Using broad monitoring networks to support management assessments

In 1990, the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) was passed by Congress which authorized funding for planning and implementing restoration projects in the Louisiana coastal zone.  An important component of CWPPRA is a 20-year investment in monitoring the effectiveness of individual projects and providing an assessment of the cumulative effects of all restoration and protection projects on the coastal landscape.  The Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) is a single comprehensive wetland monitoring program that allows for ecological comparisons at site, project, hydrologic basin and coastwide scales.  The CRMS network contains 392 1-km² sites throughout the Louisiana coastal zone with each site providing monitoring data on a consistent suite of water, vegetation, soil, and landscape parameters at multiple temporal frequencies.  

The CRMS analytical teams developed a set of indices (i.e., floristic quality, hydrologic, and submergence vulnerability) that are presented in CRMS report cards. The CRMS report cards incorporate the indices and land/water analyses to assess the effects of restoration projects at multiple scales using data from project and reference sites within the CRMS network. This talk will present the CRMS framework and the multi-scale assessments available through the CRMS report card. The CRMS report cards are available in real-time on the CRMS website and are generated “on-the-fly” so that assessments are based on the most current data (http://www.lacoast.gov/crms).