Quality Wildlife Habitat‐Results Pay Off! The Great Lakes Park Training  Institute kicked off the first general session presentation of the 

conference with a presentation by Dr. Brian D. Anderson.  Titled, “Quality Habitat Restoration: 

Results Pay Off”, it was an excellent overview of the history and many benefits of restoring land 

back to a more natural state—providing wildlife habitats  in the form of wetlands and prairies.  

Dr. Anderson’s mantras  for  his  presentation were  “I  love  it  if  it’s  not  a  lawn”  and  “Habitat, 

Habitat, Habitat”.  Dr.  Anderson concluded his presentation saying habitat “restoration is good 

for  the  environment  and  wildlife,  good  for  the  economy,  and  there  is  lots  of  funding”.  A 

database of over 140 programs offering funding can be found at: http://gis.glin.net/habitat/ 

 

 

   

Q lit H bit t R t tiQ lit H bit t R t tiQuality Habitat RestorationQuality Habitat Restoration

Results Pay Off!Results Pay Off!

bybyDr. Brian D. AndersonDr. Brian D. Anderson

History of Habitat RestorationHistory of Habitat Restoration

• ReforestationReforestation– Biltmore Estate (late 1880’s, NW NC, Pisgah NF)

• George Vanderbilt

• Fredrick La Olmstead• Fredrick Law Olmstead

• Dr. Carl Alwin Schenck (a German)

• Biltmore Forest School (1898-1913)Biltmore Forest School (1898 1913)

History of Forestry, North Carolina Echo; www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/forestry/

History of Habitat Restoration

• Wildlife Restoration

– Aldo Leopold, Masters in Forestry, Yale University (1909), p , y, y ( ),grandfather a German-trained landscape architect

• Report of the Committee on North American Game Policy, American Game Institute (now Wildlife Management Institute) –( g )Aldo Leopold Chair (presented at American Game Conference 1930)

• Game Management – authored by Aldo Leopold (1933)g y p ( )

• Chair in Wildlife Management, University of Wisconsin (1933)

• Establishment of the Cooperative Research Unit (CRU) Program, as part of the Bureau of Biological Survey U S Department ofas part of the Bureau of Biological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture (1934)

• Ted Frison, Director of the INHS, invites colleagues to talk about forming a professional society (December 1935)forming a professional society. (December 1935)

• Society of Wildlife Specialists (Wildlife Society) established (February 1936)

History of Habitat RestorationHistory of Habitat Restoration

• Game Management and HabitatGame Management and Habitat

History of Habitat Restoration

• Prairie Restoration

University of Wisconsin buys “Curtis” Prairie in 1933– University of Wisconsin buys Curtis Prairie in 1933

– Norman Fasset and student John Thomson experiment with t l ti d l i di d l hi ith i i htransplanting sod, plowing, seeding, and mulching with prairie hay.

– 1935-41 Aldo Leopold and John Longenecker guide experiments

– John T Curtis writes master plan and conducts detailed vegetation– John T. Curtis writes master plan and conducts detailed vegetation surveys in 1946, 1951, 1956

Restorations and Reconstructions?

• Restoration – Improving the “quality” of habitat by enhancing the species composition or increasing the capacity of a habitat tothe species composition or increasing the capacity of a habitat to support particular species.

• Reconstruction – Creating habitat from scratch, i.e., a plowed field a paved lot etcfield, a paved lot, etc.

Prairie Reconstructions

Schulenberg Prairie,Morton Arboetum

Doris Westfall Prairie,Vermilion Co. Conservation 

District

Fermilab Prairie

History of Habitat Restoration

• Wetland Restoration

Technical Aspects of Wetlands: History of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States, Thomas E. Dahl, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Gregory J. Allord, U.S. Geological Survey,Service and Gregory J. Allord, U.S. Geological Survey, http://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/history.html– At the time the first Europeans settled in 1600’s there were 221

illi f l dmillion acres of wetlands

– The University of Illinois’ School of Engineering made famous through drainage technology in the 1870’sthrough drainage technology in the 1870 s

– By the 1960's, most political, financial, and institutional incentives to drain or destroy wetlands are in place

– By the middle1980’s only 108 million acres left

History of Habitat Restoration

• Wetland Restoration

Wetland Management and Research: Wetland Protection LegislationWetland Management and Research: Wetland Protection Legislation, by Todd H. Votteler, University of Texas and Thomas A. Muir, National Biological Service, http://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/legislation.html– Clean water Act 1972 limits filling of wetlands

Executive Order 11990 Protection of Wetlands Jimmy Carter– Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands, Jimmy Carter 1977, Federal Agencies must consider impacts on wetlands

– By the middle1980’s only 108 million acres lefty y

– Swampbuster (Food Security Act 1985) and Emergency Wetland Resources Act of 1986

– the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1991) estimated that between 1987 and 1990 about 90,000 acres were added to the Nation's wetland inventory.

