Ecological Restoration Project Design and Installation

Course attendees will learn fundamental principles that guide the field of ecosystem restoration as well as best practices in site assessment, project design, plant selection, and project implementation. Participants will also be provided with planning and implementation strategies that address macro and microclimate changes; budget restrictions; dramatic increases in open space use; species diversity, habitat, ethnobotanical, and cultural goals; best practices in trail management and crime prevention through environmental design; opportunities to engage in local food systems; and aesthetic considerations. These principles and best practices will be demonstrated and deconstructed in a case study of a decades’ long community-driven restoration program, the Green Kirkland Partnership, in Kirkland, WA.

This class is part I of a two-part series, Community Driven Ecological Restoration: Implementation Essentials for Resilient, Inclusive Landscapes, covering the fundamental principles of ecological restoration and best practices for applying those principles in our increasingly dynamic world. The series is grounded in case studies of ongoing wetland, forest, and prairie restoration projects at Juanita Bay, Juanita Beach, Totem Lake and South Norway Hill parks in Kirkland.

The City of Kirkland is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and welcoming community for all people as well as honoring the First People who continue to live here since time immemorial. This course will be taught through a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and will include resources and best practices for integrating this lens into our shared work.