally in the 1950s. 6 years later, it aims to support 100 pairs in Southern SwedenExtensive agricultural drainage drove Sweden’s white storks to local extinction in 1954. To bring them back, Naturskyddsföreningen Skåne la...
In 2015, 200,000 saigas died in Kazakhstan's mass die-off. 10 years later, nearly 4 million now roam the vast steppe, turning one of the species' darkest chapters aroundKazakhstan has witnessed one of wildlife conservation’s most remarkable turnarounds. Saiga antelope numbers once collapsed by about 95% aft...
In 2015, Cullinan Ranch crews breached levees, bringing tidal flows back to 1,200 acres. 11 years later, migratory birds and fish now use the restored Napa River habitat in CaliforniaTidal marshes are valuable coastal wetlands that support wildlife, protect shorelines, filter polluted water and provide other ecosystem se...
In 2010, federal wildlife trustees secured $2.65 million for San Francisco Bay tidal marsh restoration. 5 years later, tidal waters returned to 1,250 acres at Cullinan RanchSan Francisco Bay tidal marshes are being restored for a reason that reaches far beyond wildlife. These wetlands filter polluted water and ...
In 2014, East Bay Regional Park District began restoring Dotson Family Marsh, creating channels that reconnected it to the San Francisco Bay. 6 years later, tidal wetlands had returnedHistory of Dotson Family Marsh helps explain why its recovery matters. The broader 150-acre property was acquired by the East Bay Regional ...
In 1987, Denmark launched restoration of 2,200 hectares around the Skjern River. 19 years later, SPA status arrived in 2006 as wildlife returned to the restored wetlandsDenmark restored the Skjern River wetlands after agricultural decline and pollution. The project re-meandered over twenty kilometers of riv...
In 2018, Natasha Whetzel helped burn 20 acres at Delaware’s Hurley Tract to restore habitat. 10 weeks later, native purple love grass had spread extensively, transforming the site into habitats for birds and pollinatorsConservation work in southern Delaware is helping restore and protect important habitats within the Nanticoke River watershed. At Middlefor...
In 1994, Idaho listed Rapid Creek for sediment impairment. 18 years later, restoration improved habitat scores and Lower Rapid Creek was removed from the 2012 impaired waters listRapid Creek in southeastern Idaho offers a compelling example of how long-term watershed restoration can transform water quality and aquati...
In 2004, community partners began tackling Kent Park Lake's nutrient and sediment pollution. 20 years later, the lake met water quality standards and was removed from Iowa's impaired-waters list in 2024Kent Park Lake restoration took 20 years to deliver a result Iowa officials could finally recognize. The lake once struggled with nutrient ...
In 2001, NOAA launched a restoration program after a $64 million Montrose settlement. 24 years later, a rebuilt Palos Verdes reef in California had boosted fish biomass by over 150%Two decades after a $64 million settlement funded coastal recovery, California’s Palos Verdes reef is thriving. Engineers placed 70,000 ton...
In 2016, researchers restored 452 meters of Maryland's Muddy Creek with woodchips, sand and gravel. 2 years later, monitoring found suspended sediment fell 73.8%, improving stream functionMuddy Creek is a tributary of the Rhode River and flows through the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, an important site for ecolog...
California lost 60% of its coastal dunes since 1850; now a 30-acre restoration project in Santa Monica is fighting sea-level riseSanta Monica Beach Dunes Restoration Project is designed to restore a portion of this historic ecosystem. The Santa Monica Bay National Est...
In 2002, Albany buried 1,500 feet of Patroon Creek underground. 18 years later, daylighting restored the stream and improved flood resilience across the project area tooAccording to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's success story, U.S. Geological Survey streamflow data showed that three of the five...
In 2012, Ray Milewski and students set research plots at Pennsylvania's Tannersville Cranberry Bog. 10 years later, researchers cleared shrubs to help rare native plants return to the bogIn 2012, Ray Milewski and students established research plots at Pennsylvania’s Tannersville Cranberry Bog. A decade later, researchers cle...
In 2018, New York's Cortland County funded 3 culvert and stream projects. 5 years later, all 3 sites improved from severe barriers to insignificant barriers for better fish passageCortland County projects fit into a broader New York effort to identify and address barriers to aquatic organism passage. New York's Depart...
Louisiana used 13 million pounds of discarded oyster shells to build 8,000 feet of living shoreline; studies found oyster reefs can reduce wave heights under some conditionsIn Louisiana, discarded oyster shells are being creatively transformed into living shorelines to combat coastal erosion and rising sea leve...