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Title:	Ecosystem management and restoration research program-providing technology for Corps leadership in ecosystem management
Authors:	Theriot, Russell F. Lazor, Robert L.
Keywords:	Environmental protection--Research Environmental management--Research
Publisher:	U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station
Series/Report no.:	Information Exchange Bulletin (Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program (U.S.)) ; no. EMRRP-98-2
Abstract:	The Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program (EMRRP) was initiated in 1997 as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ response to a national shift in environmental research and development. The program provides state-of-the-science methods and procedures to predict and analyze environmental impacts of Corps projects and activities with application toward ecosystem management and restoration. EMRRP research is developing both shortand long-range solutions to problems in several Corps mission areas (the Environment, Navigation, Recreation, Regulatory, Support for Others, and Water Supply), and addresses the requirements of more than 20 Legislative Acts, including the National Environmental Policy Act. The program’s stand-alone yet interrelated work units focus on research technology areas designed to develop capabilities to predict ecosystem impacts, develop ecosystem management and decision support systems, develop rapid quantification and assessment methods, investigate basic ecosystem processes, and restore habitat for species of concern to Corps natural resource managers. In the past few years, more and more emphasis has been placed on managing and restoring the environment at the ecosystem level. Several major projects have been initiated, including the Florida Everglades, the Yolo Basin in California, and the Yellowstone area in Montana. A new Congressional initiative sponsored by Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond (Missouri) would “enhance, preserve, and protect habitat for fish and wildlife on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers at a cost of $50 million over 5 years. At the Yolo Basin Wildlife Preserve Dedication on November 15, 1997, President Clinton, in referencing this new emphasis on large, nationally important restoration projects, said, “I’ve seen a glimpse of America’s future, and I like it.” Leadership in the Corps likes it also, and they see a major role for the Corps in bringing its engineering and environmental expertise to bear on the problem. As a result of, and in response to this new emphasis, the Corps of Engineers initiated the Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program in 1997 with General Investigation funding. The EMRRP developed directly from the Environmental Impact Research Program, a previous Corps research program that has been discontinued. The EMRRP program management and research are coordinated at the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station. EMRRP research is for application at the “ecosystem” level, which by Corps regulation is defined as “the dynamic and interrelating complex of plant and animal communities and their associated non-living environment.” Such research is dynamic and national in scope and has been focused to address national goals and priorities, emphasizing improved project operation and maintenance and rehabilitation rather than new construction. This strategy demands innovative techniques that can be implemented with reduced resources.
Description:	Information Exchange Bulletin
Gov't Doc #:	EMRRP-98-2
Rights:	Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/11681/4274
Appears in Collections:	Information Exchange Bulletin