Lower Columbia River Restoration Prioritization Framework

The Restoration Prioritization Framework was designed as a decision-making tool for the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership, to help identify the highest priority sites for restoration. The Framework is composed of three parts, which are intended for use together: 1) an overview of the concepts and description of Framework tools (this document), 2) a Microsoft Excel™ workbook containing detailed data, formulas, and workflow for the actual site prioritization, and 3) a Geographic Information System (GIS) database containing source and processed geospatial datasets.

The underlying concepts for this Framework were developed previously in the Bainbridge Island Nearshore Habitat Assessment, Management Strategy Prioritization, and Monitoring Recommendations (Williams et al. 2004) and An Ecosystem-Based Restoration Plan with Emphasis on Salmonid Habitats in the Columbia River Estuary (Johnson et al., 2003). The Prioritization Framework uses the conceptual model-based approach outlined in these documents to assign priority scores to sites. The conceptual model states that the physical controlling factors in a location drive the habitats that can form, and ultimately, the ecological functions that develop. The Framework uses this model to evaluate impacts to these controlling factors, using a variety of human impact “stressor” datasets, such as diking, agriculture, over-water structures, and flow restrictions.

This assessment is fundamentally a GIS-based analysis. Impact data is compiled from georeferenced sources, and linked to specific geographic sites. Data processing and calculations are done in Excel to derive priority scores, which are then re-linked to the geographic sites in the GIS. In this manner, all of the data and tools employed can be analyzed and queried in a geospatial context.