Science Based Decision Making_Ehrhart

Stream restoration continues to be a global, multibillion dollar industry employing a wide range of approaches—yet fundamental questions remain. How do we identify where river corridor restoration will yield the greatest ecological benefit? How do we match restoration approaches to site conditions? 


How can projects achieve reach and watershed scale outcomes while balancing feasibility, site constraints, and cost? This presentation shares a watershed partnership’s journey to advance highly effective, durable, ecologically based stream and wetland restoration through the development of a provisional, science-informed decision framework designed to support more strategic restoration planning. Rooted in process-based restoration principles and the restoration literature, the framework guides practitioners in evaluating site potential, selecting appropriate restoration approaches, and anticipating ecological outcomes. Importantly, this framework is still under active development—an evolving tool that will benefit from continued testing, refinement, and new ideas from the restoration community. 

 The presentation will review core principles essential for restoration approach selection and then introduce a structured framework built through assessments of hydrologic, geomorphic, and ecological data. By bridging research and real world application, the framework demonstrates how science can inform defensible, scalable, and ecologically grounded restoration decisions. Attendees will see how resource assessments shape decision criteria and how this approach moves restoration planning beyond ad hoc choices toward more strategic, evidence based action across watersheds.