Restored/Constructed Wetlands

Constructed Wetland, HungaryHansag, Hungary

Hillandale Golf Course, NC

Yellowstone Bend Ranch DevelopmentMiddle South Platte Mitigation Bank

How To Resources on the Web

• Reforestation– http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/bmp/contents/nonharvest/non_regen.htm

• Wildlife restoration• Wildlife restoration– http://www.marionswcd.org/wildlife.htm– http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/4435.htm

• Prairie restoration– http://ed.fnal.gov/help/prairie/Prairie_Res/index.html– www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/Landownersg /p /p / g / _

Guide/Habitat_Mgmt/Grassland/Prairie_Restorations.htm– www.plantbio.ohiou.edu/epb/instruct/commecology/labs/Harrelson.pdf

• Wetland restoration– http://www.asiaing.com/an‐introduction‐and‐users‐guide‐to‐wetland‐

restoration‐creation‐and‐enhanc.html

• Habitat Restoration Generallyhttp://wwwmichigandnr com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/Lando– http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/Landowners_Guide/Introduction/index.htm

– http://www.dnr.state.il.us/orep/pfc/guide/management/tipntech.htm

Habitat Restoration CostsHabitat Restoration Costs

• The costs of restoration are scalableThe costs of restoration are scalable

• There are avoided costs associated with restorationrestoration

– In Florida cost to mow 1 acre of commercial property $1120 annuallyproperty $1120 annually

– Americans use 800 million gallons of gas mowing lawns 17 million gallons spilledlawns, 17 million gallons spilled

– 500 lawn mowers generate 212 lbs. of hydrocarbonshydrocarbons

Habitat Restoration SpecialistsHabitat Restoration Specialists

Native Landscape, Inc. Habitat RestorationHabitat Restoration Specialists

Economic Benefits of Wildlife Habitat RestorationRestoration

In 2001 over 66 million people spent $40 billion observing, feeding and

h t hi ildlifphotographing wildlife.

Economic Benefits of Wildlife Habitat Restoration

O 3 24 illi l i i d i f f id i l• Over 3.24 million people participated in some form of residential or non-residential watchable wildlife recreation in Florida in 2001.

• The total expenditures from 2001 watchable wildlife recreation inThe total expenditures from 2001 watchable wildlife recreation in Florida was estimated at $1.58 billion.

• Total economic effect of watchable wildlife expenditures was $2.86 billion

• Since 1991, during a recession and the Gulf War expenditures in Florida for watchable wildlife recreation had increased 30 percentFlorida for watchable wildlife recreation had increased 30 percent ($1.212 billion in 1991), but were down slightly from 1996 levels when consumers were much more open with travel and equipment

h ($1 677 billi i 1996)purchases ($1.677 billion in 1996).

• The 2001 Economic Benefits of Watchable Wildlife Recreation in Florida, ,http://www.floridaconservation.org/Viewing/articles/wwecon2001.pdf

Economic Benefits of Wildlife Viewing

• In 2001, economic activity associated with hunting and fishing in P l i l d h $2 2 billi d $1 6 billiPennsylvania  totaled more than $2.2 billion and $1.6 billion respectively, while nonconsumptive wildlife recreation (viewing, feeding, and photographing wildlife) generated nearly $2 billion in economic activity.

h l d h bl ldl f• The total expenditures on watchable wildlife in Arizona in 2001 was $821 million with a total economic effect of $1.5 billion

• Southwick and Associates specialize in fish and wildlife economics and statistics.  They provide many free reports at:  http://www.southwickassociates.com/freereports/

Economic Benefits of Wildlife Habitat Restoration

In 2006 71.1 million Americans spent $45.7 billion on wildlife‐associated recreation.  This translates to over $100 billion in total economic effect.

In 2006 over 71 million people spentIn 2006 over 71 million people spent $45 billion observing, feeding and photographing wildlife.

Funding for Habitat RestorationFunding for Habitat Restoration

• A database of 140 programs offering funding can be found at: http://gis glin net/habitat/can be found at: http://gis.glin.net/habitat/

Institute of N t lNatural Resource S t i bilitSustainability